Long after the Islanders had concluded their practice on Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, Anthony Duclair was still on the Bill Torrey Rink ice working on his shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Fast forward to the 5:11 mark of the second period during Monday night’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena and there was Duclair firing a wrist shot into the net from between the faceoff circle and the blueline.
It was just about the same spot where Duclair was working on his shot the day before after practice.
In Duclair’s case, practice made perfect and the extra work paid off.
“Yeah, I think so,” said the veteran forward. “I think I’m going to keep doing that…just getting extra reps in.”
Duclair has certainly turned the page after a rough first season with the Islanders in 2024-25, a season that saw Duclair miss two months with a groin injury while also clashing with Head Coach Patrick Roy. After a game in early April, Roy called Duclair’s performance in that game “God-Awful” and said that Duclair was “lucky to be in the lineup”. That led to Duclair stepping away from the Islanders for the rest of the season to reflect on what had occurred.
Roy would later drive to Duclair’s offseason home to apologize to him and to speak about what had transpired.
Duclair reported to training camp healthy both physically and mentally.
Roy was happy to see Duclair find the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
“You saw Monday day after practice…he stayed longer,” said Roy. “He cares and he wants to do well. I was happy to see him be rewarded for that goal.”
Duclair and the Islanders have been a streaky team so far this season.
After losing the first three games of the season, the Islanders rebounded with four straight wins and that was followed with another three-game losing streak. And now, the Islanders are riding a three-game point streak with a pair of wins and Tuesday’s shootout loss as they head into Friday night’s game with Minnesota at UBS Arena.
Getting consistent offense from Duclair is critical to the Islanders staying in playoff contention throughout the season, so since that extra work led to his goal Tuesday night, Duclair is inclined to keep it going.
“I think it goes a long way,” said Duclair of his extra work. “It’s a long year.
It’s a long season. You go through ups and downs but I think for myself…just staying on top of things and just staying in shape and making sure that my shot and my speed is up to par all year.”
Roy coached Duclair in juniors so it was not a surprise to see the Islanders sign the veteran forward to a four-year contract in July of last year. What was surprising was the conflict between the two that transpired late last season.
But that was then and this is now in what has been a fresh start for Duclair in his second season as an Islander.
“I’m pleased with the way he’s been playing and also his attitude how he handles those things,” said Roy. “I’m very happy and very proud of him.”
Not only did Anthony Duclair score a goal in Tuesday’s game, but he was also one of the first Islanders, along with Captain Anders Lee, to go after Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov after he roughed up Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer during the 2nd period.
He's an important piece of the puzzle so look for Duclair to continue to get the extra work in and to be a big contributor for the Islanders.