Roy shakes up the Islanders' top lines, splitting Barzal and Horvat. Discover Roy's strategy as playoff seeding intensifies.
ELMONT, NY -- New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy has rotated his lineup so often throughout the 2025-26 season. A lot of that was Roy trying to navigate the injury bug, with key guys missing time throughout the season.
But, now, as healthy as ever, Roy continues to rotate his lines with just 17 games to play in the midst of a playoff push.
The Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender-turned-coach has decided to separate Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat for their Friday night showdown against the Los Angeles Kings.
Horvat will center Emil Heineman and Calum Ritchie, after Ritchie played the last two games on newcomer Brayden Schenn's wing. Barzal, the Islanders' hottest skater, currently riding a three-game point streak with one goal and four assists, will flank Schenn on the right with Palat on the left.
All the talk has been about how much Schenn has meant to Ritchie's development, so why are we seeing him moved off of his line so quickly?
"I want to know who is going to be a good fit for [Schenn]," Roy said. "Don't forget, the standard here is about winning hockey games. So we are going to do whatever it takes. I'm excited to see him play with Palat and Barzy, and I'm excited to see Ritchie with Heineman."
It sounds like Roy will keep trying to find the right lines no matter how long it takes.
"Well, I feel like the [lineup] experiments help when you get in the playoffs in a way that if you, for some reason, want to try a different matchup or different things, you know you went through it during the regular season," Roy said following Friday's morning skate. "Not just for me as a coach, but I think for the players, that helps to make the transition [easier]. But, yeah, in the perfect world, you like to have, always, the same lines."
The Islanders battle the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, so we'll see if Friday's lineup plans remain intact for more than just one game.