Islanders in tricky Anthony Duclair spot with season at critical point
Anthony Duclair has been through many injuries and knows that returning mid-season is rarely a smooth process. He was sidelined for two months with a suspected groin injury and was undergoing rehabilitation, but was told it would take time for him to return to full normalcy. In that sense, it's no shock that Duclair's long-awaited […]
Islanders need stars to step up before season spirals out of control
For six long weeks, the Islanders' plan was to wait for injured players to recover. If they can keep the NHL around .500 on the fringes of the playoff race, the pending returns of Mathieu Barzal, Anthony Duclair, and Adam Pelech can certainly help them break through the middle of the Eastern Conference and make […]
Islanders fall in predictable fashion after getting called out by Patrick Roy
TORONTO — At the end of 2024, the Islanders are out of contention for the 2025 playoffs. In the final stages of the season, just two days after Patrick Roy questioned the team's mental strength, the Islanders' resiliency didn't suddenly appear to be back on this matinee in Toronto. Instead, on a day when they […]
Simon Holmstrom injured for Islanders with season slipping away
TORONTO — The Islanders lost Simon Holmstrom in their final game of 2024 on Tuesday afternoon, but the Swedish forward suffered an upper-body injury two days earlier in Pittsburgh. Holmstrom missed the final 8 minutes and 46 seconds of the 3-2 loss to the Penguins, and coach Patrick Roy said he was day-to-day with an […]
Islanders could use Lou Lamoriello’s Toronto blueprint if they sell
TORONTO — If the Islanders were being led by a general manager without a 40-year history of constant fighting, there would be little doubt they would be on track to sell at the trade deadline. But Lou Lamoriello has only gone in that direction once in recent memory. The deals were signed in quick succession […]
Islanders’ Marcus Hogberg shines in net for emotional first NHL start in nearly four years
TORONTO — It's been almost four years on the calendar since Marcus Hogberg led an NHL team out of the tunnel for warm-ups. He had returned to Sweden during that time and was largely off the NHL's radar. By all accounts, his career on this side of the Atlantic appeared to be over. Yes, even […]
Islanders’ struggling penalty kill allows two goals in loss
PITTSBURGH — How bad is the Islanders' penalty kill right now? It's so bad that even the most unlucky 4-on-5 goals, like the deflected goal credited to Evgeni Malkin on Sunday, feel like empty excuses. After the Isles lost 3-2 to the Penguins, Patrick Roy was furious: “When they shoot a shot six feet wide […]
Islanders split back-to-back with Penguins after looking sluggish
PITTSBURGH — For most of the season, the Islanders have been on a three-game winning streak to get people to take them seriously in the playoff race. They will need to reset that clock after Sunday. In their second game against the Penguins in less than 24 hours, the Islanders, who had a chance to […]
Islanders’ Patrick Roy demotes Maxim Tsyplakov to fourth line
As strong as Maxim Tsyplakov was in his rookie year, taking penalties was a constant problem. And after Tsyplakov converted his second penalty in the second period of the Islanders' 6-3 win over the Penguins at UBS Arena on Saturday, coach Patrick Roy's patience ran thin. The Russian was relegated to the fourth line for […]
Islanders clip Penguins for key win in first of home-and-home matchup
No one was saying it explicitly ahead of Saturday's first game of a home-and-home series against the Penguins, but winning this set of games, or at least avoiding a sweep, is just as imperative. As the Islanders have faced all season. The Islanders have been hovering on the fringes of playoff contention in recent weeks, […]