CHICAGO — Hudson Fassing's game is almost tailor-made for a bottom-six role.
He gets to the north.
He retrieves the puck.
He forechecks.
he is troublesome
He plays in a straight line.
This role has allowed Fassing to establish himself on the Islanders' roster and lineup over the past 13 months.
And now that the team's front line has changed with injuries to Pierre Engvall and Casey Cizikas, Fassing may need to step out of that role a bit.
In four of the past five games, including Friday night's game against the Blackhawks, Fassing has played on the second line alongside Brock Nelson.
Neither Cizikas nor Engvall have resumed skating on their own, so that may be the case for a while.
“I try to maintain my own identity during the match, but it's certainly a different style,” Fassing told the Post before the match. The Islanders lost to the Blackhawks in overtime, 4-3.. “Many more [offensive] Zone draw, more creativity. [Nelson’s] It's really fast. You'll learn it as you go.
“We're trying to find where he's likely to be and find the best lanes to help him and try to help him.” [Kyle Palmieri]. Please try to help our line contribute. ”
Over a combined 27 minutes and 54 seconds this season heading into Friday, Fassing, Nelson and Palmieri had been on the ice for three goals against each other and just one goal at 5-on-5.
However, the silver lining is that the expected goal percentage remained at 68.97% and the margin of high-danger chances was 8-5.
By Friday, Nelson had not scored in four straight games, tying his longest streak of the season.
Combined with the cold records of Matthew Barzal and Bo Horvat, this would be five alarm bells for an Islanders team whose offense suddenly went cold.
Although the sample size is small, the numbers show that the second line's play was better than the results.
The Islanders, who have lost three in a row before Friday, will have to hope that happens.
“I think Fash plays a simple and effective game,” Nelson said. “He can hang on to some pucks. He's good with the puck. So for us, if we can get some turnovers from that, hopefully we can generate some more time of possession from there. Please support him and be in a good position. I don't think he needs to change his game.
“He can be effective when he plays hard and simple.”
Coach Lane Lambert also said he wants Fassing to keep doing what he's been doing.
“I think that's a mistake on his part,” Lambert said. “He's a player who makes certain plays. We want him to make certain plays, and I think that will benefit both Brock and the Palms.”
Fassing's adjustments then will be less about changing the way he plays and more about being asked of him in a different situation than he's used to.
Remember, Engvall was in a bottom-six role for most of his time with the Maple Leafs.
Although he is not a particularly talented scorer, the Islanders were able to utilize his speed and ability to transition the puck to turn him into a key part of the second line and complement Nelson.
They can now survive his absence by doing something similar to Fasching.
“I try to be flexible with it,” Fassing said. “I'm gradually getting used to knowing the place.” [Nelson’s] It will be.There were some things that were a few feet different from other games, like the neutral zone realignment [in Winnipeg]. It affects the flow of the game and makes it a bit choppy. I think we're in a better situation now. ”
