Playing Short-Handed is Nothing New for Islanders

When the New York Islanders face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, they will be missing some key players in their lineup due to injury and COVID-19. But the Islanders not being at full-strength and playing games regardless is something the Islanders are used to given circumstances over the last couple of seasons.

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“You just show up every day with a good attitude and are willing to work and put in the time,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “There’s things that happen, whether it’s an injury, sickness, a setback. How you attack it individually and as a group with the support of your teammates, they can really help pull you through.”

During the 2020-21 season, Lee suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out of the rest of the season. He missed 29 regular-season games, and the entirety of the Islanders elongated postseason run that ended a win shy of a Stanley Cup Final appearance.

During the 2019-20 season, Lee and his teammates did what they could after top defenseman Adam Pelech was out with an Achilles injury.

Earlier this season, the Islanders saw seven players out of the lineup due to COVID-19 but were forced to play before an eventual shutdown.

These experiences have allowed the Islanders to learn what it takes to move forward, as relying on teammate support may be the biggest key of all.

“I know when other guys get hurt and have a setback it’s always nice to have the support of the guys behind them and help them get through that or whatever it is they’re going through,” Lee said. “We come to the rink every day and we have each other’s backs and help everyone, you know if they are going through a hard time with something like that.”

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz echoed his captain’s statements of supporting one another, regardless of what is keeping them out of the lineup.

“I think it’s just talking with them and seeing how their family’s doing and asking them how everyone’s doing,” Trotz said. “I know organizationally we’ve had the talk if there’s anybody that is struggling with it, it’s not going to be an embarrassment to anybody.

“We have a really good group that if they see any red flags they are really good at either informing myself or one of the coaching staff or Lou or anybody in the organization.”

While these statements from Trotz seem cliche, they are rather important given what has gone on in the NHL this season. Back in late October, former Chicago Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach revealed to the world that he was the player who had accused former video coach Brad Aldrich of sexual assault.

When that news broke, Trotz and Lee spoke to the media about making sure that every player in the organization knew there was someone they could talk to about anything bothering them.

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Although the number of players out of the Islanders’ lineup is tough for any team to overcome, there is an excellent opportunity for certain players to make the most of their newfound playing time.

We’ve got some older guys and we’ve got some younger guys,” Trotz said. “And because of where we are, because of the pandemic, because of injuries, because of COVID, they’re getting opportunities and to me they’re getting opportunities to earn a full-time job.

“ In the salary cap world, it’s reality, if a younger, cheaper player can do what an older, more expensive player can do, you are going to go that route.”

Trotz specifically spoke about 25-year old defenseman Sebastian Aho and 23-year old forward Kieffer Bellows as players who have not had regular playing time but have a huge opportunity right now.

“Sebastian Aho has been in and out of the lineup this year,” Trotz said.  “Every time he gets in it’s a great opportunity. He hasn’t played a lot of games on defense for us over the last couple of years because we haven’t had a lot of injuries there.”

Bellows becomes more of an everyday player with the amount of forwards out. 

Given the new CDC guidelines that the NHL has adopted, the missing players currently dealing with COVID-19 could be back soon. The two injured players, Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock, are skating independently and could be less than a few weeks away from returning.

Like usual, the Islanders look to overcome obstacles and find ways to collect points. That will be the plan when their season resumes Thursday at UBS Arena.