Islanders Training Camp Day 6: Injuries, Analysis & Answers
The Islanders ran a typical NHL practice for the first time since training camp opened. Here's the latest on injuries, along with insights, quotes & more.
EAST MEADOW, NY — After about a week of training camp with two preseason games under their belt, the New York Islanders held their first typical team practice.
“I was excited about today. Today was our first practice. We had a special unit practice with the guys, but today was the first practice where we worked on our tracking, we worked on our d-zone coverage, and we worked on our fundamentals,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “We made sure we had good stick positioning, good stick on puck, good sticks in the passing lane, and we still touched the power play towards the end. So I think it’s a great day for us. I really do. It was nice to see the guys together and the energy, and I look forward to more practices like this.”
Here were the lines:
Drouin-Horvat-Shabanov
Heineman-Barzal-Palmieri
Duclair-Pageau-Holmstrom
Gatcomb-Cizikas-MacLean
Ritchie
Romanov-DeAngelo
Pelech-Pulock
Schaefer-Mayfield
George-Boqvist
Sorokin
Rittich
Let’s get to the notes from today:
Forward Anders Lee will miss 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury. Roy said he tripped and went into the boards in their preseason loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Lee will skate on his own on Thursday morning, with the timeline a rather precautionary one.
Forward Maxim Tsyplakov, who has yet to play in any preseason games, is day-to-day (maintenance). I’d expect him back, at the latest, by the end of the week, but that’s just a hunch.
Forward Pierre Engvall, who is working his way back from offseason hip surgery, is not set to rejoin the team for another few weeks.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who is rehabbing last season’s knee surgery, will not be joining the group anytime soon.
Calum Ritchie and Isaiah George practiced with the NHL group today.
I did ask Roy if he thinks Ritchie can handle playing wing, which is where he played all seven of his NHL games with the Avalanche. Roy said he thinks he’d be fine on wing, but said that he is hesitant to move him out of center ice because he’s excelling there.
That told me a lot, as he’s likely only making the NHL roster as a winger. Expect Ritchie to start the season in Bridgeport and maybe serve as the first call-up if there is an injury.
Ritchie stood out in rookie camp, but it took him a bit to find his footing with the NHLers. However, after a goal and an assist last night, he looked ultra-confident today.
Because of Ritchie’s transition game, he’s a centerman and should be developed as such. After practice, he was battling Kyle MacLean in the face-off dot, while getting tips from assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers:
When it comes to George, I’ll be honest, I haven't said much about how he’s looked at training camp — my apologies. He hasn’t stood out, but that is actually a big positive, as he has done his job. He would only be making the Islanders if he beat out Matthew Schaefer, which will not be the case.
Speaking of Schaefer, he might not look big, muscular-wise, but he isn’t letting anyone push him around in goal. He battled with Emil Heineman in front of goal today:
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin looks incredibly sharp so far during camp. Obviously, he’s in a much different situation this year, as he didn’t get a normal summer ahead of last season due to back surgery.
We have not been given a game roster for their Thursday preseason game against the New York Rangers, but there’s a good chance that Anthony Duclair will play.
“I really like the way he is skating, and he’s been connecting very well with Pager and Holmstrom. He’s been pretty much on the same line since the start of the training camp. So I like the way they play.”
TODA
Q: Who would you say are the top 3 standouts so far in camp, including vets? (@IslesCave):
A: I’d say Mathew Barzal has been the biggest standout. He looks 100% healthy and, to be honest, looks to have found an even higher gear. He hasn’t been peeling along the half wall as much and has been more focused on going toward the goal. He’s looked completely in sync with Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri, and is moving the puck much faster on the power play. Matthew Schaefer has been another major standout as he’s looked better than what I expected. His skating and game-changing ability may actually force him up the depth chart quicker than you’d imagine.
Q: With MacLean and Gatcomb being the plug-ins for Lee and Tsyplakov this morning — do you think if Engvall was healthy he’d be above either of them? (@IslesDen)
A: For Pierre Engvall, I think his ending to last season — before the injury with a few games to go — played the way that Patrick Roy needs him to play. However, Engvall has struggled with consistency and doesn’t have the grit that Roy needs, like Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb play with. I think Engvall was likely the odd man out of the three…
Q: With Roy basically saying he won’t move Ritchie off center, if he’s called up would it possibly push Zeeker to the wing? (@Virg_nyfl)
A: Listen. I think Roy would play Ritchie on wing if that’s how the stars aligned, but as mentioned above, Ritchie is a center and should be developed that way. Roy also spoke about Casey Cizkas today, someone who played wing a lot last season.
“He’s a warrior. He’s a guy that plays with so much intensity,” Roy said. “I know that whatever lines he’s going to be on, I know I can trust him. So I’m not nervous. Whatever role, I think Casey will do it the right way.”
So, I’d say that Cizikas going to the wing is for sure a possiblity to make room for Ritchie.
Q: Do you think there’s a lock for who the extra D will be? I would think the smart move would be to keep 2 up so you can ease Schaefer in with a day off here and there (@ Cunners_00)
A: I think Adam Boqvist is locked in as the seventh defenseman. Roy really liked his game last year and he’s going to push to be a regular. I think it’s safe to say that Scott Mayfield is a lock alongside Matthew Schaefer. In theory, the Islanders could field 13 forwards, eight defenseman and two goalies, but that’s highly unlikely. Isaiah George would likely be the eighth defenseman but it would make more sense for an Ethan Bear to be the eighth guy as opposed to an Isaiah George, who needs to be playing regularly to continue developing.
