Top Shelf : Islanders Daily : 11/10/2013

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Islanders slide continued last night in Columbus but there is not much time to sit back and ponder just what is going wrong lately.

A quick turnaround has New York playing in Montreal tonight at 6pm and you can be sure that Kevin Poulin will be in goal playing in front of family and friends in his hometown.

After the game last night, there was no official update on the injury status of Thomas Vanek, but Arthur Staple was told he is out tonight and further evaluation is required. The scariest thing about the injury is the seemingly innocent way it all took place just 23 seconds into the first period.

Evgeni Nabokov was neither good or bad and I think that gets to the root of the problem with the Islanders goaltending. He just cannot seem to come up with the big momentum changing save when the team seems to need it. Of course, it does not help that the six man unit in front of him continues to produce turnovers and prime scoring chances for the opposition.

And what does the fanbase expect Garth Snow to do exactly? Tap into an overpriced trade market by dealing away some of his most prized prospects? I can tell you that Ryan Strome is a starting point for any discussions involving a top tier defenseman. No team is looking to deal away a goaltender that will help the Islanders right now and the rumored cost of Ryan Miller proved that the market for them is just as expensive.

For now, it’s wait and see on Vanek, and if he needs a trip to the IR, which forward comes up from Bridgeport? Safe money is Islanders fans just might get to see the Strome debut they have been craving, especially with the secondary scoring all but dried up.

In Case You Missed It

• Our post game report, Snap Shots, is new and condensed for your reading pleasure (EOI)
• The Columbus dispatch looks at the game from the winning side (Columbus Dispatch)
• Lighthouse with their recap including some quotes from John Tavares (LHH)
• Matt Martin with Kathryn Tappen of NHL network discusses some things (NY Islanders)
• 10 year old Ryan Strome scores five goals (Islanders Point Blank)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

In keeping with the new tradition founded by our outstanding senior staff writer Mike Willhoft, two minutes for tweeting will not be appearing the morning after Islanders games as we find our own unique way to combat the bi-polarization of not just Islanders fans, but most sports fans in general. 17 games in, there is no reason to get too high or too low after each game.

Around The NHL

Across The Sound

In a 10 round shootout, the Sound Tigers fell to Hershey 3-2 last night. The recap from the Bridgeport official site can be found right here.

A two game winning streak comes to an end, but like with the big club, there is no time to sit back and ponder the result. It’s right back to action today and tomorrow as the team finishes up a stretch of three games in three days.