Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Not since Anna Kendrick has Anthony Beauvillier been left waiting so long to hear back from someone. Ok, that may be an exaggeration and Anna did eventually get back to Beau. So while Barry Trotz hadn’t spoken to Beauvillier since scratching him on Saturday, we are fairly certain he will talk to his 24-year-old forward before tonight’s game in Detroit.
But will Beau be back on the ice on Tuesday? That’s a different question and as of Monday, Trotz was still contemplating the answer.
Coming up, Wahlstrom’s improving play is acknowledged, Dobson is maturing before our eyes, and Sorokin is projected to be All-Star bound. Plus, an anonymous coach on the Isles play and a forward-thinking fifth grader.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: There were no NHL games on Monday. Zero. Zilch. Nada. There was, however, New York Islanders’ media availability. Barry Trotz and Andy Greene spoke and provided some newsworthy quotes on Beau’s status, Dobson’s growth, and Wahlstrom’s game evolving.
🥶 COLD SHOULDER: Anthony Beauvillier is not having fun. He is pointless in his last 13 games and while he’s not the only Islander struggling through the first quarter of the season, his play drew the ire of Barry Trotz after Thursday’s loss to Nashville. Trotz called out Beauvillier, saying that he needed to ‘raise his game’ and that his lack of production has coincided with losing too many battles on the ice. That resulted in Beauvillier sitting for nearly 10 minutes to start the second period and being a healthy scratch vs. the Devils on Saturday.
After another productive post-season, Beauvillier signed a 3-year $12.45 million dollar contract as a restricted free agent this summer. Always streaky, his speed and 20-goal potential are key to the Islanders generating consistent offense across their top nine forwards.
On Monday, Trotz stated that although he and Beauvillier had a conversation before his benching, they haven’t spoken about the subject since and he could not commit to him being back in the lineup on Tuesday.
It’s a cold move that may or may not pay off for the young forward, but Trotz has a way of getting the most out of his players, and Beauvillier is one he desperately needs to get going. “We’ll probably talk on the way to the plane here or on the plane or when we get in. I don’t really have an answer right now,” said Trotz. “We talked about what he needed to do, so that was between me and him and will remain between me and him."
🙌🏻 RAISING HIS GAME: Oliver Wahlstrom has found his rhythm from early in the season, and after some time without much offensive output, he’s been hot as of late. What has some scratching their heads is his ice time, which has been on the low since for his production, according to some. Either way, it seems Trotz is pushing the right buttons with him, making him one of the more effective forwards in the league in so far in December as Eyes on Isles’ Michel Anderson pointed out.
Wahsltrom’s play has caught the attention of his head coach who noted the positive steps his game has taken recently, highlighting the uptick in assists and improved two-way game. "I think lately, he’s had more awareness. He’d try to score so much that he would bury that head and try to go in and now, you look at him" and what he’s done recently, Trotz said. "I think he’s starting to use all the tools a little bit."
⬆️ GROWING UP: Saturday night, Noah Dobson scored his third goal in the last four games and became only the third Islander defenseman in the last 23 years to score in three consecutive home games. It was the latest step forward for the young defenseman who has been thrust into a larger role due to the absence of Ryan Pulock. “I think he's growing. He's growing in this league,” said Greene on Dobson’s development. “He's getting more comfortable and confident and knowing when he's in certain situations, what to do... He's way more assertive, way more aggressive.”
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders have a chance to climb the standings a bit this week against teams ahead of them. Starting with the Detroit Red Wings and then the Boston Bruins, who have played just one more game than the Islanders and are 11 points ahead.
📊 STANDINGS:
👩🏫 KURZ-WORDS: Even before Kevin Kurz officially starts on the Isles’ beat, he is making waves among fans with this quote from an NHL coach. This wasn’t surprising to read, as many understand the Isles system, but the second part was more difficult to swallow considering their feelings about a certain defender.
📚 SOUND SMART: On Saturday, Ilya Sorokin recorded his 20th win in his 39th game with the Islanders; among players to debut with the Isles, only Roland Melanson (34) and Chico Resch (38) did it faster. It’s early, but on Monday, Sorokin was picked by NHL.com writers as one of the two goalies to represent the Metro division at this year’s All-Star game in Las Vegas.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On December 13, 1983, the Islanders spoiled Wayne Gretzy’’s 300th career goal by winning 8-5 at the Coliseum. Butch Goring registered the final hat-trick of his career with four goals in the victory.
📺 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast: Join James and Jon tomorrow at 7:30 pm for a LIVE watch along as the Islanders hit the ice against the Detroit Red Wings.
🔗 Islanders: The Curious Case of Aatu Räty, by Nicole Shirman, Eyes on Isles: “Aatu Räty set out to prove people wrong and that’s something that every Islanders fan understands.”
🔗 Anatolii Golyshev unhappy after being ‘fed with promises’ by Islanders, by Ethan Sears, NY Post: “In an interview with Sport Express, a Russian outlet, Golyshev said the Islanders led him on about playing time and he was likely done playing in North America.”
🔗 Islanders News: “Finally” is the word of the day, by Steven E. Smith, Lighthouse Hockey: “It finally happened. What am I referring to with “it”? Take your pick. Zach Parise scored his first goal as an Islander—on what would have been his late former Islander father’s 80th birthday—and it turned out to be the game-winner in the New York Islanders’ first win at UBS Arena at Belmont Park.”
And we leave you with this…A fifth-grader reimaged hockey in a 2020 Everfi and Future Goals Virtual Science Fair third-place. A proud Islander fan, Mia Wilson’s ideas proposed engineering tweaks of transparent boards and seating adjustments to NHL arenas.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.