Pierre Engvall fails to show long-term value after Islanders second line chance
There was a faint smile on Patrick Roy's face when asked about Pierre Engval's performance on Thursday night. He sat in silence for five seconds, then asked his own questions. “Do I have to answer that?” he said. To be fair, the head coach said he was giving Engvall (who was unscathed the last two […]
Islanders give alarming worst season effort in worrisome blowout to Kraken
Perhaps this will give the islanders some sense of urgency. It hasn't been much lately for a club that has won just three of its past 13 games, but the close-game saga finally came to an end on Thursday night with a lethargic and miserable 5-2 loss to the Kraken. At UBS Arena. The Islanders […]
Pierre Engvall’s fate lies in Islanders’ big second line opportunity
Pierre Engbal's return to the Islanders' second line along with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for the first time since last April does more than throw a potential life raft to a player whose season is completely over. That also goes for the Islanders' looming cap crisis once Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal get healthy […]
Islanders’ Bo Horvat looking to break brutal scoring drought
Tuesday might be one of the most frustrating nights of Bo Horvat's career. Not only did he snap a 12-game scoreless streak, he took a bad bounce the other way in overtime and blocked a shot off his skates that set up Nick Suzuki for the game-winning goal. This play, which sealed a 2-1 loss […]
Punchless Islanders fall to lowly Canadiens in overtime
MONTREAL — So far, this season has been one step forward, two steps back for the Islanders. While the team's current goal of treading water until healthy is as modest as it is, getting back to NHL .500 will require racking up a few wins, something the Islanders have done time and time again. It's […]
Jean-Gabriel Pageau sent down to third line in return to Islanders’ lineup
MONTREAL — Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to the Islanders' lineup on Tuesday, but Simon Holmstrom has managed to remove Wally Pip Pageau from his top-line role for the time being. Two goals in two consecutive games would accomplish that for a player who had never done anything like that in the NHL. As the Islanders lost […]
Noah Dobson’s late-game Islanders stumbles a troubling trend
MONTREAL — Since taking a developmental leap early last season, Noah Dobson has been a plug-and-play defenseman for the Islanders, playing more than 20 minutes a night in situations where it's needed. So when it came time for the Islanders to defend a two-point lead against Buffalo on Saturday, it was no surprise that Dobson […]
Simon Holmstrom ‘ripping it’ in second stint on Islanders’ top line
Simon Holmstrom's first stint on the Islanders' top line was a failure. However, in the tri-two, Holmstrom scored two goals in not one game, but two games in a row. The feat was something he had never accomplished in his NHL career before Friday. The Islanders were forced into this situation after Jean-Gabriel Pageau left […]
Struggling Islanders blank Sabres for much-needed victory
The Islanders needed this, but more than anything, they needed it in this way. They needed to hold the lead in the third period, which they hadn't done in five of their past seven games, but Patrick Roy called the power play “terrible” for just over 24 hours before special The team needed to perform. […]
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scratched in last-minute Islanders blow
WASHINGTON — Islanders should be healthier now. Instead, they're dealing with another injury, as Jean-Gabriel Pageau suffered a last-minute injury to the Capitals on Black Friday with a lower-body issue. Pageau, who has been in the spotlight daily, joins an injury list that already includes Matt Barzal (upper body), Anthony Duclair (groin doubt), Adam Pelech […]