MONTREAL — Patrick Roy's message to Pierre Engval was as clear as it could be, at least in public.
When you say Engvall's name within 20 feet of the Islanders' head coach, Roy responds that he needs to head to the net.
But after suffering a healthy injury on Saturday, Engvall appeared to be in the press box for one more night ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Canadiens until Jean-Gabriel Pageau returns from injury. He seemed confused about being on the bench.
When asked what Roy's message was for him, he replied, “I don't really know right now.” “Again, like I said before, I'm going to keep practicing and keep doing extra work after practice. Obviously you want to get back to playing. Being out is the worst. But I’m not going to lie about that.”
The intended message that sent Engvall to AHL Bridgeport at the beginning of the season seemed to get across when he scored in three straight games and found the back of the net consistently earlier this month.
But that disappeared after a few games. That's the only pattern that's remained consistent about the Swede since Engvall became an Islander.
“It's sad, but there are guys who are playing better than him right now,” Roy said after Monday's practice. “They’re probably not as talented as he is, but they play better than him.
“When you want to win, you go with players that you know are going to play on the inside, not on the outside. And we just have to find a way to get Pierre to do this consistently. That's it. If he could do that, he would be very He's a good hockey player. He said he was one of our better players for four or five games at one point, and he stopped playing on the outside and stopped bringing the puck to the net. When he stops being physically involved, he's just an average player.”
This is not the first time Roy has spoken openly and directly about Engvall in public.
When asked if he thought Saturday's healthy scrapes were a fair reflection of his game, Engvall himself said, “I don't comment on that.”
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (lower body) will be determined during Monday's game. If he plays, Pageau will likely be the center of the line along with Kyle MacLean and Oliver Wahlstrom, with Simon Holmstrom retaining his top-line spot.
According to Roy, Adam Pelech (chin) started skating on his own.
Marcus Hogberg was called up to practice Monday as Semyon Varlamov was out with a lower-body injury. However, while Varlamov traveled to Montreal, Hogberg did not.
Isles prospects Danny Nelson (Notre Dame) and Cole Yzerman (Boston College) were both named to Team USA's reserve squad for the world juniors.
