In October 2012, a month into the NHL lockout, with the schedule already beginning to crumble, the New York Islanders made a big announcement: Upon expiration of their lease in 2015, the Isles would be leaving the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, their publicly owned home of 40 years, for Brooklyn's Barclays Center. …

This play didn't begin as a breakaway. When Sidney Crosby got the puck at center ice, Thomas Hickey was in his way, with Lubomir Visnovsky closing in on Crosby's right. Plenty of room.

Between Eric Gryba getting two games for a borderline hit that resulted in injury, and nobody from this Sens-Habs mess being punished, NHL playoff discipline seems even more "spin the wheel" than usual. But shoving an official would seem pretty clear-cut, no?

"Sandstorm" plays in the background as a security guard escorts this super drunk Pittsburgh Penguins fan out of his seat. Islanders fans in his section console him by chanting "ASSHOLE" as he gets booted. Jarome Iginla's number one fan has his playoff hockey experience cut short on account of being faded as fuck.

The Islanders will soon be calling Brooklyn's Barclays Center their home, and the geographical change may also be accompanied by an aesthetic one. Sources tell the New York Post that the team's sports marketing team is weighing the adoption of a new color scheme, and that they are already showing prospective designs…

The Islanders beat the Devils 3-1 Monday night in New Jersey and continued an improbable, late-season push for a playoff spot. John Tavares scored his 22nd goal of the season, Evgeni Nabokov out-tended Martin Brodeur and the Islanders have now won four of their last five.

NHL points leader and early MVP frontrunner Sidney Crosby left the ice under his own power after taking a puck to the mouth in the Penguins game today against the Islanders. Crosby has famously suffered head injuries leading to prolonged absences, so this is a distressing sight beyond the cringe-inducing fact that he…

This we knew, but now things are getting ugly. Even setting aside the actual product on the ice for a moment, the recent history of the Islanders in Nassau County has been miserable. A terrible lease for a terrible arena has kept them shackled in a county that can't afford to pay for anything even if it was interested …

The other day, Barry reflected on the difficulty of Rick DiPietro's career as of late, and how at times his story has veered hard from farce to tragedy. For a rich man who plays a game for a living—when he's healthy enough to do so—hard luck has befallen DiPietro with maddening consistency.