About an hour after practice, the Islanders dropped the news that they’ve sent J.F. Berube to the Sound Tigers on a conditioning stint. Berube has only played one game in goal for the Islanders this year — and that on Oct. 10, his NHL debut — after they claimed him from Los Angeles as Jaro Halak insurance. He could play up to six games in two weeks if he stays that long, beginning tomorrow night in Albany.
Joe Whitney’s back in town with a healthy baby daughter, Brooklyn, back home. “It was a long wait. She was a week past her date,” Whitney said. “It was all worth it Sunday. I couldn’t be happier to have a healthy baby girl.”
He took his spot alongside Bracken Kearns, which now puts him with Ryan Strome. Sebastian Collberg moved with Ben Holmstrom and Justin Vaive. Missing: Carter Verhaeghe, off for another stint in Missouri. “He needs to play more than he is,” Thompson said. “With the team the way it is, the better thing, talking with the staff, is for him to play a lot of games in key situations in Missouri. They’re a very good team, a first-place team, well-coached.”
He mentioned Jesse Graham, Kevin Czuczman, Alan Quine (“two years ago,” clarified Ryan Strome as he walked by) as players who went to the ECHL and came back: “These kids need to know it’s not necessarily a demotion, it’s an opportunity to play more games, more minutes.”
Off to Albany tomorrow. (Not for us, on assignment yet again, but we’ll set you up a nonliveblog.)