New York Islanders Morning Skate Availability | NYI vs ANA
Uh so of course winning four of the last five games, what’s been working overall for you? I think we’re uh playing with a lot of intensity. Um playing for each other. Um you know, guys have been coming line up and uh everybody’s been doing the job. So um I think as a as a group too are feeling really confident. Um playing against some really quality teams, you know, top teams in the league and we’re fairing uh very well against them. So um I think we want to keep that momentum going forward. Even when you you trail, you know, down to nothing, for example, on Tuesday, feels like you guys had a sense of confidence to come back. Just where does that come from? And how do you kind of collectively have that uh you know, yeah, it’s just uh never getting too high, never getting too low. Um doesn’t matter what happens. Um you know, we want to keep playing our game, keep it things simple, and um like you said, we’ve been down in games and but uh always find a way to come back. Um I think we we have a lot of belief in this room that, you know, we could beat any team. uh on any given night. So, um I think for us uh obviously the start is key, but uh you know, when it doesn’t go your way, it’s uh it’s one of those uh things where you know we got to come back as a team and just rally back together. I want to ask you about your line with Richie and of course what’s been kind of clicking and jelling with you guys. Yeah, I mean uh Rich is obviously a really good skilled uh centerman. um sees the ice very well. Uh makes really good plays, very young guy and and Homer uh you know solid 200 foot player. Uh really um you know reliable defensively and uh offensively his instincts are great and I think we compliment each other well. Um you know it’s been working so far. We’ve been clicking so uh I think we want to continue on that path and get some more offense for sure. postgame. W mentioned that even though home he snapped a 17g game drought, it doesn’t feel like it because of his offensive contributions and defensive side of the game, but how valuable is his skill set and how confident do you see him becoming? Yeah, I think he’s been playing very well. I know. I think uh even though uh you know that J was there, but I think doing a little things right um especially on the penalty kill and defensively he’s been doing great and getting a lot of chances uh especially his past you know four or five games. So I think we’re pretty happy with our game and uh you know the goals will come when you’re playing the right way for sure. RT of course year. How is he getting more comfortable not only offensively but defensively as well and kind of fitting in with the guys? Yeah, he’s learning every day. Um, you know, every day is a good day to get better and uh, you know, we’re helping him out obviously. Um, and then a lot of it is just all him. You know, he’s got a lot a lot of good skill. Um, his IQ is really high. Um, you know, he he kind of figures things on his own. So, um, he sees a lot of plays and tells us what he sees and I like that he’s communicating a lot, too. So, um, you could see him, uh, growing for sure each and every day in practice. You could see him having more and more confidence. So, it’s nice to see. Finally, just facing the Ducks tonight, a team that of course maybe surprised some people leading their division, but just what challenges do you see? Yeah, very well coached team. Um, obviously, they made some uh a lot of adjustments over the summer and um, you know, they’re they’re a dangerous team. Um, you know, they’ve been having a great year. They got a lot of good young guys that have have been buzzing since uh since game one. So, you know, we got to make sure we stay out the box. Obviously, they could make pay on the power play and um you know, making sure that uh you know, we’re playing well and tight defensively, not not giving them too much open space because they’ll hurt you. Of course, winning four of your last five games, what’s been clicking so well overall and also beating some top teams in the league? Yeah, I think we’ve been playing a really solid solid game together like a like like a team and we haven’t been perfect in every game, but we we backed each other up and we we’ve been able to to dig down and to to get the wins. You talked about digging deep. I feel like this team, even when they’re trailing, has the confidence and belief in themselves to come back, not only falling down two nothing on Tuesday, but also late in the third giving up that goal and not getting down on yourself. Where does that confidence come from? It seems like a a theme overall for this team this season. Yeah, I think it just comes from being a a very close team to close team. I think we’re we’re all uh trusting each other in in this room that everyone is going to do their best that uh just a very good team spirit. And I want to ask you about your line with Richie and Dup player. What’s been jelling among the three of you guys to lead to some defensive success and also offensive success? Uh, I think just building chemistry for for every game that goes by and I think we’ve been doing doing a good job to to stick it together in the in the in the D zone and then also creating a lot of offensively. I know we haven’t really been on the score sheet a whole lot, but I think we we haven’t had a lot of opportunities to do it and it was nice to to get one. I want to ask you about Kaylin Richie’s development. I was talking to Anthony before and he said that he points out a lot of things during the game and communicates. When you have that communication on a line, how does that helpful and how does that translate to success in your game? Oh, it helps a lot because you can talk over what what you see out there and you don’t always see the same thing. So, it’s it’s good to talk and to to to help each other and to, you know, just improve for in different situations. Of course, you’re not on the same line with PJ anymore, but how great was it to see him get back to game action the other