Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 10/17/13

Oct 15, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders center

(53) and Buffalo Sabres center

(9) face off during the first period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports Buffalo Sabre

New York Islanders fans have mostly settled down since Tuesday night, which is when the Isles lost to then then-winless Buffalo Sabres.

After three times taking the lead in that game and three times giving it up, the Islanders eventually fell in a shootout. The Islanders essentially gave away a point they had all but wrapped up when they were leading 3-2 with two minutes to go in regulation.

The chorus of “same old Isles” was heard around the social media sphere, and, to a lesser extent, in the national hockey media as well. In order for the Islanders to put the rest of the NHL on notice that they’re not the same team as they have been in years past, they’ll need to be able to close out games. The idea of “playing not to lose” needs to be something the team erases from its mindset completely.

After all, we saw what happens when you let a bottom-feeding team hang around on the scoresheet. Luckily for the Isles, they have the chance to rid themselves of the memory of the Sabres loss tonight when they take on the Edmonton Oilers at home.

-Mike (@MichaelWillhoft)

In Case You Missed It

NHL Network To Televise American Hockey League (Eyes On Isles)

It’s An Awfully Long Season Boys: Take A Breath (Eyes On Isles)

Putting The Isles’ 2013-14 Season Into Context, So Far (Eyes On Isles)

Are The Toronto Maple Leafs Really This Good? (Bleacher Report)

Source: Hagelin Cleared For Contact (ESPN)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

Winning is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s generally considered a good thing; wins usually mean the team is playing well. Conversely, when expectations are high and the team puts forth an effort like it did on Tuesday night against Buffalo, well…we all saw the results on the Twitter.

Be sure to check out the latest edition of EOI’s Dump and Chase Podcast (www.thedumpandchasepodcast.com), in which we had Jiggs McDonald discuss the state of the team and some of his favorite memories from the dynasty days.

Need we say more?

Last Night In The NHL

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

The Rangers earned their second win of the young season last night, as star netminder Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 22 shots he faced from Capitals shooters. It was Lundqvist’s 46th career shutout and his third in his last three games against Washington, stretching back to the 2013 postseason.

Brad Richards recorded two assists and the Rangers scored two goals in a two-minute span in the second period. The Capitals had trouble creating scoring chances, and it showed on the scoreboard. Top scorer Alex Ovechkin was held pointless last night after recording a goal and an assist in the previous game against the Oilers.

Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Ducks

The Flames trailed the Ducks by two goals at two different times during last night’s game, but couldn’t net the equalizer at any point, eventually losing the game 3-2 in Anaheim.

Dustin Penner, Kyle Palmieri and Teemu Selanne scored for the Ducks, while Lee Stempniak and Jiri Hudler recorded the Flames’s two goals.

It was Calgary’s first regulation loss of the season, coming much later than many of the NHL talking heads had predicted. With the win, Anaheim climbed to second place in the Pacific Division; Calgary fell to fourth.

Across The Sound

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (1-3-0-0) haven’t played since Sunday, Oct. 20 when they lost 3-1 to the visiting Springfield Falcons. The team will take on the Binghamton Senators this Sunday at Webster Bank Arena at 3:00 p.m.

As always, thanks for reading us at EyesOnIsles. Keep it right here for all of your NHL coverage and up-to-the-minute Islanders news. Be sure to check the menu bar at the top of the page for ways to connect with the EyesOnIsles staff; we’re always happy to talk hockey.