Islanders prospects daily: Robin Salo’s SHL season over

Here’s you’re daily New York Islanders prospects report. You’ll find out who played yesterday (and how they did), who’s playing today (and what to look for), and every few updates I’ll tell you how these prospects have moved up (or down) in my prospects rankings.

New York Islanders prospects in action today (29/4/21)

• Ruslan Iskahkov (TPS)
  • Stats: 5SOG, 11.1 FOW%, 16:28TOI
• Robin Salo (Orebro)
  • Stats: -1, 17:18 TOI
• Bridgeport Sound Tigers
  • Felix Bibeau: 1G
  • Simon Holmstrom: 6SOG
  • Bode Wilde: Shootout winner

It was not a great opening game for TPS in the SM-Liiga semi-finals. The black and white dropped their opening game 4-1 to HIFK. Iskhakov, who I praised as a good two-way center just the other day, did not have a great night.

He got pucks on net, but he rarely won a faceoff and didn’t help his team on the scoresheet. He, and the rest of his team, will quickly have a chance to fix that today.

Robin Salo’s season is over. With a 3-1 loss in game 5 of the SHL semi-finals the recently signed defenseman will make his way to North America. When exactly is still unsure.

Anatolii Golyshev showed us how long visa issues can take. It took just over a month from signing date to arrival for Golyshev. And then there’s the quarantine. Golyshev is still seemingly in his, though that should have ended today. So, if you figure in the same delays, Salo may not be ready to join the team, in any capacity until June. Again, that’s assuming he faces the same hurdles Golyshev faced.

Bridgeport put up their fourth win in five games. They are unbeaten in regulation in those five games. That historically bad season they were on has changed dramatically once they let some of their more talented youths play to their strengths.

Wild how that works sometimes.

New York Islanders prospects in action today (30/4/21)

• Ruslan Iskhakov (TPS)
• Reece Newkirk (Winterhawks)

Like I said, TPS gets right back at it today with a chance to atone for that poor showing yesterday in Game 1. Making the semi-finals is already a big achievement for TPS but they can’t rest on their lorels. They have the quality to make a push for the finals, they’ve just got to play to their strengths.

Reece Newkirk and his Portland Winterhawks faceoff against the Everett Silvertips today. The last time these two clubs met a few days back, the Silvertips won out 3-2 thanks to a strong third period.

In five meetings the Winterhawks haven’t been able to get a win going 0-4-1 and being outscored 20-10 in those five games. So just like Iskhakov and TPS, the Winterhawks and Newkirk have some things to right against today’s opponent.