Tonight, our Islanders return to action after the nearly 3 week Olympic break playing host to Nazem Kadri and the Leafs.
The goalie match up tonight features Jonathan Bernier for the Leafs and Evgeni Nabokov for the Islanders.
With injuries taking its toll on the team the lineup will look quite different then the Islanders pre Olympic lineup. Bridgeport callups Ryan Strome, Anders Lee, and Mike Halmo will all be in the lineup tonight with Lee making his season debut and Halmo making his NHL debut. As everyone knows, Tavares is out with a leg injury, Frans Nielsen is out with a broken hand, and Matt Martin is out with a lower body injury but it is possible that he gets back in the lineup this weekend. The lone healthy scratch for the Islanders is Matt Carkner.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Happy Birthday Casey Cizikas
photo by foxnews
Today, Islanders center Casey Cizikas is celebrating his 23rd birthday.
Cizikas was a 4th round pick by the Islanders in the 2009 draft which is the same draft where the got the likes of John Tavares, Calvin de Haan and Anders Lee.
After playing a little over a season in Bridgeport, Cizikas was slotted in as the Islanders fourth line center and hasn't looked back. Over time, not only has Cizikas settled into that role effectively but he has also become a very good penalty killer as well.
We would like to wish Casey a very Happy Birthday and look forward to continuing to watch him evolve over the years as a member of this team.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Who Is Mike Halmo?
photo by hockeysfuture
Today, along with teammates Anders Lee and Ryan Strome, Mike Halmo was called up to the Islanders. What set Halmo apart from Strome & Lee is that he has never been with the big club before. This unfamiliarity caused some Islanders fans to wonder who exactly he is when news that he was called up came out.
Halmo was a prospect who went un-drafted that the Islanders signed in March of 2012 to a 3 year entry level contract. In his final year in juniors Halmo was 5th in the OHL in scoring with 85 points in 66 games and also served as team captain in his final season.
While he does have a scoring touch, Halmo does play with an edge to. In his final year in juniors Halmo amassed 162 penalty minutes. He is perhaps best known for getting a 10 game suspension after placing an illegal hit on Nail Yakupov.
Halmo didn't stop playing with his edge when he left juniors. He has continued with that edge in his time with Bridgeport. In his 104 games with Bridgeport Halmo amassed 167 penalty minutes. He doesn't spend all his time in the box though as he has also put up 52 points in that same 104 game span.
I don't really know enough about Halmo to have an opinion but on the surface it appears as though Halmo has the ingredients to be a fan favorite at the NHL level should he pan out.
Isles Call Up Lee/Strome/Halmo
Today, in anticipation of the NHL coming out the Olympic break the Islanders called up Anders Lee, Ryan Strome, and Mike Halmo from Bridgeport.
The call up of Strome was expected since he was sent down a couple weeks before the break. Meanwhile, the call up of Lee was expected by some given the Islanders current injury situation. Halmo getting the call though was a surprise to many.
The trio combined to form Bridgeport's top line for most of this season. In 54 games for the Sound Tigers Lee has managed to put up 22 goals and 19 assists along with 83 penalty minutes. Those 22 goals were enough to lead the Tigers and his 41 points were second on the team behind Strome. Meanwhile, Halmo managed 17 goals and 20 assists and 116 penalty minutes in 53 games for Bridgeport.
With the trio having a lot of success as a unit in Bridgeport this year I wonder if they will keep them together as a line up here.
The call up of Strome was expected since he was sent down a couple weeks before the break. Meanwhile, the call up of Lee was expected by some given the Islanders current injury situation. Halmo getting the call though was a surprise to many.
The trio combined to form Bridgeport's top line for most of this season. In 54 games for the Sound Tigers Lee has managed to put up 22 goals and 19 assists along with 83 penalty minutes. Those 22 goals were enough to lead the Tigers and his 41 points were second on the team behind Strome. Meanwhile, Halmo managed 17 goals and 20 assists and 116 penalty minutes in 53 games for Bridgeport.
With the trio having a lot of success as a unit in Bridgeport this year I wonder if they will keep them together as a line up here.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Isles Move Nielsen To IR
According to reports, today the Islanders moved forward Frans Nielsen to IR retroactive to February 8th.
Nielsen broke his hand the in the Islanders final game before the Olympic break against the Avalanche. He is expected to miss the first week of games after NHL play resumes later this week.
Nielsen broke his hand the in the Islanders final game before the Olympic break against the Avalanche. He is expected to miss the first week of games after NHL play resumes later this week.
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