Pageau’s Return Ignites Islanders Against Golden Knights
Forget about Christmas—Jean-Gabriel Pageau made his comeback just in time for Hanukkah.
After missing eight games due to an upper-body injury, Pageau rejoined the Islanders on Tuesday, right before kicking off a three-game homestand against the Golden Knights—a return much earlier than initially expected.
“Watching from the sidelines isn’t fun at all; it’s tough to see your teammates work hard,” Pageau shared with reporters. He logged nearly 19 minutes on the ice in a thrilling 5-4 win decided by a penalty shootout. “I’ve been impressed with how they’ve played. I’m really excited to get back with this team and face them again.”
Pageau’s return prompted some shifts in Patrick Roy’s lineup. He was slotted on the first line alongside Mathieu Barzal, taking on the bulk of faceoffs, while Maxim Tsyplakov was a healthy scratch.
Even though he technically played wing, Pageau led the team in faceoffs, challenging 27 compared to Barzal’s eight. “Having two centermen is great,” he explained. “It helps to split the workload, especially on the defensive side, and gives us a bit of an edge in faceoffs. Playing with Barzal is always exciting; he controls the puck well and has a good vision of the ice.”
He added, “With Anders Lee around the net, I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to play alongside them tonight.”
While Pageau was out, the offense for the Islanders took a substantial hit. In those eight games, the team scored more than two goals just twice, with Kyle Palmieri and Jonathan Drouin also joining the injury list.
Roy questioned a penalty call against Ilya Sorokin during the first period, pointing out an incident where Sorokin brushed the puck into the crease, inadvertently tripping Brett Howden. “I’ve played this game for 18 years, and I’ve never seen a call like that. Maybe I’m just getting too old,” Roy remarked.
Despite the changes, the remaining three lines stayed intact; Roy wanted to keep the fourth line of Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas, and Mark Gatcomb, who have been doing well recently. “Tsyplakov has been playing well; he didn’t do anything wrong to lose his spot tonight, but the others have earned their place in the lineup,” Roy stated.
Drouin, dealing with a lower back issue, skated on his own with a skills coach before teammates took the ice.
Ilya Sorokin stood in goal for the Islanders, just a day after being named the NHL’s First Star of the Week.
Going into this matchup, the Islanders were ranked well on the penalty kill, boasting a 90.7 percent kill rate, the best in the NHL since October 30, as noted by team statistician Eric Hornig.
