Roy stands firm, praising Drouin's game. The Islanders' coach addresses criticism and backs his player as the team prepares for the Canadiens matchup.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Forward Jonathan Drouin is looking to snap a 34-game goal streak when he hits the ice for the New York Islanders against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Despite the lack of offensive production -- he has six assists over that goal drought -- head coach Patrick Roy has refused to sit him down. On the flip side, forward Anthony Duclair, who has eight goals over his last 15 games, will serve as a healthy scratch for a second straight game.
There's been some outrage over the length of the leash Roy is giving Drouin, when the leash for others like Duclair, Maxim Shabanov, and Maxim Tsyplakov was shorter, before Tsyplakov was eventually moved.
Goal scoring is important, but it's not everything. And the other areas of Drouin's game are why he remains in the lineup.
"If you probably ask him, [Drouin] probably would like to score a goal and take some pressure off of himself," Roy said. "But what I like about Drouin is his commitment, defensively and without the puck. Eventually, I mean, his confidence will be back. But I like the fact that he's focusing on the big picture. And to me, the big picture is how you play with or without the puck. He makes plays, he moves the puck really well, especially today on the power play. He could help Calum Ritchie on face-offs. He's bringing a lot to the team that maybe sometimes we don't place enough attention on."
That's the reality of the situation for everyone who continues to be up in arms every time Drouin is in the lineup, and Duclair or Shabanov are not.
Drouin can play center, which makes him more versatile. He can take face-offs. No, he hasn't won over 50%, sitting just a tad below at 49.5%. Despite working tirelessly on draws, Ritchie, a righty, is still learning how to find consistency with that at the NHL level. Having someone, a lefty, who can take some pressure off him is definitely a good thing.
When Drouin is on the ice, the Islanders have allowed 20 goals at 5-on-5 over the 51 games he's played in. Of the 13 players to play in 50 or more games this season, that ranks the best on the team. Duclair isn't far behind with 23 in three more games.
Roy mentioned the power play, which is currently third-worst in the NHL at 15.7 percent. Drouin skates on the second unit on the left half-wall, and Roy likes him in that spot. He's a strong playmaker, and Roy wants to lean into that, even if things for both units haven't worked at the rate the team needs them, too.
So to sum things up: Roy values what Drouin brings, and that's why he remains in. It's as simple as that. This will be argued time and time again, but that's the reality of the situation.