New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI vs WSH (10/31/25)
playing a little more aggressive today and oh I I don’t know I don’t want to really talk about my game I just want to say about the team game I think it’s was solid game with uh discipline and uh a lot of block shots and uh it was really really smart yeah I mean the defensive structure see was there from the first period how how important was it for the team you know especially what happened last night to to kind of come out like this um back to It’s always second game. You should uh you don’t have a lot energy, so you should play smart and uh I think guys do great job tonight. What was the key to a really strong outing? Um block shots um uh system guys know what they should do tonight against every player. So, it’s it’s worked today. Did you see the team kind of get better as as the game went on? Um I don’t remember last game. I think today we have a good game especially after last. Yeah. Yeah. No. Um it’s a hard place to play here also on a you know not even on a back to back just to come in and uh you know to do uh to do the job uh was great. We we had some fresh legs you know Rich coming in. Uh I thought he did awesome. Um, you know, Barzi, of course, also, uh, that I think that gave us a little boost. Um, I thought we had a full 60, uh, today. Uh, start, you know, they came out hard, but I thought we Serroi, you know, he was outstanding the whole game. He kept kept us in, kept us that extra boost, and I thought we kind of took over, found our legs, and, uh, played pretty well in the second and the third. Did you maybe look a little more aggressive today, Sroen? I I mean I don’t know anything about goalending to be honest. Uh I just thought he was you know he was stalled in and uh that’s that’s a big one for for us and uh you know I thought he was awesome the whole night. Made some big save but some you know solid save when we needed it at key time in the in the game. Um I remember one play at the end of the game I get beat in the corner. He makes that nice poke check. Those those plays you know not every goalie can make that and he made an awesome play there. What worked so well defensively? not just at five on five, but also short-handed. Yeah, you know, we we had a good plan. This is a very good uh team when they’re in the ozone. They they spread us out pretty well. They they move a lot and we had a good plan in place and we execute well. We stayed in our structure and uh you know, we didn’t force any play when we had the puck. We flipped it out if we had to and you know, live to fight another day. That’s what we did. You and Simon had such chemistry, especially on the the PK. Just take us through um how he set you up there. Yeah, you know, uh we found a you know, we’re allowed on the ice together. We spend a lot of time and we have a good chemistry. Uh he’s a hell of a big hockey player and I’m lucky to play with him. He’s got a great hockey IQ and that that goal was all him. Uh you know, he gave me the chance to to get a stick on it. He made a perfect pass. Um you know, we want to keep building on that. PK uh was was huge today. It’s big game difference in those tight game and today made a big difference. Yeah, I thought it was good. I thought in the third period we were good. It took me a bit to get my legs under me obviously, but uh yeah, no, I thought it was a great win. Great goal by Pat Pedager later and uh yeah, it was a huge win. What do you make of your your first uh game with the Islanders overall? Uh I thought it was great. I mean, obviously it’s been a couple crazy days and just super glad, super thankful to be here with the guys and it’s a huge win. Uh obviously uh yeah, it’s a good team over there and uh to battle battle like we did today and uh when come out with the win is awesome. What do you know just about the the pace of the game and and just the overall defensive effort by your team? Yeah, I thought it was great. I thought we were um structurally really well. We didn’t give up much. It was a pretty uh structured game, I’d say. Like I think each team had like 23 shots or something, so both teams weren’t giving up too much. And then um yeah, I think uh yeah, it was just a great win, great team effort. And how did the first period kind of set the stage for the the win overall? Just, you know, um Sroen coming up big, especially early. Yeah, for sure. He was awesome tonight. Unreal. uh made some unreal saves in the first to keep us in the game and then uh and throughout the rest of the game too. So it was uh unbelievable every time he’s in the net. Obviously the team has a big chance of winning. So you had different linemates of course, you know, adjusting from wing to center. How much more comfortable do you feel at center and and adjusting midame like that? Yeah, I think um I mean obviously I like to think that I can adjust the wing pretty good. It’s just something