Islanders Beat Blue Jackets 7-3 EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/new-york-islanders-los-angeles-kings-game-preview] have a new face on their blue line as of Saturday morning with the acquisition of Robert Bortuzzo [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-ryan-pulock-ir-acquire-robert-bortuzzo]. Ryan Pulock [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-ryan-pulock-ir-acquire-robert-bortuzzo] suffered a lower-body injury in the 7-3 win over the San Jose Sharks Thursday night and ultimately ended up on injured reserve. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello acted swiftly, trading New York's seventh-round selection in 2024 to the St. Louis Blues for Bortuzzo. The 34-year-old Stanley Cup winner wasn't getting playing time in his 10th season in St. Louis, hearing his name called just four times this season, as the organization was moving in another direction. There were conversations with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong throughout the summer, and Bortuzzo is happy to join a team in which playing time, at least right now, is a guarantee. Armstrong spoke on the Bortuzzo trade Friday night: Here's Bortuzzo's response: "We've had a great relationship. I thanked him a bunch for trying to find me a home. We wanted to try and make it work in St. Louis. It didn't. They're going in another direction. I think it kind of ran its course there, but for him to be willing to just work with me to try and find new places, I can't say enough about that. It's a ton of class, in my opinion, and I'm very, very thankful." Leaving St. Louis is tough for Bortuzzo but again, he wants to play and is excited for this new opportunity. "I'm just excited to come to a group who has had a lot of success over the years and is in win-now mode," Bortuzzo said Saturday morning. "I've heard nothing but good things about this locker room and the guys, and just truly thrilled to be here." Bortuzzo played with former Islanders Nick Leddy and Thomas Greiss in St. Louis, who told him a few things before his arrival on Long Island. "Both texted me. Both said get your razor," Bortuzzo said. "Which, frankly, I feel like it's a pretty cool thing to do here, to get your whole team to do something like that. "They just said you're gonna love it, love the setup, love the guys. You can tell the group enjoys coming to the rink every day. That's kind of what they were hinting at, and I'm getting that vibe already." As for having to shave the beard: "Johnny Boychuck dropped off some shaving cream. I wanted to do it for a while. We'll see what my wife says." For Bortuzzo, the Islanders provide him with an opportunity to play, given the injuries to Pulock, Adam Pelech (who resumed skating on Friday), and Sebastian Aho (who has skated with the team the last few days). "You never want to see guys go down, but there are opportunities, and," Bortuzzo said. "I felt like I've done enough to stay ready all year and have done a little bit of this, coming out of the lineup, throughout my career. "So again, thankful for the opportunity and excited for the opportunity. I've known that nothing's really given to you in this league. You’ve got to compete, and I've had to do that my whole career for a spot, and I look at this in the same light." Bortuzzo took line rushes at morning skate with 23-year-old Samuel Bolduc [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-samuel-bolduc-two-year-extension-defenseman-rfa], who has looked much more confident the last few outings. Here's what Stan Fischler [https://twitter.com/StanFischler] had to say about the Islanders newest member: 1. He's got a ton of experience. 2. He's big. 3. He's a Stanley Cup winner. 4. He comes from Thunder Bay, Ontario, formerly Port Arthur and Fort William, and home of the Staal Brothers. 5. He'll be motivated because he knows that he's needed. 6. He's a Robert, not a Bobby. 7. Lou is being proactive, and I haven't even had my coffee yet. 8. The sun is coming up in the East and settling in the West. 9. The Islanders host the Los Angeles Kings tonight. 10. On the third night of Hanukah, the Islanders are in third place. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOLDUC'S BOUNCEBACK? Samuel Bolduc [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/samuel-bolduc-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-saturday-flyers] struggled mightily to start his sophomore season in the NHL. The 22, now 23-year-old (Happy Birthday) seemed hesitant with the puck on his stick, failing to make the right reads and overall seemed to be lacking confidence. To be fair to Bolduc, coming in and out of the lineup often and only playing a limited number of minutes in those games isn't the best way to get acclimated. But it's the NHL, and it's a results-driven league, and the Islanders needed more from him. "There's just a consistency that we need to see game in and game out regardless of whether he's been sitting out or not," Lambert said back on Nov. 27. "Once you get your opportunity, you have to be ready to go." With the Islanders dealing with so many injuries to their backend, they needed Bolduc to gain some confidence in his play and provide the minutes needed to fill holes. Ever since playing a season-high 16:15 against the Florida Panthers in a 4-3 win on Dec. 2, Bolduc has looked more like the defenseman we saw in the second half of last season. He's been making those strong breakout plays and using his skating ability to escape danger when a play presents itself rather than forcing the puck into dangerous areas of the ice. Bolduc hasn't been perfect, but the former second-round pick hasn't been standing out for the wrong reasons over the last few games, outings he certainly needs to build on as the season progresses. The Hockey News asked Bolduc what's changed for him as of late. "I don't know. I just keep working hard in practice," Bolduc said. "I mean, eventually, if you keep working hard, good things will happen, and playing more minutes helps you to be confident in yourself." Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/noah-dobson-new-york-islanders-11-points-11-games-defensive-play-1-on-1] and captain Anders Lee [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/anders-lee-jean-gabriel-pageau-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert] weighed in on what they've seen from Bolduc over the last few games. "It's been good. I think he's just playing with confidence. He's had lots of great opportunities here with the guys that have been out," Dobson said. "He's done a good job. He's got all the tools with his size and strength. He sees the ice well, and I think you could just see a guy that each game is more confident making plays, so it's good to see. "We're gonna need him to continue to be a big piece here." Lee had this to say: "I'm seeing him skate. I think he's a great skater. And when he gets the puck and gets going a little bit, he creates time and space for himself. I think we all get caught at times when you kind of pick up the puck, and unless you have a play already, you got to skate out of things sometimes, and I think he's doing a phenomenal job of that, and it's working for him, and I think you're seeing that confidence grow with that." Bolduc has one assist in 15 games, averaging 11:30 minutes per game. He will be on the second power-play unit in Pulock's absence, on the right half-wall as a one-time option.