night? No, it was a lot of fun. uh he’s a he he’s a big part of this group and you know he he’s good in the ind in different types of draws as well in the face of circle. So it was fun to see him. He expressed a lot of joy in here and he’s that was just fun to see him back. And you both are are top penalty killers. Of course the PK had a huge role on Tuesday night’s win. Um when you look at the PK this season, what’s led to not only the success but also the consistency you compare to last season? Uh, I think we we have a little different system this year that has really clicked and I know we didn’t have the best start this this year to PK and I think it was good for us to to stick together and trust the trust the process and I think you know when you have kind of same guys out there every every night and uh it definitely helps and then when when you have like Pedri and and Pauly gone you have guys like high and Casey stick stepping up and doing a good job as well. You mentioned not the strongest start to the PK beginning of the year. Was that just the adjustment period when there is a new system? Yeah, for sure. It takes a while to to adapt to to a new system and I think we we did a good job doing it. What have you noticed about your ability to break the puck out this year maybe as I know you don’t like looking back, but you seem like you guys are more stronger in breaking the puck out this year and getting on the rush. Yeah, I think we we our breakout is probably one part of our game that has improved a lot. Um, but I think the fact that we play so well in a neutral zone, I mean helps I mean our our coming back in the zone and and and helps our structure to to to uh make it easy on our breakout, but again guys are are doing a super nice job in that regard and and I think that’s that’s something that we have obviously improved. When you’re defending, it seemed like your guys are more direct in terms of whether you’re going to step or whether you’re going to sit back. It’s not getting caught in the middle. How important is that for goalending and helping to allow them to see the pop less screens by your own defense? We we try to take away time and space in our zone. There’s no doubt about that. I mean we try to close as quick as possible and um I mean yeah we we when we are giving a chance I mean obviously our goalending has been really good. B goalies have been making those big save for us and you know um which we call it team work and and uh where yes if you press you might give some chances but at the same time you’re going to cut a lot of plays and and I think that’s what our guys been doing so well when when guys stand for each other like I’m thinking Duke last game steps up right is that one of the first telltale signs for a coach that it is a cohesive unit like for instance the flip would be like have there been instances where guy you can tell a team’s not going well because guys just aren’t stepping up for each other. Yeah. No, that’s that’s important. But it’s more than just those situation. I mean, we talk about it. I mean, before last game, I mean, what I really love about our group right now is we’re never going to play a perfect game. I mean, we’re we’re always, you know, there’s going to be like mistakes and but where we are perfect is to recover those mistakes. how fast we have everybody’s back and and and that’s also a good example of how having your your teammates back. So what you did, we certainly love that and then then I think it’s it’s it’s um it’s contagious for everyone, but we do that also five on five or or even on a power play or PK when we’re there’s a mistake, we find a way to to recover and and do a good job to to have our partners talk about Go ahead. Talk about recovering with mistakes overall this season. What have you noticed about your team’s mindset when trailing in games or allowed on a goal late in the game? We’ve been bold. We’ve been bold since the start of the year. I mean, uh, we show like swagger and and and and um presence. I mean, uh, we talk about that and, um, even when Vegas tied the game, there was still panic, you know, like we we we were playing our game and and uh, we were confident in ourself. Uh, and we had that swagger. We had that presence. And and that’s what I like about our group right now. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. What do you see from Barzal and Pio the other night and what allowed what made you want to keep them together again? Um I thought last year was a good experience and we just want to repeat and and um just felt like it was a good fit. Per smart player and um play well offensively and defensively and I think that’s very helpful for Barsy. Um, I think on the outline we have a mix of pretty much everything. We have Anders that that that goes to the net and have that net presence and we have Barzy that can make, you know, skate with that puck and and like I said, I love when Bars commit defensively like he’s been doing like for a while. I mean, bring that puck up and having Per helping on faceoff and on and on. So, I feel like it’s a pretty good mix. What have you liked about Mitchell’s game since he’s been called up? Steady. um simple and then that’s what I love. He’s playing a simple game and um he’s he’s moving the puck, you know, well and um brings that physicality mean size. Um then good for him. I mean, he takes advantage of the opportunity and he’s been playing really well. What have you noticed about Scott Mayfield’s ability to, you know, obviously play with Matthew Schaeer this season, but also him and kind of make the rookies feel more comfortable in this league? Well, N he’s like a big brother out there, you know, like um helping everybody communicate, talks, and I think he brings a lot of confidence in whoever is playing with him. And um they know what to expect from him and and uh if we get cut, they know that means he will be there for them. And so he’s been doing a real
Hear from Anthony Duclair, Simon Holmstrom and Head Coach Patrick Roy ahead of tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
