It took Patrick Roy the better part of 10 weeks to find a forward composition that would give the Islanders sustained success.
In other words, the injury to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who appeared to be hit near the crease by Riley Smith with 9:18 left in the first period in Wednesday’s win over Pittsburgh, ended up in Saturday’s first game against Carolina. If the center were to be sidelined, it would have an impact on more than just losing a player.
The Islanders will at least have to start the series with a newly remodeled front line.
Casey Cizikas would be the obvious candidate to play Pageau’s spot as a third-line center, but that would disrupt a top line that has been performing at a high level.
Anders Lee has been playing a lot of minutes alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, and Simon Holmstrom has been reinserted to play on a rejigged third line, which is the path of least resistance. may become clear.
Holmstrom, Cizikas and Pierre Engvall went 100-01 this season with an expected goals percentage of 49.04. It’s not ideal, but at least it would leave Roy well alone in the second and fourth rows.
But Pajot has a deeper lineup and Roy has more options if something goes wrong.
It’s no coincidence that the Islanders have been winning ever since Lee returned to Pageau’s wing and Cizikas played up top with Horvat and Barzal.
Pageau and Lee have posted a 56.54 Expected Goals Percentage on the ice this season and could form the foundation of a checking line in the postseason.
Cizikas, Horvat and Barzal have excelled as a line, shooting 59.81 percent and taking 62.22 percent of high-danger chances.
The Islanders did not practice Thursday, so there was nothing to prevent an update on Pageau.
It’s entirely possible he simply was out of caution and didn’t return for Wednesday’s game and would be fine for the playoffs.
Roy’s only comment after the match was that he had not yet spoken to his trainer.
However, the Islanders already have question marks on their defense due to Noah Dobson’s injury.
If Dobson — who is called up every day and skated on his own Wednesday — is out, the Islanders will be running nearly 25 minutes of high-end production each night and will need to find a replacement. .
Dealing with injuries on the defensive end is nothing new, at least for this team.
But none of the top nine forwards was injured for more than a few games at a time all year.
Now would be a bad time to end this winning streak.
It also doesn’t help that the Islanders will play Game 1 on Saturday instead of Sunday or Monday.
An extra day or two of rest could make a difference for either player, not to mention the rest of the roster who have been operating at playoff intensity for the past three weeks to qualify for the tournament.
The Islanders were without Alexander Romanov for the first two games, similar to last year’s situation against Carolina when Barzal returned from injury in Game 1.
Romanov’s absence, and the subsequent insertion of Sam Bolduc into the lineup, meant the defense was overstretched.
Barzal, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be fully effective, with just two goals and no assists in six straight games.
In six straight games, the Islanders’ three losses were by one point and two were in overtime, which made a big difference.
It’s not at all surprising that these injuries occur.
