Hudson Fasching Finds Himself In Special Lineup Spot Against Montreal

Fasching is lining up on the fourth line, but there's more to that than just a number.

“This is your time. Now go ahead and take it.” Miracle is my favorite movie. Don’t judge me.

It’s a line that could be said for any team currently fighting for one of the two wild-card spots, but it applies especially to the New York Islanders.

Look. It’s great that the Islanders held a lead in the third period on Saturday and won 3-0 over the Buffalo Sabres.

But until this team does it a second time and a third time—you catch my drift—they are still a team with a bad habit.

The last time the Islanders held down a third-period lead, a 3-1 against the St. Louis Blues, they followed that game up with a blown-lead regulation loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

That’s why this game in Montreal tonight, against a team that has dropped two straight, is so important to the Islanders' psyche and season outlook.

It’s also an opportunity for the Islanders to beat a “weaker” opponent.

The Islanders have struggled against the teams hovering around them. This season, they were swept by Detroit, lost to Columbus, and dropped a game to Anaheim.

After Montreal, the Islanders face the Seattle Kraken before closing out the week against the Metros third-seed Hurricanes.

The Islanders need to have a strong start to the week and handle business if they want to still be within striking distance by the weekend.

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ISLANDERS NEWS

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• Semyon Varlamov Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury; Marcus Hogberg Recalled On Emergency Basis - THN

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau Returns To Practice After Missing Islanders Last Two Games - THN

• Inside the Islanders' Locker Room: Tackling Blown Third-Period Leads - THN

• Islanders Turning Point: Ilya Sorokin's Split Save On Sabres Forward Dylan Cozens - THN

• Forward Pierre Engvall A Healthy Scratch, Islanders Running Seven Defensemen Against Sabres - THN

• Islanders Patrick Roy Rips Power Play After Overtime Loss To Capitals: ‘It Was Awful' - THN

• Islanders Patrick Roy Still Waiting On Oliver Wahlstrom - THN

• Patrick Roy Makes Major Islanders Power-Play Change - THN

• Jets’ Woody Johnson vs. Islanders’ Scott Malkin: A Tale Of Opposite Ownership Styles - THN

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Engvall At Crossroads With Roy, Islanders; Will He Take The Right One?

EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders battle the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, that will be their 26th game of the season.

Forward Pierre Engvall, who is in the second season of a seven-year deal worth $3 million annually, will miss that game for the same reason he's missed what will be his 10th game of the season come puck drop.

And that's due to his lack of consistency.

"It's very simple,' Roy said on Monday. "Bring the puck to the net and stay around the net. That's it. And it's sad, but right now, guys are playing better than he is. And the thing I love about Pierre is that he comes and he works. He comes to the practice. We want consistency in this game. Hey, listen, we have a lot of players right now, and the competition is pretty good.

"Our job is to win, and when you want to win, you go with the guys that you know are going to play inside, not on the outside. And we need to find a way to have Pierre doing this on a consistent basis, that's all."

Read the rest at The Hockey News.

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Hudson Fasching Finds Himself In Special Lineup Spot Against Montreal

On Tuesday night in Montreal, New York Islanders forward Hudson Fasching will skate on the fourth line. It’s not a new spot for the bottom-six forward, especially since joining the Islanders.

But this game will be a tad bit more special than the others because of who he is skating with.

For the first time to start a game this season, Fasching will line up with Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas, two-thirds of what was one of the NHL’s greatest fourth lines for almost a decade.

Cal Clutterbuck, the missing piece to that dominant fourth line, can be found alongside Shannon Hogan during the Islanders’ intermission reports at UBS Arena.

When Fasching first started his career with the Islanders in 2022-23, he was given an opportunity because of an injury to Clutterbuck, so being linemates with Cizikas and Martin isn’t new.

But it will be the first time he’s taking the place of Clutterbuck, getting an opportunity to be the Clutterbuck of that line.

Here’s why that’s special.