Isles Fix Podcast Network

It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).

First, a special thanks to everyone downloading and tuning into the show; the response has been fantastic. This week, alongside some heavy hockey talk hitters, we climbed to No. 14 on the iTunes Hockey Podcast charts. Awesome!

A listener asked Chris on X about the Islanders’ minority owner, John Collins, who runs the team’s business operations. Given that it’s been a decade since Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky first became minority owners, we thought it was a good time to reflect on all they’ve accomplished and what’s still to come on and off the ice in the short and long term.

It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL). The Islanders “won the weekend” by securing three out of a possible four points, but they’ll have to show a lot more late in games to change the course of a season plagued by third-period collapses. Chris and Joe discuss the subtle changes in how the team spoke about their struggles ahead of Saturday night’s win vs. Buffalo.

Plus, Pierre Engvall was a healthy scratch again, leading us to wonder whether we should ever expect anything different from the perplexing forward. Also, Anders Lee shows he still has much more left than naysayers thought.

In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are back to breakdown how the Islanders managed to blow three straight games when holding a third-period lead. A lousy week has given the naysayers fuel to start a conversation about trading off key pieces weeks, if not months, before it needs to happen.

It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL). The Islanders have played better than expected given the circumstances, and the recent five-game point streak (3-0-2) has fans back invested in the season and being disappointed and missed opportunities, including a disappointing loss to Seattle on Saturday afternoon. That’s a good thing.

Plus, Chris reacts to the announcement that Brent Sutter will be inducted into the Islanders Hall of Fame and provides the backstory on how the HOF came to be and who was supposed to be the first player inducted.

In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are back to discuss why the Islanders are playing better without Mathew Barzal, what the lines could look like when everyone is healthy and takeaways from their first Western Canada games of the trip.

In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are back to discuss how, despite their struggles, the Isles are suddenly an easy-to-cheer for an injury-riddled team of underdogs.

It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL). The worst was confirmed on Saturday as the New York Islanders placed All-Star forward Mathew Barzal on long-term injured Reserve (LTIR) and defenseman Adam Pelech on Injured Reserve (IR).

The Islanders will have to tread water without key pieces for the next 1-2 months. The Eastern Conference is forgiving, but an already slow start had them in a disappointing position after emphasizing a fast start throughout camp. They'll have to rely on their goaltending even more and have the healthy part of their veteran core step up in Barzal's absence.

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🔗 Islanders suffer devastating injury blows with brutal Mat Barzal, Adam Pelech updates by Ethan Sears, New York Post “The Islanders sorted through the injury wreckage and won’t like what they found. The laundry list of injuries for the team, which comes into Sunday’s clash with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden at 4-5-2, looks all the worse after getting some clarity on the timeline for the players hurt on their trip to Columbus and Buffalo.”

🔗 Islanders lose Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech for four-to-six weeks by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The Islanders’ lineup will be missing Mathew Barzal and defenseman Adam Pelech, two of its top players, for the next four to six weeks, president/general manager Lou Lamoriello announced on Saturday before the team practiced at Madison Square Garden.”

And we leave you with this ….Bryan Trottier on the cover of Goal Magazine (h/t RealIsles Pride)

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In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are back and trying their best to maintain a hint of positivity despite the Islanders’ offensive struggles.

The Isles lost the identity line and now don’t appear to have an identity, at least not yet. The defensive structure has been better, and the possession stats are solid, but the quality of shots and their repeated inability to score has been hard to overcome. Plus, the coach can’t settle on the bottom six, and players and the roster’s depth players aren’t making the most of their opportunities

It’s a special Isles “Quick Fix” podcast episode featuring former Islanders’ VP of Communications Chris Botta, who, as many of you know, was among the original Islanders blog/podcast/video personalities. For years, I refreshed Islanders Point Blank multiple times daily at home or the office. Later, I would watch him and Brian Compton debate and answer questions from the SNY studio during an episode of Islanders Interactive. It was a must-watch for Isles’ fans.

With that as context, it’s pretty cool that I’ll be chatting with him throughout the year in this format. I hope you enjoy his often unique and unfettered opinions as much as I do. Throughout the year, we’ll get together at inflection points of the season when there is something of substance to talk about either on or off the ice, and this week seemed like the perfect time to start.

In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are back ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Isles made more changes than they get credit for this off-season, and with Patrick Roy behind the bench for his first full season, there is excitement that this team can move beyond being a fringe playoff team and become a contender.