Islanders’ Lineup Changes Ahead of Game Against Kraken

SEATTLE — Recently, the Islanders’ fourth line has been a standout trio, so it was a bit surprising to see Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas, and Mark Gatcomb not playing together on Wednesday against the Kraken.

This time, MacLean was shifted to play on Cal Ritchie’s left wing with Emil Heinemann, while Gatcomb was scratched from the lineup as a healthy choice.

Cizikas remained the center for the fourth line, but his wingers were Maxim Tsyplakov and Max Shabanov, the latter returning from an injury that sidelined him during the previous game against the Canucks.

The game ended in a 4-1 loss for the Islanders, and honestly, neither pairing seemed to create much energy.

“Sometimes you just go with your emotions and your instincts,” Coach Patrick Roy mentioned before the match. “We want to have Xavi back in the lineup, so we’re looking to challenge Sippy and him to play with Casey.”

Roy expressed his belief in Cizikas, saying, “Casey is playing really well and brings a lot of energy. I think that’s a solid fit. Kyle will work with Callum and Haney. Kyle excels at faceoffs, so he provides good options.”

However, despite trying a few line combinations, nothing really seemed to gel. This suggests that finding the right chemistry is still a work in progress.

“I think it was one of those nights,” said Roy.

Shabanov stood out as one of the better players during five-on-five play, but Tsyplakov didn’t make much of an impact in his 9 minutes and 14 seconds on the ice after missing the final two periods.

“We all want him to succeed,” Roy added. “I hope he feels energized playing with Xavi tonight. They seem to enjoy playing together.”

For MacLean, this marked only the fourth occasion in his NHL career playing outside of the fourth line, and it was his first start in the top six.

Roy reflected on a goaltending matchup between Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky and San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic, saying it “brought back some memories.”

“Honestly, it’s something I wish we didn’t have to do,” he responded, referencing his experiences in heated matchups during the Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry in the late ’90s. “Maybe I’m just old now or something, but I understand what he was trying to do. Sometimes you care so much about your teammates and want to show solidarity, and I think that’s the motivation behind it.”