Barclays Center Can Opt Out of Isles Deal After 5 Years

According to Newsday, Nassau County officials are saying that Barclays Center is able to opt out of their lease deal with the Islanders after 5 years.  If you recall, the Islanders announced in October 2012 that they had signed a 25 year lease to play at the state of the art arena.

@NYIslanders signed 25 year contract in 2012 to play at the Barclays Center; county officials say Barclays has opt out after 5 years
— Robert Brodsky (@BrodskyRobert) March 11, 2015

However, since then there have been many conspiracy theories and such which saw the team coming back to Nassau County.

There had long been rumors about the Barclays Center lease, now having this confirmed will add fuel to the fire for those who think the team may come back one day.

While I still don't think they will come back, this does add a wrinkle to things.  I wouldn't get your hopes up of the Barclays Center people opting out of the deal, however, crazier things have happened I guess.

Leddy Out With Upper Body Injury

According to Arthur Staple, Nick Leddy is expected to miss two weeks with an upper body injury.

Source says #Isles D Nick Leddy (upper body) will be out 2 weeks. No plans to call any D up from BPT. #Isles back at practice tomorrow.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) March 11, 2015

While this isn't great news obviously, it is certainly better than the alternative.  At least Leddy will be back in time for playoffs with time to spare so he is able to get his legs back under him before playoffs start.

Isles Fall 2-1 in Tight Rivalry Game

Tonight, in the final contest between the Islanders and Rangers at Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders fell by a score of 2-1.  Here are some of my notes from the game:

-Officiating was horribly inconsistent tonight.  If Jesper Fast doesn't get fined for that dive in the first period, there is something terribly wrong with the NHL system.

-Halak was pretty good tonight, a tip and some weak defense got the best of him.  He gave the team a chance to win though which is all you can ask for.

-Great job by Anders Lee on his goal!  He showed excellent determination and was ultimately rewarded.

Certainly not the outcome we were hoping for with tonights game, but you can't be disappointed with the effort.

Next Game: Friday vs Ottawa

Pre Game: Rangers @ Islanders

Tonight, for the final time in the regular season, the Islanders will play host to the Rangers from the Nassau Coliseum.

The goalie match up tonight features Cam Talbot in net for the Rangers.  Meanwhile, Jaroslav Halak will be in net for the Islanders.

The Islanders lineup will see at least one change tonight with Kyle Okposo making his return.  Okposo hasn't played in a game since before the all star break after having surgery to repair a detached retina.  According to Newsday, Michael Grabner is likely to be scratched to make room for Okposo in the lineup.  Additionally, Nick Leddy is a game time decision for tonight after getting injured in last nights contest in Toronto.

Tavares Leads Late Isles Comeback in OT Win

photo by pixshark

Tonight, after having a less than stellar first 40 minutes, our Islanders came out in the third period and showed by they have been at the top of the standings for the entire NHL season to this point.  With their 43rd win tonight, it is the most wins they have had in a regular season since 1983/1984.  Here are some of my notes from the game:

-First of all, what can you say about John Tavares that hasn't already been said?  He is fantastic to watch and in my opinion the top athlete in New York Sports right now.

-Good Islander debut for Tyler Kennedy tonight with a goal and an assist.  He seemed to click pretty good with Tavares and Bailey in the third tonight, I suspect they will remain together for tomorrows contest.

-While Neuvirth wasn't great tonight, he wasn't bad either.  With a couple more starts heading his way, hopefully he starts to improve a little bit more each time.

-Is anyone else holding their breath on the impeding status of Nick Leddy who left tonights game after the second period?  Hopefully, we receive a positive update from the Islanders on Leddys condition tomorrow.

-The kid line also seemed to be effective when they were put back together for the third period.  Speaking of them, left wing Anders Lee registered another point tonight as he continues his late push for a rookie of the year nomination.

Through two periods, most Islander fans were unsteady, wondering how the team could put forth an effort like this against the struggling Leafs.  Lucky for them, they came out and showed up in the third and that was enough for them to get a huge two points out of the game.  While they were successful tonight, they can't play like this against teams like the Rangers because most often it won't work out well.

Next Game: Tomorrow vs NYR (Last regular season game between them at the Coliseum)

Pre Game: Islanders @ Toronto

photo by pete

Tonight, our Islanders conclude their four game road trip as they face-off against Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The goalie match up tonight features Michal Neuvirth getting his second consecutive start for the Islanders.  Meanwhile, Jonathan Bernier will be in net for the Maple Leafs.

There will be one notable omission from the Leafs lineup as center Nazem Kadri will be a healthy scratch tonight.

Meanwhile, for the Islanders, there will be one lineup change from Saturdays shootout loss.  Tyler Kennedy, who the Islanders acquired at last weeks trade deadline, will finally get into the lineup after battling an upper body injury.  To make room for him, Colin McDonald will be a healthy scratch tonight.

Isles Fall 4-3 in Shootout to Panthers

Tonight, our Islanders fell 4-3 to the Panthers in a shootout.  Here are some of my notes from the game:

-Tavares again showed off his stick handling on his breakaway goal.  He is truly worth the price of admission by himself.

-While Neuvirth didn't have a great game in his debut, he wasn't bad.  Hopefully, he is able to improve for Mondays outing.

-The team showed good resolve to get the tying goal after the Panthers went ahead in the third period.

After the comeback victory the other night, to lose tonight against the Panthers third string goalie was frustrating.  Tonight, was a game that should've went into the win column.  They need to dust that off though as they prepare for the Maple Leafs on Monday.

Next Game: Monday 7:30 @ Toronto