Patrick Roy won’t be behind the Islanders bench on Sunday, but the edge from last season’s run-in with Mikko Rantanen hasn’t gone anywhere.
That moment is still the one that sticks: late in the third period of a November game against Dallas, Rantanen drove Alexander Romanov face-first into the boards from behind, a play that brought a game misconduct for boarding and set Roy off in a way fans couldn’t miss. As Rantanen skated off, Roy appeared to fire off, “You’re not going to [expletive] finish that game”.
The Islanders never got the follow-up they expected. Rantanen was injured at the Olympics while playing for Finland, so he missed the next chance to face New York. That matchup finally arrives Sunday in Dallas.
The problem for anyone hoping for a little unfinished-business theater is that the cast has changed. Roy is gone.
Romanov is out too, with an estimated six to eight months sidelined after tearing his ACL earlier this month. It’s another brutal blow for Romanov, who played only 15 games last season as well.
What had been viewed as a key addition to the 2026-27 Islanders lineup now has to wait another year.
Even without the people directly involved, there’s still something hanging over this game. For the Islanders, it’s a chance to show Dallas - and the rest of the league - that they’re not a team to be bullied around. And after a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in a game where they did a lot of things well, Sunday brings a fresh opportunity.
In Other News...
Islanders Fans Just Got A New Belmont Game Day Perk
Belmont Park racetrack is back in action after its redevelopment, and Islanders fans now have a new game-day option when the schedules line up. On days when a home game overlaps with live racing, ticket holders can use a promotion linked in the teams game-day email to claim free general admission to the track, adding a little extra to an already busy outing around the arena.
It is a neat perk for anyone looking to make a full day of it around Elmont, even if the logistics still matter. The admission itself is covered through the offer, but parking is not included and has to be paid for separately, so fans will still need to plan ahead if they want to take advantage of both events. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Face A Brutal Road Test With One Lineup Question Looming
The Islanders wrapped up practice at Northwell Health Ice Center with a long trip looming, a three-game Western Conference swing that begins in Dallas and asks plenty of a team still sorting out its forward mix. Pete DeBoer said Mathew Barzal, Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli will not travel, leaving New York to lean on the players available as it heads into one of the tougher stretches of the schedule.
Brayden Schenn has already slid back to center after Ritchies injury and has looked comfortable there alongside Emil Heineman and Victor Eklund, which gives the Islanders at least one line that seems to be settling in. The bigger question is how long they can keep that structure intact, especially with Ritchie sidelined by a lower-body injury and the lineup still feeling a little too fluid for comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Still Stuck Waiting On A Real Mathew Barzal Update
The Islanders are still waiting for a meaningful update on Mathew Barzal, and for now the most important detail is the one they still do not have. Barzal remains sidelined with knee inflammation, leaving the club without its top playmaker and without a firm sense of when he might be available again.
There has been some small progress, with Barzal skating lightly on his own as the inflammation has eased, but he is still not close to returning. For a team trying to steady its lineup, the absence has become a lingering source of uncertainty, and the lack of a timeline only keeps that concern hanging over the roster a little longer. [Read more 🡒]