Yes! Islanders

The Islanders official site focuses on the playoff appearance to say the future is bright, while at the end of last week they were highlighting waiver-infused competition for roster spots during the season.

In the semifinal at the IIHF World Championship, Nino Niederreiter scored the only goal the Swiss needed in a 3-0 defeat of the U.S., meaning Switzerland will win a medal at the World Championship for the first time in 60 years.

Niederreiter also assisted on the empty net goal that made it 3-0.

The gold medal game is Sunday against Sweden, who defeated Finland in the other semifinal. The Finns will play the U.S. for bronze.

In the category of "news I was not expecting to hear this summer, but particularly not on May 17," we have this:

The New York Islanders announced today that forward Eric Boulton has agreed to terms on a one-year contract.

We've had some technical hiccups over the last few days (particularly for logged-in users), so apologies to readers and regular commenters if things haven't worked as well. There is some technical jargon to explain that, but then there is hockey. Hockey is more interesting.

Congratulations to Matt Moulson, for being nominated for the second straight year for the Lady Byng trophy.  Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis are nominated for the award which will be announced during the Stanley Cup Finals.

He only had four penalty minutes in 47 games this season.  The least among the top 50 scores in the NHL this season.

Hopefully, the silverware will be heading to New York for #26. 

Great stuff!

HockeyBuzz.com - Dee Karl - Nabokov vs. The Media

The video looks a lot different from where I was standing.
hmmm.... I guess it's just me.

Before (or early in) each playoff series we like to poll Lighthouse Hockey readers for their picks, comments and analysis on the matchup.

Of course, as the playoffs continue on, inevitably teams who draw our hatred meet up. This series may be one of those situations. There is little to like here for the Islanders fan. So maybe we best just show this (try to ignore #26):

and this:

I thought this ESPN article was awesome because of how anonymously sourced it was (welcome to the 21st century media age; no one speaks on the record, but they would like a "these people said" word with you).

But also because of this (emphasis mine):

That source said sacrificing revenue on those six games at Nassau, which is expected to hold a capacity of 13,000 fans after renovations, is a major concern.

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is fitted to seat 14,500. Nassau, currently the oldest arena in the league, seats 17,686.

Matt Moulson is a finalist for the Lady Byng trophy for the second season in a row.

The award annually honors players who are good at hockey and remarkably tolerant of tools who are not good at hockey doing stupid things to try to get such players to be less good at hockey. But these finalists, they look the other way while Otts ott and Cookes cooke.

Er, officially the award is for the player "adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

If you haven't heard, the reports that first surfaced last month are now officially announced: The New York Islanders will indeed play an outdoor game, 7:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 29 at Yankee Stadium against the New York Rangers. That will be three days after the Rangers face the New Jersey Devils in the same venue.

I am not sure if this was written about here, and I apologize to Gary if he did bring it up, but I just finished a book that I’d like to strongly recommend any Islander fan read. It might be a little tough right after having lost to the Penguins and now being out of the playoffs, yet it also might also help you feel better as an Islander fan and really ignore that sense of pride in the organization.

The book was written by, Greg Prato and came out last fall. It’s called, “Dynasty –the Oral History of the New York Islanders – 1972-1984″. It contains interviews with many players and people surrounding the early years of the team going back to its creation and recounting the championship years up to the end of the “drive for five” season of 1983-1984.

Re-Print of the NHL's Press announcement concerning Tri-State Areas teams playing outdoors this January. Presented without comment.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / MAY 15, 2013 

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE TO PLAY A TWIN BILL AT YANKEE STADIUM 

Yankee Stadium to Host Two Games as Part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils, Sunday, Jan. 26 at 12:30 p.m. ET 

New York Rangers at New York Islanders, Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET 

Life is returning to normal – after the great playoff run and series against Pittsburgh.  The loss is still hard to take, but the pain is gone.  Life is slowing returning to its normal routine.

Well – sort of.

As for me – I started a new journey today.  This morning, I began a liquid diet in advance of bariatric surgery that I am having two weeks from today.  It is journey that will help me lose a great deal of weight, and allow me to live a healthier life. 

HockeyBuzz.com - Dee Karl - Isles: No Longer The Lost Boys - Cizikas

First time in five years I went to breakdown day and didn't actually like -- break down.

I would like to tell you that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be ousted by the Ottawa Senators in this series, but unfortunately someone told Dan Bylsma he can play Tomas Vokoun.

Vokoun is good -- maybe not Craig Anderson good, but good -- and certainly not the godawful Marc-Andre Fleury we have seen in the playoffs more often than not.

The New York Islanders had their breakup day and final media interactions on Tuesday. Some highlights, via the bittersweet flow on Twitter, are below.

But first, to orient you, here are a few links wrapping up the end of the season:

Why have we gathered today, around his nondescript, unpainted pine casket in an empty parking lot? To say goodbye to the 2013 edition of the New York Islanders, who were laid to rest last weekend surrounded by the people who loved them best: their opponents. No doubt the rest of the NHL will dearly miss the easy victories that so often happen when facing the Islanders.

There have been a lot of people talking about the end of the Islanders season. People upset they let the 6 seed slip out of their hands. People not happy about Evgeni Nabokov's less than stellar showing in the series during the Penguins. With the Isles departing the playoffs on Saturday night in a game that was so close, that if not for a couple of relatively easy saves or defensive miscues that could have been prevented, they would have forced game 7.

There were a lot of disappointed fans.

But I am not one of them.

There are two Games 7 in the Eastern Conference tonight in the NHL, but as quickly as those commence the second round will begin.

The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, and the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, have the lockout misfortune of playing Games 6 and 7 of their series on back-to-back nights. That will smart when it comes time for the survivors to play round two.