After missing Game One against the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup for Game Two
After missing Game One against the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup for Game Two
RALEIGH -- After missing Game One's 3-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup for Game Two, per head coach Patrick Roy,
"He's still day to day. There's certainly a good chance for him to play tomorrow."
In Pageau's absence, rookie Kyle MacLean moved from the fourth line to the third line, playing incredibly well with Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall.
That threesome was one of two Islanders' lines to outshoot the Hurricanes (6-4), with MacLean scoring New York's only goal to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period.
With MacLean on the third line, Roy elected to go with winger Simon Holmstrom on the fourth line.
The second-year NHLer played the least amount of minutes of any Islanders' skater in Game One, 9:37, with one shot on three attempts, one takeaway, a block, while going 1-for-5 in the face-off dot (20 percent).
At 5:29 of the second period, Holmstrom tried to flip the puck out of the defensive zone. Although it may have been on its way out, Matt Martin didn't think it would, so he wacked at it, leading to a delay-of-game penalty after the puck went over the glass.
Holmstrom had a strong shift in the second period when he corralled a puck behind the net and protected it with his long reach as he circled the offensive zone before finding defenseman Mike Reilly, who one-timed the puck into the glove of Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen.
On Sunday morning at the team hotel, The Hockey News asked Roy what he thought of Holmstrom's performance
“Very good. He was heavy on pucks. I thought he just (played) really well," Roy said. "The position of centerman is not easy for him. But I thought he was very reliable.”
So, with Pageau likely returning, the simple answer is that Holmstrom, who was playing out of position, would come out.
But Roy certainly has options.
Forward Hudson Fasching, who finished the season (outside of the meaningless game against the Pittsburgh Penguins) as the second-line left winger, didn't do much in Game One.
Playing 13:05, Fasching recorded two shots on goal on three attempts with one block. His line, alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, struggled to generate, getting outshot 6-2, with a Corsi For Percentage of 28, both the worst numbers amongst the four forward lines.
Does Roy think of playing Holmstrom on the second line and taking Fasching out?
When Fasching was on the ice, the Islanders recorded a CF Percentage of 35.48, but when Holmstrom was on the ice, the team's CF Percentage was 64.71.
The decision ultimately comes down to what Roy wants more of.
Does he want a physical grinding forward or a forward who has more offensive potential with a long reach?
If the Islanders are going to tie the series at 1-1 on Monday night, they'll need to establish a forecheck early and often to slow down the Hurricanes' defense.
While Holmstrom was better in Game One in his board battles, that's Fasching's bread and butter when he plays to his potential, so the likely answer is that Fasching remains in.
If we are being honest, the way MacLean played as the third-line center, Pageau being the fourth-line center wouldn't be a shock either.
The Islanders will take the ice for the morning skate at 11:30, and we'll get our answer.