that I’m trying to learn a bit more and uh talk to guys and take things from them. But, uh, for me, I feel Yeah, I feel really comfortable at center. So, um, yeah, I don’t know. I think just, uh, I mean, whatever they want me to play, I’d love to just love being here. Key to a really strong PK tonight. I think just out working their power play. Um, you know, I thought we did a really good job of pressing them, making them make plays, and um, obviously we got the the big timely saves when we needed it, but, you know, I thought our D were aggressive. They’re doing a great job of taking away their options and and us as forwards are just trying to limit their time and space and I thought we did a good job with that. Take us through your goal. Pretty well executed two-on-one there. Yeah, it was a great play um by uh um by Haney to get that over to me early enough so I could, you know, kind of make a decision of what I wanted to do with it. And um no, it was just one of those things where, you know, I I thought I saw an opening and and put it where I wanted it and and thankfully went in. To end the road trip with the win, how does that give the group confidence going forward? Yeah, it gives us a lot of confidence. Um, you know, obviously after a couple, you know, shaky games to start the road trip, obviously giving us momentum going back home and, um, we got to take that momentum going to this home stand and and come out fine here on on Sunday. Well, I was very happy with this game. I mean, um, I felt like we were maybe a little shaky at the beginning of the game because of the losses we had and I was outstanding. I mean um gave us gave us some momentum, gave us um you know the belief that we could win this game. So we was without a doubt I mean the first star of the game for us in our in my mind because the way he played in that first period he looked so solid. So everything seemed so easy and it was it was pretty solid performance by him. But after that I thought in the second and the third I thought we we start playing better hockey. We cut down on shot on shots against chances again and we start generating more offense as well. So, um I thought it was a great team effort. Everybody played really well and and and uh it was it was important for us to find a way to win that game. Um you know, in the past a lot of people were talking about the back-to-back games where we struggled to win and on the second night and it was nice to win that game. What did you see a little bit more maybe aggressiveness in in Ilia’s play just Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. I mean Poke check a couple times. I mean and and he played the puck well as well. So no, he was really good. Really good good game. What what what did you make of you know Richie? I know you you have center but play really well. Um we were not generating much offense and and I thought it was time for to try things. Like I said, all year we’re going to try things and um it was nice to put Barsy back with Bo and and and having uh Emil with them with them and I thought that Richie played really well with Dwayne and um and uh Palm Z. So uh in the in the third, you know, Paul Pejo’s line, sorry. And then Casey’s line played well as well. How did you see Richie kind of work his way into the game? seemed like he I was impressed because he looked like pretty calm out there. I mean, you could tell he played some game last year some games last year and played a lot of exhibition games. So, I thought that he was and and I think Rocky’s doing a really good job with with the guys down there in in Bridgeport and seems to me that he was we’re playing pretty much the same style. So, it was pretty I think made it easy for him to adapt and and come in and play and the way he played. Would you be inclined to to keep Barsy and Horvette together or is it something nice to have in your back pocket that you can pull out in games like this where you need? I’m not sure yet what we’re going to do, but I mean um I’m sure tomorrow we’re going to watch the game again and and we’ll see what we do against Columbus on Sunday late afternoon. Mr. Oaken to have a game like that hasn’t had the start of the season he want. What can this do for his confidence? Obviously a guy who’s been success somewhat a lot of success in the past. I cannot answer for him, but I could answer for myself. I mean, as a goalie, yes, I’m sure you need a game like this and and and hopefully that that that brings the confidence that uh will help you to get on on the roll. And you know, and it was uh was nice to finish that road trip because now we’re going home at one, two, and one in in that road trip. So, I mean, um go back to 500 hockey. So, it’ be nice for us to be ready for Columbus on Sunday, 5 o’clock.
Hear from Ilya Sorokin, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Cal Ritchie, Bo Horvat, and Patrick Roy after tonight’s win vs the Capitals.
