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Following up an impressive 2018-19 season, the upcoming edition of the New York Islanders looks much the same, with little improvement on paper, and some certain question marks surrounding their ability to follow up an appearance in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with similar success. Notable Players In: Semyon Varlamov, Derick Brassard Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Robin Lehner, Valtteri Filppula, Stephen Gionta First Key Game:  October 4, 2019 vs. Washington Capitals Odds to win the division 5:1 (t-3rd overall) (via Betway) Is this a bet worth taking? Considering the Islanders came out of nowhere last season, surprising the NHLRead More →

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The tilt of the Earth’s axis slowly moving away from the sun can only mean one thing; fall will soon be here and we can all rejoice at the impending return of the NHL. Here at 4th Line Towers we can’t wait to watch some proper hockey again. This year we’re approaching our previews in a different way; the word count for each team’s preview has been dictated by the number of points that team scored last season. To further mix things up, we’ve divvied up the teams between our writers. Let the Metropolitan division preview begin! Our other previews are: Central Division 2018/19 Preview PacificRead More →

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NHL free agency is upon us and that means that we finally found out that JOHN TAVARES WENT TO JOEL’S TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS! Resident New York Islanders fan ,Matt from Reasons Are Several, joins us to get both sides of the story, looking at Tavares coming and going. Other news of the week includes, but is not limited to: James van Riemsdyk signing with the Philadelphia Flyers The St. Louis Blues bringing in Tyler Bozak, David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly Carl’s Colorado Avalanche adding Ian Cole and Matt Calvert The Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings making the most confusing deals of the day RyanRead More →

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German Villegas from Modern Manhood joins Carl this week as they recap the news of the week and more! Up 3-1 in their series, the Washington Capitals look to close out the Vegas Golden Knights. How did they get this far? And who should win the Conn Smythe Trophy? Alex Ovechkin? Braden Holtby? Speaking of awards, German has some thoughts on who should win the Hart Trophy. Garth Snow and Doug Weight are out of their roles as GM and Coach of the New York Islanders. What does this mean for the team moving forward, especially John Tavares? When it comes to sports, politics are something thatRead More →

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Drawing the conclusion that the tenure of New York Islanders’ GM, Garth Snow, has been rocky would an understatement. At times, Twitter is ripe with people wondering why he still has a job. The Nino Neidereitter trade certainly was not great as Cal Clutterbuck could have come for less. Free agents have walked (Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen) but there are more factors at play when a player chooses to sign elsewhere. Many in the hockey world are wondering about the future of star center, John Tavares, but it appears there is more reason to stay now than to go to the highest bidder, as theRead More →

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With all the hype that swallows up the NHL’s Entry Draft, it’s easy to forget the player who wasn’t quite good enough, in the scouts’ eyes at least, to be chosen first overall. This short series will be looking that the other guy; the fella who went second. We’ve already looked at Eric Staal, Tom Lysiak, Jason Spezza and Dave Babych, and as there’re 8 days to go until Christmas, here’s #8 in the 4th Line Podcast’s top 12 2nd Overall Picks. 8. Trevor Linden, RW Embed from Getty Images Drafted 1988, Vancouver Canucks Games Played 1382 Points 867 As is generally the rule with high draftRead More →

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The NHL is less than 31 days away from the beginning of the 2017/18 season. Over this period we’re diving into the 31 NHL teams in alphabetical order, take a look at their previous standings and upcoming season predictions, as well as their key additions and subtractions. Today we stay in the Metropolitan division and head to Brooklyn, (temporary) home of the New York Islanders. 2016/17 record: 41-29-12 Key additions: Jordan Eberle Key losses: Travis Hamonic, J.F. Berube, Ryan Strome, Mikhail Grabovski 2017/18 prediction: 6th in Metro (Signs of life, but just miss playoffs yet again) Embed from Getty Images From goalie demotions to contractRead More →

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New York Islanders’ Joshua Ho-Sang has been the subject of some criticism recently. The rookie forward chose #66 as his number in honour of Penguins legend Mario Lemieux. This has attracted some negative comments and has become a distraction for Ho-Sang. Embed from Getty Images Now Lemieux himself has weighed in on the debate, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “I’m fine with it… it’s just a number”. Well, that’s that. Lemieux of course played his whole NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and scored 1,723 points. His number was retired by the Penguins in 1997. Lemieux then goes on the make the point that theRead More →

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Every year someone has to finish last and win the Wooden Spoon Award. Who are the most likely to finish first overall? Let us tell you! Arizona Coyotes A team in dire need of a number one draft pick, Arizona is struggling in all departments. So far, the Coyotes have only scored 52 goals. While Max Domi is an exciting young talent, there are few of these prospects in Glendale. Their future has been up in the air for years out in the desert. With low attendance still a problem, this team seems to be looking to the 2017 draft to secure a future. RadimRead More →

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There’s nothing like going into another team’s house and beating them on their own ice, in front of their fans. But road trips are a double-edged sword. Sometimes you can see the sights that a new city has to offer, other times it’s just a blur of airports, hotel rooms, buses and hockey rinks. Thousands of miles away from your fans, friends and loved ones. Some prolonged road trips are self inflicted. The New York Rangers started the 2013-14 season with a nine game road trip, as renovations to Madison Square Gardens were still being completed. The Rangers went 3-6-0 in a trip they’d probablyRead More →