The NHL’s pre-Olympic roster freeze has come and gone, and the Islanders stood pat after making a pair of notable moves last week-bringing in defenseman Carson Soucy from the Rangers and forward Ondrej Palat from the Devils. But don’t mistake the silence for satisfaction. General manager Mathieu Darche is still very much in go-mode, looking for ways to bolster the roster ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.
That said, Darche isn’t dealing from a place of desperation. There’s a sense of confidence in the group he’s assembled-enough to ride into the Olympic break without forcing another move. Whether the Islanders ultimately add more firepower or look to move pending UFAs like Jean-Gabriel Pageau or even captain Anders Lee (though Pageau seems the more likely trade chip), those decisions will come later.
Right now, the only thing that matters is Thursday night in Newark, where the Islanders will face the Devils in their final game before the Olympic break. It’s a big one-not just because it’s a divisional matchup, but because it’s a chance to head into the pause on a high note. And yes, it just so happens to be Palat’s return to Prudential Center, where he’ll face his old team for the first time in blue and orange.
After that, Palat and Bo Horvat will swap NHL sweaters for national ones-Palat heading to Milan with Team Czechia, Horvat suiting up for Team Canada. The rest of the Islanders? They’ll be off to recharge, many likely headed for some much-needed sunshine.
But don’t expect anyone to be looking too far ahead-not yet. Not with two points on the line and the standings as tight as they are.
The Islanders are clinging to third place in the Metropolitan Division, trying to keep pace with the Penguins and hold off the pack behind them. Every game matters, and this one’s no exception.
If the Islanders are feeling the wear and tear, it’s understandable. Thursday will mark their sixth game in nine days, and their eighth in just 13.
That’s a brutal stretch by any standard, especially in a league as physically demanding as the NHL. But this condensed schedule was the price of Olympic participation-something the players pushed hard for after missing the last two Winter Games.
So here we are.
“It’s a lot of hockey,” head coach Patrick Roy said after Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime win over Pittsburgh, a game in which the Islanders came back from three separate deficits. “I’m not trying to find excuses for our guys here, OK?
But we’re in a tough part of the schedule. We have one more to go.
It’s hard to be, every night, consistent.”
That win over the Penguins was a gutsy one-resilient, as Roy put it. And it might’ve been just the kind of emotional lift the team needed heading into this final game before the break.
Now, it’s about locking in for one more night. Not about the grind of the last two weeks.
Not about the 9-0 blowout win over the Devils back on Jan. 6.
Not about the fact that New Jersey will be without Jack Hughes, who’s out with a lower-body injury. Just 60 minutes (or maybe 65), and then the pause.
“It’s a huge game,” Horvat said. “It’s another divisional rival.
Another big opportunity to get two points and keep ourselves where we are in the standings. Everybody’s on our heels and it’s a tight division right now.
We’ve got to get the wins that we can.”
After the break, the team returns to action on Feb. 26 in Montreal. And by then, Darche may have some decisions to make-particularly up front.
One situation to monitor: Anthony Duclair. The winger had a hat trick against the Devils in that 9-0 win and followed it up with eight goals in eight games.
But lately, he’s cooled off-no goals in his last seven-and was benched after just four shifts in the first period Tuesday, with Roy unhappy about his defensive effort.
If Duclair continues to slide, the Islanders could explore external options. Names like Michael Bunting or Steven Stamkos from the Predators have been floated as possibilities. But again, no roster moves can be made until Feb. 22, when the Olympic freeze lifts.
Until then, it’s all about Thursday. One more game.
Two more points. Then, and only then, can the Islanders take a breath.