EAST MEADOW, NY — For the New York Islanders, 5-on-5 goals were hard to come by in Wednesday’s season-opening 2-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their lone goal came while shorthanded.
The Islanders scored only three goals at 5-on-5 through their four preseason games, with Kyle MacLean — currently an extra — and Pierre Engvall — currently in Hamilton — accounting for two of them. Simon Holmstrom scored the other.
So, ahead of the Islanders’ home opener against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, head coach Pete DeBoer altered his lines in hopes of generating some more offense.
One monumental move, at least to me, is playing rookie Victor Eklund in a top-six role with Cal Ritchie and Brayden Schenn.
As I wrote in our Free Friday column, if Eklund is going to stay up with the big club, playing him in a more defensive-minded third-line role with Jean-Gabriel Pageau didn’t make much sense for a few reasons.
One, it hindered Eklund’s ability to focus mostly on offense. The other is that Eklund’s entry-level deal is still slide-eligible if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games, so was it worth burning a year of control for him not to play in a role that would let him develop into the true top-six weapon they hope he becomes?
It’s good to see that DeBoer, someone who isn’t fond of altering his lines, understands that.
Victor Eklund’s Islanders Future Comes Down To One Simple Question
Forward Victor Eklund earned his spot on the New York Islanders’ opening-night roster.
Now, looking at the bigger picture, it usually takes time for players to develop chemistry with their linemates. With the preseason shortened to just four games and NHL veterans with 100-plus games limited to dressing in just two, that makes things a bit harder.
With the Islanders also without Mathew Barzal, their best transitioning forward, it’s no shock that their 5-on-5 game is struggling.
Beyond the fact that it’s always cool to see young players get the chance to play together, Ritchie and Eklund have played together before — and I’m not talking about the preseason.