Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Yesterday, one of my Facebook memories was a picture of Johnny Boychuk from 10 years ago wearing a “Yes! Yes! Yes!” shirt I helped create while podcasting (I had no interest in writing) for our predecessor IslesBlog during the 2014-15 season.
It brought back fond memories of that season, which will always be among my favorites as a hockey fan. It was a year of unexpected success and watching homegrown players come into their own during the final season at Nassau Coliseum. That team didn’t make it out of the first round, but the season was a resounding success because it was the start of something.
There’s a special kind of magic in rooting for an up-and-coming team—a mix of hope, anticipation, and pride that’s hard to replicate. Every small success feels monumental when a team is on the rise—a hard-fought win, a breakout performance, or even a close loss that produced a moral victory.
You’re not just watching games; you’re witnessing the foundation of something great being laid down for your fandom. The joy lies in the belief that better days are ahead—and you get to see it all unfold.
The other reason the photo struck me is that ten years later, we’re not watching the beginning of something; we’re likely witnessing the end of it. If there’s beauty in beginnings and there’s sadness in endings. The promise of a bright future isn’t accompanying this season, and the Islanders will have to say goodbye to the past and close the book on this chapter before they can start a new one.
Coming up, the Islanders prepare for life without Noah Dobson and Hudson Fasching nears a return. Plus, Marc Gatcomb is piling up the hits and it’s Mike Bossy 50-in-50 day.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Defenseman Noah Dobson has reportedly avoided surgery, but that doesn’t mean he’ll avoid a lengthy absence from the lineup. The Islanders listed the 25-year-old as week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Though he’s been much quieter this season, Dobson has been picking up the pace of late with 16 points (5 G, 11 A) in his last 20 games. With Dobson missing what appears to be significant time, the Islanders' top two offensive-defensemen from last season are missing from the lineup, joining Mike Reilly, who has been out since November after a heart issue was discovered following his concussion.
News & Notes
Forward Hudson Fasching was wearing a regular jersey at practice on Thursday, a sign that he’s getting closer to the return, though head coach Patrick Roy is not inclined to make any changes to the way his team is playing. "It's hard right now to make a change in our lineup," Roy said after the practice session. "The way we've been playing, we're going to go with these guys.”
Forward Kyle Palmieri was back at practice after taking a maintenance day on Tuesday. Alexander Romanov and Scott Mayfield were paired with Noah Dobson who’s out with his lower-body injury.
⏭ NEXT UP: After three days off the Islanders resume their season-long homestand with a back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. Face-off for both games is 7:30 PM EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
A Pleasant Surprise
In an exclusive for the New York Post, Ethan Sears wrote about the strong impression Marc Gatcomb has made in his two games since his call-up from Bridgeport. He’s played limited minutes (TOI 8:57), but his strong skating and physicality have stood out, and he’s been credited with 19 hits.
“I think [physicality’s] a big part of my game that I try to take pride in,” Gatcomb told The Post. “A hit could lead to a turnover or time in the O-Zone, getting out of the D-Zone. I feel like that’s helped me the last couple games. Keep trying to build on that.”
The UCONN product is the first Islander rookie with consecutive games of at least seven hits since Matt Martin (3/6-3/8/2011). “It is a pleasant surprise, first of all,” coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday’s practice. “But he had a really good camp, so we were all excited to see how he would respond and he’s doing a really nice job. He deserves to play and the way he’s been playing forced us to play him.”
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, on Monday night vs. Columbus, Simon Holmstrom scored his 6th career shorthanded goal; the first five were scored last season, all by December 19th. Six of Holmstrom's 31 career goals have been shorthanded. Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock are the only Islander defensemen to play every game this season. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and Dobson extended their point streaks to three games. The Isles are 11-2-1 this season when Horvat scores a goal. Islander goalies have allowed one goal or fewer five times in the last six games.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On January 24, 1981, Mike Bossy became the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in the first 50 games of the season. After being held scoreless by the Quebec Nordiques, Bossy got his 49th and 50th goals in the final 4 minutes and 10 seconds to match the mark of Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard during the 1944-45 season. The Isles’ 7-4 win at the Nassau Coliseum was a footnote to Bossy’s historic accomplishment.
🎧 Island Ice: Dobson’s injury, decisions nearing, Marc Gatcomb
🔗 Alexander Romanov, Scott Mayfield look to fill void by injured Noah Dobson by Ethan Sears, New York Post “This season has been played on two tracks for Romanov: one in which he’s further established himself as a top-pair defenseman for the Islanders and a pivotal piece of their future, regardless of which way the franchise goes; and another in which he’s missed games over four separate stints due to upper-body injuries and a one-game illness absence, getting back from the latest last Saturday.”
🔗 With Markstrom Hurt, Could The Devils Look To Islanders For Goaltending Help by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “The question is, with the way Hogberg has played, has he turned himself into an asset? In theory, yes. Other teams might want to see more of a sample size, but there's no reason, if Hogberg keeps up his strong play, that he wouldn't be worth a third-round pick or so on the trade mark.”
And we leave you with this… Mike Bossy poses for a photo with Maurice “Rocket” Richard after Bossy tied Richards 50 goals in 50 games record in January 1981.
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