On Wednesday, New York Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhako made his NHL debut.
On Wednesday, New York Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhako made his NHL debut.
ELMONT, NY -- Ruslan Iskhakov had been waiting patiently for the New York Islanders to give him a chance at the NHL level.
With their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night meaningless after clinching a playoff spot on Monday, Iskhakov got his shot.
Recalled after the morning skate, with the Islanders resting Mathew Barzal, Hudson Fasching, and Pierre Engvall, with Anders Lee later to join them due to a personal matter, Iskhakov led New York out on the ice:
"That was a little weird. I've never done that before," Iskhakov said postgame. "I think I did like six laps instead of one. But, yeah, it was great."
Iskhakov recorded two shots on goal and notched his first career point, the secondary assist on Samuel Bolduc's 4-3 go-ahead goal at 1:36 of the third:
Although the Islanders would allow the tying goal, they came away victorious 5-4 due to Simon Holmstrom's go-ahead goal at 14:27 of the third.
"That was a great experience, and I'm glad that we won," Iskhakov said. "I'm pretty sure that's gonna give some boost for the guys for their first game in Carolina. But, for me, that was a great experience."
Iskhakov had a chance to score his first NHL goal but was denied by the left pad of Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic at 15:42 of the third.
"I wanted that so badly," Iskhakov said. "But, hey, I hope I'm gonna get another opportunity and we'll bury the next one."
Lined up to start the game alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who later suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury with 9:18 to play in the first period, the 23-year-old forward had an opportunity to play with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmier for 5:31 minutes.
"He was good. I thought he was solid," Nelson said postgame. "I think he's got good energy, a lot of good skills, good puck skills and I think he sees the game well.
"To see him be able to come up, play his first game, I'm sure it's exciting. Everyone remembers that. It's a big night. And, then, to have him on the scoresheet too, that's another bonus."
Palmieri, who tied his career-high in goals with 30 at the end of the second period, enjoyed playing with Iskhakov.
"I thought was great. We saw him over the summer and in training camp and the highlights on Instagram and stuff like that, so we knew the kind of skill he had," Palmieri said. "But I thought he made a lot of great little plays. He won a lot of battles.
"He's not the biggest guy, but you could tell he was excited to get a crack at it, and I thought he played a great game."
Because he stands at five-foot-nine and weighs just 165 pounds, he's judged for his size and hears constantly that he can't overcome that.
Iskhakov's stature was something Islanders head coach Patrick Roy commented on when asked about Iskhakov's debut.
"I had fun watching him play," Roy said. The plan was to give him some ice time and give him a chance to show us what he could do. And I was very, very happy with what I've seen to a point that I was very comfortable to put him with Brock and Kyle. I think they have fun playing with him as well.
"He's got great energy. He competes. He's small, but I don't know if he knows he's small, the way he's been playing, so that's nice to watch. It was fun. I have time for him."
Size was always going to be a potential issue for Iskahkov at the NHL level, but the Islanders took a chance on him with their second-round pick (No. 43) in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Iskhakov, a Moscow native, played collegiately at the University of Connecticut from 2018-2020, playing in Europe from 2020-2022 before joining the Islanders organization ahead of the 2022-23 season in Bridgeport.
In his first season, Iskhakov was an AHL All-Star, scoring 17 goals with 34 assists in 69 games. The Islanders recalled players throughout the 2022-23 season, but he never got the chance.
After showing well in training camp, Iskhakov was sent to Bridgeport, where he mimicked his performance in year one.
An All-Star for a second straight season, Iskhakov scored 18 goals with 32 assists for 50 points, leading Bridgeport in all three categories.
He had done everything offensively he could to earn a call-up and didn't seem out of place.
But the AHL isn't the NHL. There are some differences.
"The skill level of the players is a lot higher. I wouldn't say the speed is much faster -- it's kind of the same -- but yeah, just the level of the players."
Iskhkov said he was a little bit starstruck, given who was on the other side and a few teammates.
"Obviously, the top guys...Crosby. From our team, Nelson and Horvat."
Fun fact: Iskhakov and Alexander Romanov played on the same team back when they were 17:
"It was awesome. It was great," Iskhakov said about playing with Romanov again. He texted me this morning, and he was really, really happy for me, and I was really happy to have him in the locker room, you know.
"We both came from not even making the national team to making the team, making the draft, and then being able to play in the NHL."
We do not know what prospects will be joining the Islanders on their playoff roster as of now, but the way Iskhakov settled in on Wednesday, there's no reason why he shouldn't be in Carolina with them.
"From each period, I was getting more comfortable. I was understanding more. My first shifts, you're just all over the place, with adrenaline, just going through the roof, and you have so much energy, but I settled down after the first period, and I felt pretty comfortable."
The Islanders battle the Hurricanes for Game 1 on Saturday night at 5 PM ET.