Short Term Pain For Long Term Gain | Islanders vs. Rangers Postgame

Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast! Jack wasn't planning on recording tonight, but after the Islanders fell 3-2 to the Rangers in game three of the season, there were too many takeaways to sit on — both positive and negative. On the bright side, Victor Eklund and Cal Ritchie continue to look like foundational pieces, with Ritchie outwaiting Shesterkin to tie the game and Eklund showing a level of grit you don't expect from a rookie. Ondrej Palat and Brayden Schenn have been two of the biggest surprises of the young season, Matias Maccelli picked up his first point as an Islander, and Semyon Varlamov made the timely saves to give his team a chance late. On the other side, the third line and Kyle Palmieri are struggling, the special teams were a rough watch, Ryan Pulock's tough start continued, and Matthew Schaefer finally had a human night after shouldering a massive workload. With Alexander Romanov leaving the game injured, Jack broke down what the defense pairs could look like going forward and why Mathew Barzal's return can't come soon enough. Enjoy!Chapters00:00 NYI vs. NYR Game Recap02:57 Victor Eklund and Cal Ritchie Look Like Foundational Pieces05:45 Ondrej Palat and Brayden Schenn Are Surprising08:55 The Realities11:50 Romanov Injury Fallout, Barzal Updates and the Blackhawks Up NextRomanov Injury Fallout, Barzal Updates and the Blackhawks Up Next