The players in the Islanders' locker room stood behind Lane Lambert until the end, even though it became clear after a four-game winless streak last week that he might need a replacement.
And while Lambert paid the price, the players are ultimately responsible for Lou Lamoriello's replacement behind the bench and the hiring of Patrick Roy as the team's new head coach.
“We have a responsibility just like Lane,” Anders Lee said before the Isles played Roy's debut against the Stars on Sunday. “We go out there and play the game. And in that respect we didn't come to our end of the bargain. It's our responsibility to take this opportunity and work on it. And that responsibility is It’s completely shared.”
If that was the public message in the dressing room Sunday morning, the other was excitement for what Roy brought to the table — even though no Islander would want to see him lose his job. If nothing else, it was accompanied by an implicit admission that something had to change.
“We on the ground bear a lot of responsibility for something like this to happen,” Matt Barzal said. “We didn't play well in the last four games. Of course, it takes the whole organization to win or lose, but at the end of the day, we're the ones on the ice playing the game. We didn't play well enough. He didn't do much, didn't score, and ultimately lost his lane job.
“I'm excited to have Patrick come. He obviously brings passion and intensity right away, and I think that's exactly what this group needed. [You] Look at the lack of passion, for lack of a better word, on the ice. The last few games have been very stagnant. Some of that is in our group, and it's not as much Lane's fault as the boys in the room. ”
The change in energy was evident during the morning skate.
At one point, Roy even stopped a line rush, a normally mundane drill, to make sure his team was doing it right.
What was his message on the first day?
“We have to do this together,” Bo Horvat said. “It can't just be one or two people participating, it has to involve everyone. We're all pulling the same rope.”
The Islanders entered Sunday just two points out of the second wild-card spot, but over the past month they have fallen from a high of second place in the Metropolitan Division to a playoff spot.
That prompted Lamoriello to make a move that drew attention around the league.
“This is welcome. We have to move forward with this and make the best of it,” Lee said.
