Islanders Morning Skate Update EAST MEADOW, NY -- With Casey Cizikas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/casey-cizikas-new-york-islanders-kyle-maclean-karson-kuhlman-brian-pinho] unavailable due to a lower-body injury that will keep him sidelined for weeks, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/game-preview-islanders-without-cizikas-for-foreseeable-future-battle-maple-leafs] showed off some new line combinations Thursday morning ahead of their battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/game-preview-islanders-without-cizikas-for-foreseeable-future-battle-maple-leafs]. With Cizikas out, Jean-Gabriel Pageau drops to the fourth line alongside Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Mathew Barzal, a natural center, will skate alongside Simon Holmstrom and Kyle Palmieri. Hudson Fasching returns to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last three games and will skate alongside Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall. And last but not least, Oliver Wahlstrom draws back in after watching the six. He will skate alongside Bo Horvat and Anders Lee. "[Cizikas] a big part of the group," Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. "His motor is always running, so guys are going to have to replace him somehow, and certainly we have the ability to do that. [His absence] affects a couple of different areas for us, but as we've done and we'll continue to do with our defenseman, whoever else is out, it's a next-man-up mentality." Clearly, the Cizikas injury played a role in the line-switching, but the Islanders, the way they were previously constructed, haven't been playing well. After a 1-2-1 road trip, the Islanders got flat-out dominated against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night in a 5-2 loss. "I don't think we've played very well lately," Lambert said. "We could have just moved one person with Cizikas being out. But we moved a bunch of people. "So, we've got to be better." In the Islanders 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals, Clutterbuck slotted in as the fourth-line center with Cizikas sick, so it was certainly an option for Lambert if he wanted to keep Horvat and Barzal together. "I thought Clutter did a decent job, but the length of time that Casey is going to be out, I don't think we can manage to have a non-centerman play center for an extended period of time," Lambert said. Here's what Barzal had to say about the line changes as a whole. "I think anytime a coach -- first of all, you never want it to happen. You want to win, and you want things to move smoothly -- but the last few games haven't been great. And sometimes, a little shake-up can be alright," Barzal said. "Did I think I was playing center when I walked in today? I didn't. There was a vacancy in the middle on the third line & I'm happy to step in." Not playing with Horvat is tough because Barzal thought that his line had been rolling. "In Vegas, we could have had like four goals," Baral said when asked if he thought things had gone stale with his line. "I thought, even against the Canucks, we could have had three or four. The possession has been there. I've had some games in the minuses, but like I feel like our possession and our pace has been great. We feel like we're been controlling most of the game, so I mean, I love playing with Horvat. "With Casey going out, we got to fill a center role, probably next man up. Whatever Lane thinks is gonna help us, but I don't think that anything's been stale. Like, I really feel like there's been consistent chances created, and me and Bo have pretty good chemistry out there in terms of passing and moving and moving around, and with Lee out there, it's been solid. Like, our game in Arizona, we had three goals, so, yeah, I don't feel like it's been stale." Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNTU5MjAyOTczNTU4NDc1/usatsi_22223975-2.jpg] With Barzal going back to center, that means he has a more important role in the defensive zone. Instead of hovering the Islanders blue line or positioning himself atop the circles, Barzal has to be deeper in the zone. "I definitely have a little more responsibility, and I know that I'm gonna have to show Lane and our coaching staff, like early on, that I'm capable of doing that," Barzal said. "And yeah, just a little more responsibility, which I'm totally okay with." For Horvat, the coach is the coach. "It's just a different look. I mean, I think a lot of us have been playing together for a long time, and we haven't gotten the job done, I guess, the last couple of games," Horvat said. "Obviously, Lane's the one that makes those decisions, right? We're just kind of going with whatever is put in front of us, but I mean, these lines are pretty evenly balanced. And we're gonna need all four lines going if we're going to beat this Toronto team. So we're going to be ready to go." While the Islanders' second line has had a tremendous amount of chances to score over the last handful of games, they've struggled mightily and a change to that line -- if the results continued -- was likely coming anyway. "With Cizikas going down, I think that obviously forces you to change things up a little bit and fill in a center spot," Brock Nelson said. "Barzal has been a guy that's probably played the most center out of anybody else available, so in doing so, you have to change a couple of wingers up, so I don't know that there's any underlying message, but the lines are mixed up, and you gotta go out there and find a way to play the same game." His linemate, Kyle Palmieri, understood the changes to his line specifically. "As a line, me, Nelson and Engvall have had a little downturn as far as production goes. We've had a lot of chances in the last couple of games," Palmieri said. "But yeah, I think realistically, [the moves] have a lot to do with losing a centerman and putting guys in position to succeed. So I think it's one of those things. "I'm looking forward to playing with Holmstrom and Barzal. They're both great players and should be an easy fit, playing with guys like that." Islanders captain Anders Lee sees this as an opportunity to spark the lineup. "I think it's a combination of, like, let's get some stuff going here. It's been a struggle for a little bit here in some areas and we had a big game tonight, so let's let's put some stuff together here that might give us a spark," Lee told THN. "When you're playing with new guys, you got to keep it simple, work forward, and communicate, and I think anytime something like this happens, it generates that spark for sure." Having new linemates is nothing new for Pageau, but playing with Martin and Clutterbuck certainly is. "I just got to get back to my basics. I know what they're bringing," Pageau told THN. "They've been doing the same for three years. They always bring good energy and a good work ethic... I think they're a great example of the identity of this team, of what this team wants to be, so I find myself lucky to be on a line with them." Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNTU5MjEzNzEwOTc2NjQy/usatsi_16095183.jpg] As for the new look for the team: "I think Lane just wants to look at different options, different chemistry with guys. I think it comes back to the fundamentals. For myself, just get back to hard work, play simple, and be physical, all the simple things that I think got me to the league and that helped me succeed, so why not? I mean, I think sometimes a little change, shakeups, it can only be good." Pageau continued: "A little shake-up is good for you. I think everyone was surprised but not surprised at the same time. I was a little bit at the start. You're like, okay, and then you go with it and see all you can do to be the best at that spot." Lambert did say following morning skate not to be shocked if lines change throughout the course of the game. “Things get moved around during the games. Do I expect to see Horvat and Barzal play together at times? Yes, I do.” Even if these lines did stay together, there's no question that they will not be permanent as the season progresses. But all that matters is earning two points against the Maple Leafs tonight, and Lambert's players will need to find a way to gel as quickly as possible to accomplish that goal, or more changes will be coming. You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/@hockeynightny] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey] live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny [https://www.twitch.tv/hockeynightny]. TOP STORIES
