EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy wanted to use the final two preseason games for his NHL lineup.
While the line configuration over the last few days is more or less what we’ll see on opening night, there’s still spots up for grabs.
Fourth-Line Right Wing, 13th Forward Spot
After Roy made it clear that Maxim Tsyplakov had won the second-line job and Simon Holmstrom had won the third-line job, the jury is still out on who will be lining up as the fourth-line right winger alongside Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas.
For a few days, it seemed like Julien Gauthier was the front-runner, as he’s had a strong camp. But Liam Foudy was certainly making his case, and despite Hudson Fasching being hurt, his play last season under Roy and the trust he earned made him a definite option.
But on Friday, Oliver Wahlstrom will get the chance on the fourth line, potentially his last chance to prove to the franchise that he’s worthy of a roster spot.
For the first time in a few years, the 24-year-old has had a whole summer to train rather than having to rehab after tearing his ACL in December.
“I’m just controlling what I can control. I know if I honed in on the four or five things I’ve been working on this summer, I can be a contributor to this team,” Wahlstrom said. “I don’t want to put any excuses on last year and the year before, but the summer was huge. I got to work out like an athlete this year. I got to just train really hard consistently every day. There was no rehab. My ACL leg is 100 times stronger than my right, and I gotta work on my right. But it’s been good, so I’m excited.”
Here’s what Roy had to say about his depth players:
On Fasching: “Unfortunately for Fasching, he got hurt against the Rangers when he went into the corner, but I thought he had a great game that night.”
On Gauthier: “Gauthier, he’s been playing very well, practiced very well. He was really good in the scrimmage, and I’m very happy with him.”
On Wahlstrom: “I’m very happy with WahIstrom. I mean, he’s been playing really well. He’s playing free. He’s got a shot. The goal that he scored against Jersey on that one-timer…I’m very happy.
“My job is not to decide which one will make our team,” Roy said. “My job is to make sure that they all have the best opportunity to show what they can. And that’s all I want. I have only good things to say about these guys because I thought they all played really well for us.”
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