New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom may play a different game to that of former Islander Zach Parise. But Holmstrom's done a strong job filling the hole that No. 11 has left behind.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- What Zach Parise brought to the New York Islanders over his two seasons with the club wasn't going to be easily replaced.

From the timely goals, scoring 21 last season, to the critical blocks and the immeasurable energy, it would likely have to be a collective effort to fill the hole he left behind. 

With Hudson Fasching agreeing to a two-year extension and Julien Gauthier coming aboard on a two-year deal, along with Simon Holmstrom having an NHL season under his belt, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello had enough depth, on paper, to help mitigate the loss of No. 11.

While Fasching and Gauthier, especially as of late, have raised their games when called upon, Holmstrom has been a staple in the Islanders lineup since opening night. 

Holmstrom's linemates have changed throughout the early goings, starting up on the top line with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal before bouncing around between that line and Jean-Gabriel Pageau's wing on the third line. 

It wasn't that Holmstrom was playing particularly badly on the top line, but there were opportunities to finish chances, and he just didn't make the most of it. 

Despite the lack of goals, one of the reasons Holmstrom did stick on the top line was his defensive prowess, which certainly paid dividends. 

On the third line, Holmstrom looked a bit more comfortable offensively, and that ability to be a versatile forward for the Islanders is right out of the Parise Playbook.

In 2022-23, Holmstrom and Parise played together for over 147 minutes, per MoneyPuck.com. 

How much of a mark did the 18-year NHL vet leave on the youngster after a season together?

"I mean, a lot," Holmstrom told The Hockey News. "He's the pure example of a pro, just both on and off the ice, taking care of your body and always doing your best and doing everything you can for the team as well, putting his body out there every single night. I just learned so much from that guy."

Pageau and Parise were a duo for the better part of two years. 

Now alongside Holmstrom, No. 44 sees a similarity between the two.

"I see a lot of similarities. Obviously, they're not the same player. But Homer's got a very good hockey sense," Pageau told THN. "He's listening. He's always in the right spot. He's got a strong stick. He's making strong plays. You could see that in Zach Parise, always being hard on the puck, winning his 1-on-1 battles, stick battles, and coming out of the corner with the puck. I think you see a lot of that on the penalty kill when we get the puck.

"Homer's thinking the same way I think Zach was thinking. Just goal-goal, you never know. I do see a lot of similar stuff over there."

Holmstrom leads the NHL with four shorthanded goals.

For Pageau, having a similar player on his wing does make the linemate transition much easier.

"For sure. Zach was an easy player to play with. I think he made me better," Pageau said. "I could say the same thing about Homer, just the way he's responsible in our zone. We get a lot of defensive zone starts. He comes in, he has a smile. He wants to do the job, wants to do it right, and be hard [to play against]. Zach had the same mentality. So I think Homer definitely makes me better, too."

Although the young Swede's lack of shooting has handcuffed his ability to be a top-six player on this roster, he's improved his finishing, with eight goals on 27 shots in 27 games after six goals in 50 games last season. 

"You always want to do better than you did last year, and I definitely had no idea that I was gonna have seven goals and no assists," Holmstrom said. "I don't think I've ever had that before, so it's different, but I can't complain."

His 29.6 shooting percentage has him ranked third in the NHL amongst forwards who have played in 15 or more games this season. 

"I'm not the biggest guy to just throw pucks at the net when I don't feel like I have the chance to score or someone else doesn't have the chance (throwing pucks at goals for rebounds). But also, I know that I have to get better at that because you get lucky bounces, so it's definitely a balance."

There was outside concern due to Holmstrom having zero assists, but head coach Lane Lambert wasn't concerned about the goose egg in that department.

Pageau wasn't either. 

"He's set me up [especially] when I had that long stretch," Pageau said. "Set some other guys up. Sometimes, he got the third assist. Sometimes, he's making that strong play in the zone, that nice pass where it leads to a rush. He's really good at making plays, creating space for his linemate, keeping the puck on his stick, like sucking guys up towards him."

Holmstrom has three assists over his last five games, finding Pageau in overtime for this latest:

One area of Holmstrom's game that isn't as Parise-esque is crashing the net, with that not being Holmstrom's game at this point. But Holmstrom did crash the net Saturday night, scoring on a rebound:

Holmstrom said crashing the net is something he's focusing on more. 

"Just go hard tonight. Just the basic, basic stuff," Holmstrom said. "And you get some lucky ones as well. "The one there in Florida and also against Ottawa, too. Hit my shin pad. So it's nice to get those goals as well."

Lambert says it's critical. 

"It's very important. And that's something we've been working with him," Lambert said. "He's so good with his stick. You got to use your body and get body position in certain situations as well. And I think he's doing a better job of that certainly last week."

When THN spoke with Holmstrom last year towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign, the then-rookie wasn't satisfied with where he was at offensively. 

"I have more to give [offensively]," Holmstrom said, and he's showing early on in 2023-24 that he can be an offensive weapon for New York and that he doesn't need to sacrifice his defensive play to make that happen.

Has he been perfect on both sides of the puck? Has he taken a few penalties at inopportune times? 

For sure, but that's part of growing in the National Hockey League, and it was important to the Islanders, especially with the loss of Parise, to fill that void. 

Holmstrom earned the opportunity to do that, and so far, he's helped fill the Parise hole to a tee. 

You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.