Resolute-Lee Leading Islanders By Example
Anders Lee delivered a four-point night and a masterclass in leadership as the Islanders beat Anaheim 5–2, after losing Bo Horvat.
Happy Free Friday!
ELMONT, NY — When Bo Horvat went down with a lower-body injury at the 13:08 mark of the second period, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee had already left his mark on the game.
He had two power-play goals to his name, which put the Islanders in front 2-0, then 3-0.
PPG1:
PPG2:
But the Ducks started to pick up some energy and eventually scored the next two goals, cutting the Islanders’ lead to 3-2 at the 2:37 mark of the third period.
The Islanders' losing forwards are nothing new. They’re down Kyle Palmieri for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, just welcoming back Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) from an eight-game absence.
Secondary, tertiary, and quaternary scoring has already been tested, and losing Horvat makes that a need.
Lee wasn’t able to pick up the hat trick — he had a look at the empty net but couldn’t score, citing that the person who chirped him postgame was the voice in his head.
But, he did notch two helpers to help lead the Islanders to a 5-2 victory.
First, he sprung Simon Holmstrom, who scored at the 6:06 mark of the third, to answer Terry’s goal just 3:29 later, taking the wind out of Anaheim’s sails:
“That [goal] took the wind out of it, I think, for sure, Lee said.
Then, at 14:46 of the third, Lee recorded his fourth point of the night, earning the secondary assist on a Ryan Pulock's goal to put the game out of reach.
The captain had a night:
With the win, the Islanders have knocked off three division leaders — Tampa twice, Colorado, and now Anaheim — improving to 8-0-0 against the Pacific Division this season.
The Islanders now sit a point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.
“It does say a lot,” Lee said postgame about the team achieving after a summer of change. “I mean, we knew what was going on outside of us, and all the change and new guys coming in, and I think everyone’s just come in and played their role. They’ve played hard. We haven’t had things get to us, either. We haven’t gone on too much of a slide or anything like that. And I think we’ve just really stuck together in a big way. And, at the same time, we have to perform. I think we’ve performed really well and backed up more than just the feeling of thinking that we’re a really solid hockey team.
Roy’s squad went the first month of the season with mostly a healthy lineup, but the injury bug came and came hard.
But the Islanders' belief in one another in the room, in Roy, and in the coaching staff’s system has kept the lights shining bright when it could have been easy for them to dim.
Why?
It’s because of the leaders in this room, starting with Lee.
Injuries are part of the sport. Lee knows too well what it’s like to be down after he tore his ACL in March of the condensed 2020-21 season.
He’s also seen how the tightness of a locker room can power a team to the unthinkable. The Islanders, without Lee, fell a game short of the Stanley Cup Final.
There are a ton of vets on this current Islanders team, but there’s also plenty of young players taking part in their first NHL season.
While young players have all the energy, an adrenaline rush that never ends, it’s important to note that they have never gone through the grind of an NHL season.
They’ve never had to go against the league’s best without their best — uncharted waters.
It’s been impressive to see these young players, whether it be Maxim Shabanov playing in Palmieri’s spot, Calum Ritchie filling in for Pageau, and remaining as the third-line center despite his return — Pageau’s played with Mathew Barzal.
Defenseman Travis Mitchell has stepped in, playing seven of the last eight games, earning a leash in the hole that Alexander Romanov left behind — he’s out for the season due to a right-shoulder injury that requires surgery.
Not injury-related, but Marc Gatcomb, who is in his second season, got a chance to rejoin the fourth line once Jonathan Drouin went down with a lower-back injury — he’ll likely be back Saturday. He’s taken complete advantage to the point where Roy can’t take him out of the lineup — as he did during his rookie season.
Talent is one thing. Experience is another, and the NHL grind is not easy on the body and mind. Players try to stay level-headed, but it’s easier said than done.
Like when you’re taking your driver’s test, you’re keeping your eyes on the road. But there’s always someone sitting next to you to make sure you do.
That’s not to say that these young players have hung their heads or taken their eye off the money, but at some point in a season, everyone needs a tap on the shoulder and some words of encouragement.
That’s the foundation of this team.
That’s been here from the get-go, from the Barry Trotz tenure to the Lane Lambert leap of faith to Roy’s reign.
The best teams in the league, the team that always wins the Stanley Cup, are super close teams.
For the longest time, the Islanders got knocked for being a country club, for not holding one another accountable.
And part of that is because some fans believe that if it wasn’t said on camera, it wasn’t said off camera, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
If you know anything about former general manager Lou Lamoriello, you know that accountability is everything.
When Lee was named captain ahead of the 2018-19 season after John Tavares’s departure, Barry Trotz told us that he called every player on the team and said If you had to name someone captain, who would it be?
“Anders Lee” was the only name Trotz heard come through on the other end.
That was seven years ago.
Leadership is tested every day, and Lee knows what that “C” means, especially for this organization.
If the Islanders are going to overcome potential injuries to Horvat and others, given what’s been a gauntlet of a schedule, Lee’s leadership will play a significant role in the club getting through it.
“It’s tough because it’s a long season. You can overcome injuries for a game or two or stretches and stuff, but at some point, those guys are extremely big keys to our team, up and down the lineup, and what they do. So we can plug them in as best we can. And I think we’ve done a phenomenal job of that, and we’re gonna have to keep doing it, but that’s all we can really do at the end of the day. So kudos to the boys still doing that and stepping up in their roles. But I preferred it to be the last of them.”
Lee might not lead in terms of points as he did on Thursday, but there’s no question that his leadership paves the way for this team to clear its hurdles and push forward, as best as they can.
The Horvat thing scares the shit out of me. It didn’t look great let’s hope for the best. This team is paper thin already with the Palms and Romanov season ending injuries. Busy schedule ahead too! You wonder how Darche sees this season, team is playing well. Excellent article on Lee, what he has done to his game the last two years is fantastic!