The 25-year-old has been electric through his first three NHL games.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- For the longest time, the New York Islanders' identity came from their fourth line.
Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck led the way for the better part of 10 years. This season is the first time in quite a while that those three didn't take the ice together.
While Martin is back on a one-year deal in a more limited role, Cizikas has been playing on the third line alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Clutterbuck is currently doing analysis for MSG Networks.
Kyle MacLean has struggled to be consistent in year two but has been a staple as the fourth-line center. Pierre Engvall, in the second season of a seven-year deal, has found a home alongside him.
Head coach Patrick Roy has tried many players in hopes of filling Clutterbuck's role, but no one has truly taken the opportunity to run with it.
That is until Marc Gatcomb came around last Tuesday when the Islanders fell 2-0 to the Ottawa Senators.
In his three NHL games, the 25-year-old has played heavily, racking up 19 hits in an average of 8:57 a night, with a block and a takeaway.
He had four hits in his NHL debut, seven hits in their 5-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, and then eight hits on Tuesday.
Ramping things up, if you will.
I spoke with Gatcomb for The Elmonters the other day to get his thoughts on what's been a crazy week for the rookie:
His head coach has been very impressed by his performance.
"His physicality [has been impressive]. He finishes his checks. And I like his speed," Roy said on Tuesday morning. "I saw him in training camp, and I'm happy we gave him a chance. And he's doing a really nice job."
Gatcomb is playing like every shift matters, making a statement to his fellow teammates.
"He's a big boy, and he's hungry," Islanders forward Mathew Barzal told The Hockey News. "You need that sometimes. You get guys that play so long where the league isn't new. It's new for him and he's coming out guns-a-blazing, hitting everything, just working his tail off.
"That's super contagious."
Linemate MacLean, who came up last season and did the same thing Gatcomb is doing now, feels the same way.
"Honestly, it's a very similar situation, the role we were inserted into'" MacLean said. "It's definitely very similar. And I think you can feel it when he plays too. He's very energetic, and he's out there playing with a little desperation himself. So, I definitely cannot relate to that.
"I think our line the past two games or so have fed off that forecheck. I think all of us have been moving well. And, yeah, he's been a big part of that."
Defenseman Scott Mayfield believes that the kind of game Gatcomb is playing is something this team needs, especially right now.
"I see him moving his feet, getting to the net hard," Mayfield told THN. "We need that. That's something that's always important. We had it here for so long with our fourth line, so when a guy like that comes up and plays that way, it definitely feels more normal. He's given us that boost."
We'll see what happens with Gatcomb once Maxim Tsyplakov returns from his three-game suspension on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
But as we saw with Hudson Fasching two years ago and MacLean last season, Gatcomb is making it incredibly difficult to consider removing him from the lineup.
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