Hockey Fish Sticks – California Dreaming for the Isles? by Chris Passarelli October 17, 2018 Editor’s note; This is a new column that I’m trying out. Like the brand new ‘Dishin’ and Swishin’ for the Knicks, and the Yankees Hot Corner, I want to have weekly columns for all the sports that I write for. Having a column like Fish Sticks gives us more freedom to discuss larger subjects, and it’s more of an open forum than the more structured Islanders Puck Talk. I hope you enjoy. The New York Islanders haven’t played a hockey game in about four months. In all seriousness, the Islanders start a three game West Coast road trip Wednesday night, the first game in Anaheim. The Islanders haven’t played since Saturday and hopefully aren’t rusty like they were against the Nashville Predators. It seems that in years past this West Coast road trip makes or breaks the Islander season. It essentially ruined Jack Capuano’s coaching career. It brought the team together after a dismal November a few seasons ago. It may not seem like a big deal, but these long road trips bring the team together. California is absolutely beautiful, but make no mistake this is a business trip and a business trip only for the Islanders. The lines have shifted for Wednesday night’s game, as have the defensive pairs. Here’s a look at the new lines and pairings; Lee – Nelson – Eberle Ladd – Barzal – Bailey Beau – Filppula – Clutterbuck Johnston – Cizikas – Komarov Leddy – Pulock Hickey – Mayfield Sbisa – Boychuk Greiss It looks like Thomas Greiss will take the first game of this road trip, with Robin Lehner getting his shot against the L.A. Kings. These lines are very interesting as well. The second line seems to lack speed, especially considering Mat Barzal is usually the fastest player on the ice. What’s also missing is a true defensive pair, as none of the three pairs feature a true defensive player. Johnny Boychuk has looked mighty slow, as has Luca Sbisa. The Islanders are going to need to get their wheels going if they want to have a successful California road trip. Getting off to a slow start on this trip will only hold them back once they get home. They’ll have to win at least two of the three games for it to be a successful road trip. Can it be done? Absolutely, but the Islanders are going to have to work every shift, every minute, and every play. If they can outwork the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks and can get their speed up to snuff, they’ll be successful. Post Views: 993 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Chris Passarelli Football Editor - Hockey Editor - New York Islanders Lead Writer - New York Lizards Lead Writer - UConn Football Lead Writer Latest posts by Chris Passarelli (see all) NFL Network to Premiere ‘The Top 100 Players of 2020’ on July 26 - July 22, 2020 The ‘Toilet Bowl’ may be coming to Western New York - July 16, 2020 Bigger is Better; SoFi Stadium Completes Largest Videoboard in Sports - July 1, 2020 Smoltz, Vrabel and Brown talk American Century Championship and Everything in Between - June 30, 2020 Related TopicsBarry TrotzJohnny BoychukLuca SbisaNew York Islanders Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... IMAGES: New Jersey Devils Red Carpet – October 14, 2018 Flyer of the Week Rankings: Week 2