New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom had longed to get back into an NHL game since he suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Dec. 27. Here's what he had to say, along with Lane Lambert's lineup decisions.

BUFFALO, NY -- New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom had longed to get back into an NHL game since he suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Dec. 27.

After what was a tough training camp for the 23-year-old as he worked his way back to 100 percent, the Maine native watched the first three Islanders games from above.

He was practicing hard, cycling in during line rushes, and getting looks in the one-time spot on the second power-play unit since preseason ended.

It was just a waiting game, waiting for an opportunity. 

"His opportunity will come, whether that's tomorrow or the next day or whenever it might be," Lambert said back on Thursday. "I think his attitude and his movement, his foot speed, things like that...everything is getting better and trending upward."

The wait was over Saturday night, as he was penciled in on the Islanders' top line with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.

The game did not go according to plan for Wahlstrom or the Islanders, as their offense couldn't figure out Sabres Eric Comrie in a 3-1 loss.

Wahlstrom played 12:16 minutes in his return, with a shot on two attempts, three hits, and a giveaway. 

Early in the affair, Wahlstrom was doing the simple things, getting the pucks deep, but struggled with his tape-to-tape passing, as expected.

One play stood out in the first period, as Wahlstrom dropped the puck top Barzal inside the left dot and crashed the net.

What that did was take two Buffalo defensemen with him toward goal, creating space for Barzal, which is something that Wahlstrom failed to do last season in his 25 games with No. 13.

It is something that Wahlstrom has to do if he wants to stay on the top line in the future. 

Wahlstrom's blocked shot actually hit Anders Lee in front of goal, with Comrie making a strong left pad stop on a backhand shot to turn aside one of the Islanders' better scoring chances of the game. 

"I thought he was okay," Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said following the loss. "I thought he had a couple of situations where you would call them, I guess, near misses, a couple of opportunities to make some plays and just missed on the pass or whatever it might be. 

"But I thought he was okay. I thought he thought he played hard. I thought he hit. I thought he had a good first game, especially since it's been such a long time."

Here's how Wahlstrom felt he played. 

"Obviously, there's some growing pains that come with this," Wahlstrom said. "So, I knew that coming in, but there's a little shock with the first two periods and obviously felt good those two first periods, and the third period came, a little tired, but that's part of it.

"Been off for, I don't know, 10 and a half months, so just got to keep getting into it."

The Hockey News asked Wahlstrom about how excited he was when he found out he would get to play.

"I was super excited," Wahlstrom said. "It's been a long road. I can't thank my family, my sister, and my girlfriend for taking care of me for the whole eight months of rehabbing, there were some tough days, but it was just good to be back."

THN followed that up by asking about the simplicity of Wahlstrom's game on Saturday and how hard it is not to try to do too much when the emotions are running high. 

"That was key for me tonight, just to get my legs under me, and it's a quick game, so you just gotta play simple," Wahsltrom said. "I had some couple of plays, could have had one, I hit the post there, but it's all about keeping my game simple early on here until I get the lungs, the hands, the shot, the skating back, which is coming pretty fast."

As mentioned, Wahlstrom played alongside Barzal for most of his 2022-23 season before the injury. He'd never skated with Horvat.

"It was good. He's always in the right spot," Wahlstrom said. "And also, he has sneaky passing to him. I just gotta get open, but it was a little tough, and the pucks were bouncing everywhere, but it's part of the game."

It was an emotional return. 

"There were some really, really tough, tough days for me because I'm only 23 years old, and I never had anything happen to me like that before," Wahlstrom said. "So, it was super exciting to get back in the lineup and play today and just build off it from there."

Wahlstrom being in the lineup meant Lambert had to sit someone else, as Simon Holmstrom sat along with Hudson Fasching, as Julien Gauthier also made his season debut. 

More on that in a minute.

"I think that when he (Holmstrom) plays with those guys (Barzal & Horvat), I think he has to have a little bit more urgency to shoot the puck himself," Lambert said in Saturday's pre-game media session.

Holmstrom only had one shot on goal through three games on the top line, which clearly impacted Lambert's decision to keep him up there.

Once we heard that quote, it seemed likely that a player like Wahlstrom, whose best skill is his release, would get the chance.

Fasching, who forced Lambert to keep him in the lineup last season, hasn't looked like the same player early. 

While Fasching hasn't been bad through the first three games, there certainly hasn't been the spark to his game like we saw last season, with no major noticeable shifts outside a few in the third period in the Islanders' 1-0 win against the Arizona Coyotes. 

"He's just been okay," Lambert said. "I think, for me, there's more there, and I look forward to seeing it."

Lambert did say that Holmstrom and Fasching were swapped out because it was a back-to-back situation, and he wanted to get fresh bodies, but his quotes also made it clear that he took two players out that weren't carrying their weight.

Gauthier looked fine in his Islanders debut, as his speed will undoubtedly help Jean-Gabriel Pageau in transition. 

There's no question that Wahlstrom earned his chance, but staying in the lineup isn't going to be a cakewalk. Outside of lighting the lamp consistently, Lambert has made it abundantly clear that he needs the third member of that top line to shoot.

Holmstrom earned the chance to start the season on the top line because he played a simple game and had a defensive upside, but there's flaws in his game, like his offense. 

Wahlstrom has the advantage because he's known for his shot, but if he doesn't show it consistently, then does Holmstrom's defensive play give him a leg up over Wahlstrom's offensive potential? 

No. 26 is likely to get another crack at it Tuesday night when the Islanders host the juggernaut offense that is the Colorado Avalanche.