What channel is the New York Islanders vs. Dallas Stars game on today (10/12/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, time, TV, channel

The New York Islanders will face the Dallas Stars on Saturday, October 12, 2024 (10/12/24) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

How to watch: Regional Fans can watch the game with a free trial of fuboTV or with a subscription to ESPN+. Local blackouts may apply to NHL games on ESPN+.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NHL regular season

WHO: Islanders vs. Stars

When: Oct 12, 2024 (10/12/24)

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: MSG Sportsnet 2

Live stream: fuboTV, ESPN+

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Here’s a recent hockey story from the Associated Press:

DENVER (AP) — The protective undershirt, which resembled a fake turtleneck, was hot and uncomfortable at first. It even caused Jayson to fog up Megna’s visor.

However, the veteran hockey player stuck to wearing the long-sleeved base layer designed to protect his neck from a razor-sharp skate blade.

Since the death of Adam Johnson in October 2023 during a match in England, protective equipment has been a key issue at all levels of sport. The American Hockey League, the top development league below the NHL, took a big step this season by requiring all field players, referees and linesmen to wear cut-resistant neck protection.

Just like the requirement for eye-protecting visors a decade ago, neckwear might take some getting used to. It’s becoming increasingly common among players of all ages — Hockey Canada has required neck protection for youth players for three decades and USA Hockey made it mandatory for U.S. players under 18 starting Aug. 1 — and now all eyes are on the pros directed.

“Hopefully what will happen as we move forward here is that it will just be part of their equipment,” said AHL president and CEO Scott Howson, whose league has long been a testing ground for the NHL, including 3-on-3 overtime and the commitment to cut-resistant socks and sleeves last season. “With the different products on the market, hopefully all players can find something that they can adapt to and ultimately enjoy – or at least not notice when they play hockey.”

Johnson’s death was a terrible reminder of the risks. The former NHL player suffered a cut to his neck during a game and died in hospital. Many youth programs in North America and beyond have guidelines in place, but not at the highest levels of hockey, where league and players union leaders have discussed the issue for years.

Neck guards will receive a trial run in the AHL, starting Friday and receiving unanimous support from NHL executives on the Competition Committee.

“Last year some teams just decided, ‘Well, I can’t make it in the NHL, but I can make it in the American League,'” Howson explained. “We’ll see where it goes.”

Why not wear a neck protector?

Arguments against protective neckwear range from being too hot to too restrictive to players being creatures of habit.

“Obviously there are things people should do, but I think we’re stuck in our habits too,” said New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, who added that he doesn’t wear nearly enough protective gear. “Must be comfortable. ”

Longtime NHL player Pierre-Edouard Bellemare had planned to wear a neck brace for the Colorado Avalanche this season before he was released last week. He emphasized the benefits of visors by pointing out the cuts on his beard, which could have been even worse without the eye protection.

Because anything can happen on the ice.

“The game is faster and sometimes you have less control over your body and you don’t want to see the cuts going everywhere,” Bellemare said.

Bellemare simply wanted to pave the way for the next generation, like other players before him did with visors.

“It doesn’t cost me much” to wear a neck brace, Bellemare said. “Come on, it’s a neck brace. This won’t change my season. “I’m not going to score 70 points because I have a neck brace or not.”

Veteran defenseman Dylan McIlrath, who captained Hershey to back-to-back AHL Calder Cup championships, didn’t experiment with neck braces during training camp in Washington and acknowledges players will endure some growing pains with the equipment. But the 32-year-old doesn’t protest too much.

“To be honest, I think it’s probably the right decision,” McIlrath said. “Obviously it’s a younger league and the next generation is coming… Guys can get used to going to the NHL after playing in the American League a few times. “For years they don’t really notice the changes.”

Try things out

Megna, who was recently assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, has tried different types of neck braces and brands. He’s wearing one of TJ Oshie’s Warroad Hockey Apparel, which features “an adjustable neck collar made from premium cut-resistant fabric and high-impact foam.” His undershirt has cut-resistant sleeves.

Megna also wears cut-resistant socks, which prevented a possible calf or Achilles tendon injury last season when a player stepped on him with a skate blade.

“I could feel the skate there – it felt like a burning sensation, and the protective sock saved me,” Megna said. “I didn’t even have a scratch. … Any time you can protect your players and increase security, that’s a good thing.”

Megna said it didn’t take long to get used to the new equipment – maybe a session or two.

“I didn’t even think about it after that,” said Megna, who has spent time with a half-dozen NHL organizations. “It’s just part of what I wear now.”

NHL resistance

The NHL does not currently require players to wear cut-resistant gear. This would require an agreement between the league and the union.

St. Louis forward Robert Thomas understands the hesitation.

“It’s foreign to a lot of people and you don’t want to change what you’ve done your whole life,” Thomas said. “I think they did a good job of providing us with all of that. Some men wear it, others don’t. I think ultimately giving the guys the choice is the right decision.”

Eagles defenseman Jacob MacDonald expects once he starts wearing the extra protection for his neck it will become part of his routine, whether he plays in the AHL or is called up to the NHL.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think it will definitely become more popular,” MacDonald said. “If it saves one life, it’s worth it.”

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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