Islanders’ Loss to Panthers Highlights Growing Pains for Shabanov

SUNRISE, Fla. — Max Shabanov has been improving since coming back from injury. Still, he might wish he could forget the Islanders’ 4-1 defeat against the Panthers on Sunday.

During a second-period shift, the rookie winger had a shot blocked and made two turnovers, the second leading directly to a goal by Carter Verhaeghe, which put the Panthers ahead 2-0.

After the match, head coach Patrick Roy opted to move Shabanov down to the third line for the remainder of the game. However, he remained understanding, referring to the situation as a learning experience.

“I think he’s picking things up quickly,” Roy remarked. “He had some impressive moments during the game, and I’m sure he’ll keep learning. That’s the beauty of hockey, after all.”

Roy justified the line change by indicating that the Islanders needed a new approach, particularly on a day when their offense struggled.

“With the tough schedule and playing back-to-back games within such a short span, it’s worthwhile to mix things up,” he explained. “We just wanted a different look. It was about substituting Simon for Xavi, essentially.”

Before the game, Roy had also given praise to Max Tsyplakov, who has been having a rough season but seemed to catch the coach’s attention.

“It almost felt like it was my last game. He managed the puck well in the game against Tampa,” he noted. “We had a conversation, and I thought he performed admirably.”

Roy suggested Tsyplakov needed to get more engaged in offensive rushes and be quicker on his feet, but he acknowledged that the player had shown real improvement.

On another note, Travis Mitchell took over for Adam Boqvist, who had a rough outing against Tampa the night before.

Roy expressed disbelief about the changes, stating, “This is a father-son trip; it’s akin to a family vacation. Everyone deserves to play.”

After Ilya Sorokin played his fourth consecutive game, David Rittich stepped in for the second half of the back-to-back, managing to stop 26 of 29 shots against the Panthers. The Panthers, for their part, had Daniil Tarasov ready as a backup following Sergei Bobrovsky’s start in Saturday’s high-scoring win over Columbus.

Meanwhile, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was not prepared to play on Sunday as he dealt with an upper body issue. General manager Mathieu Darche indicated that it might take several days for Pageau’s return.