‘Joy’ Fueling Patrick Roy’s Islanders
The Islanders are embracing joy under Patrick Roy, riding big home wins into a long road trip as buy-in, youth, and boldness fuel success.
NASHVILLE — The New York Islanders are having fun. After a glorious comeback overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Patrick Roy’s squad absolutely took it to the New Jersey Devils in a 9-0 debacle for Sheldon Keefe’s squad on Tuesday.
The vibes in the Islanders’ room after both those games were, indeed, immaculate, and rightfully so. It’s a good mental spot to be in as they leave Long Island for a seven-game, 15-day road trip.
“Getting your wins at home, I think that’s probably the easier place to win when you have fans behind you and things like that on home soil.” Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer said. “So you got to get your points at home, and then, you keep working towards the road trip.”
What you saw throughout the 9-0 route was joy. It’s what you’ve seen in this group from Day 1 of training camp. It’s not something we saw enough of last season, and it really does matter.