As the Islanders continue to welcome back players from COVID-19 protocol and from injury, the growing number of available players will give head coach Barry Trotz the opportunity to make some lineup decisions that were not there for him in recent weeks.
As the Islanders get ready for Saturday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena, the lineup figures to look different than the one that blew a third period lead and lost to the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night in Elmont.
“We will have some changes (Saturday) for sure,” said Trotz.
Forwards Casey Cizikas (COVID-19 protocol) and Brock Nelson (lower-body injury) have rejoined the team, and there is the likelihood that one or both of them could return to the lineup on Saturday night against the Devils.
“There’s a good chance you’ll see at least one of them,” said Trotz, but a final decision on the status of both players won’t be made until Saturday morning.
The Islanders have been gradually adding players back to the lineup, and they’re getting closer to being whole.
“It’s nice to see guys coming back,” said defenseman Zdeno Chara. “It’s been a stretch where we didn’t have a full lineup.”
Just who Cizikas and/or Nelson will replace is still to be determined.
Trotz benched forward Anthony Beauvillier during the second period on Thursday night and there are other players who continue to struggle, like Zach Parise (0 goals), Josh Bailey (1 goal) and Kyle Palmieri (1 goal). Ross Johnston has also impressed the coaching staff since his return from COVID-19 protocol. So, should the “identity line” be reunited, Johnston could see himself moving up the lineup.
So, who comes out? Parise? Bailey? Palmieri? What about Oliver Wahlstrom or Kieffer Bellows?
Whoever loses time, there’s plenty of blame to go around for the Islanders’ lack of offense this season.
“We’ve been trying to hold them accountable but you want them ideally to hold themselves accountable,” said Trotz.
“It’s been a rough start,” added Palmieri. “We got a lot of hockey left to play and we’re going to get this thing rolling in the right direction.”
Just about everything has gone in the wrong direction for the Islanders this season, and that includes losing their first seven games at their new home UBS Arena. They’ve come close a few times and allowed Nashville to score the game-winning goal on Thursday night with less then 12 seconds remaining in the third period.
But now, the Islanders just want to turn the page towards Saturday.
“We can’t look back now,” said Trotz. “It’s done with. We gotta look forward to the New Jersey Devils. “We gotta look forward to getting a win in our building for our fans and get a win for a little bit of our self-esteem.”
“We gotta find a way to win,” said Chara.
And it sure sounds like the Islanders will try and find a way to win with some changes to the lineup.