Alexander Romanov’s Extended Absence Affecting Islanders In More Ways Than One
The 24-year-old defenseman is expected to miss his third straight game tonight when the Islanders play the Blue Jackets.
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THE SKINNY & ISLANDERS NEWS
Before we get to my column on Alexander Romanov and how his absence has affected the team, check out more Islanders news links & “The Skinny” from Eric Hornick (Brendan Burke and Butch Goring’s MSG Networks statistician). The site is updated after each game with incredible statistics and facts.
Hornick Gems: llya Sorokin has allowed only nine goals in his first five games (1.80 GAA, .932 save percentage). It is the first time he has allowed fewer than eleven goals.
Check out much more at Hornick’s The Skinny: Ducks 3, Isles 1
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On August 29, 2024, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were tragically killed biking home from their sister's rehearsal dinner.
Johnny was 31. Matthew was 29.
While none of the current New York Islanders were ever teammates with Johnny in his stops with the Calgary Flames and Columbus, captain Anders Lee and Brock Nelson played with him on the international stage with Team USA.
Bo Horvat often played against Gaudreau when he was with Vancouver.
All three remember Johnny, over at The Hockey News.
Alexander Romanov’s Extended Absence Exposing Flaws In Team Game
When Alexander Romanov was in the lineup, the Islanders struggled to consistently win hockey games (3-2-2).
With him out of the lineup the last two games, they have lost both in regulation and now sit 3-4-2.
Romanov’s likely to miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury when the Islanders face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 7 PM ET.
Romanov brings nothing flashy, but his will to hit, compete, and do just about anything in his power to make plays brings energy to the ice anytime his skates touch it. Honestly, that’s been lacking a bit from the group collectively.
The 24-year-old plays with a purpose. When he makes a mistake, it’s never from being too passive; at times, he gets caught being too aggressive.
While a mistake is a mistake, especially if it ends up in the back of the net, aggressiveness is the name of the Patrick Roy game.
In the two games that Romanov has missed, the Islanders have averaged 19.5 hits per game, compared to the 21.04 hits when No. 28 has been in the lineup.
Romanov had 14 hits through seven games, 2.0 hits per game.
But it’s not just about the hits.
Look back at that Devils game, where Romanov got hurt after he got rocked by Kurtis MacDermid.
He could have left the game—maybe he should have—but he did not. He came back, left his mark, helping the team win the hockey game.
That’s called will.