The calendar has turned to 2025, and the Islanders are currently occupying the basement of the Metropolitan Division and their beloved rival Rangers - just how we drew it up. Sitting at 28th overall in the league and failing to string wins together, this could prove to be an interesting second half to the season. Belle Fraser of SLC Tribune joins to preview the Islanders’ first visit to Utah and how things are going for the new..ish.. franchise!
Sign up for the new Hockey Night in New York Patreon at patreon.com/hockeynightny and get 40% off your first month with promo code “ISLESFIX”
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).
We jumped on soon after the Islanders’ 5-4 OT win in Boston (a win Chris saw coming!) as Bo Horvat became the first NHL player with a shorthanded goal and an overtime goal in the same game since March 8, 2023 (JT Miller (VAN vs ANA).
The win ended a three-game losing streak and, for the time being, put a hold on the constant chatter of change that should (or will) come at some point. The way too-forgiving Eastern Conference has the Islanders somehow only four points out of a playoff spot - one game shy of the season’s halfway point. Yet, even after wins, this team is uniquely capable of making you feel they’re much further away than what the standings tell us. Maybe this was the start of something or a mere interlude ahead of an arduous road trip.
Find and listen to Isles Fix podcasts on additional platforms:
Listen and enjoy!
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are off for three days before playing in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights on Thursday night.
📊 STANDINGS:
Markers
There are always markers in the season where you take a breath and look where you are in the standings. There’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then usually the All-Star Break. This year, there’s the 4 Nations Face-off. There are 16 games for the Islanders before the league breaks for the tournament, and by then, we should know what Lou Lamoriello will likely do with the trade deadline not far behind.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Islanders captain Anders Lee extended his club lead in goals with goals 17 and 18. Lee is 5-0-5 in five games since Christmas. At 18-14-32, Lee is on pace to set career highs in assists (23 - twice) and points (62 in 2017-18). Lee is the last Islander to score 40 goals (2017-18), and only Brock Nelson (3x), Bo Horvat (2023-24), and Kyle Palmieri (2023-24) have reached 30 goals in the interim.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Jan. 6, 1981, John Tonelli scored five goals to tie a team record in the Islanders’ 6-3 defeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonelli had been struggling, but Al Arbour placed him on a line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier to jumpstart him, and the results were extraordinary. Bossy, who spent most of his career scoring goals, embraced the role of playmaker on this night. He assisted with all six Islanders’ goals and set a new team record. You can watch all five of Tonelli’s goals HERE via Hockey Night in Canada and Islanders Pride.
🔗 Islanders' Bo Horvat scores overtime winner to beat Bruins by Andrew Gross, Newsday “It has to start somewhere for the Islanders if they are to make any playoff push. So Sunday night’s 5-4 overtime win over the Bruins at TD Garden to snap a three-game losing streak — albeit three games in which the Islanders believed they played well — has a chance to be a foundation.”
🔗 NY Islanders top prospect embraces specialized role on Team USA at World Juniors by Eyes on Isles “If you only watch highlights of Team USA games at the IIHF 2025 World Juniors Tournament, you'd never know that New York Islanders top prospect Cole Eiserman is the team's 13th forward.”
And we leave you with this…Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson, and Team USA win gold at the IIHF World Juniors on Teddy Stiga’s OT winner vs. Finland.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too
