Islanders captain Anders Lee elevates game after being elevated to top line

There’s a longer explanation of what Anders Lee, at age 34, does to be able to withstand the rigors of playing at the net in the NHL. But the Islanders’ captain had a simple explanation for his productive play since injuries to Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal prompted his elevation to the top line.

“I feel good,” Lee said. “You feel good, you like what you’re doing with the puck. You find your spots a little bit and you’re getting chances every night.”

Lee brought a four-game point streak (one goal, five assists) into Saturday night’s Metropolitan Division game against the Devils at UBS Arena. He had a goal and an assist in Thursday night’s 4-2 win in Ottawa that gave the Islanders their first back-to-back victories of the season.

Saturday marked the fifth game in which he and Jean-Gabriel Pageau — previously third-line partners — sandwiched center Bo Horvat as the Islanders’ top trio. The three have totaled six goals and 10 assists in that span.

“That line has been outstanding for us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “That line has been giving us some goals, big minutes and playing strong hockey for us. We’re very lucky to have these guys playing the way they are right now.”

The reason may be simple, as in the simple, no-frills way all three approach their roles. Horvat and Pageau, both natural centers, look to get the puck to the crease. Lee, with his physical game, looks to establish position and knock pucks in.

“I think that’s it,” Horvat said. “I think all three of us just have easy games to read off of. We’re predictable. We’re not trying to be anything fancy. It’s just trying to outwork the opponent and play well defensively.”

“We all have a similar mindset,” Lee said. “We all like to go down low. We all like to get into the corners on the forecheck and go win a puck battle. And that’s been really effective for our line lately. We’ve just been feeding off of each other and going out there and playing a hard, simple game.”

It’s the way the 6-3, 231-pound Lee, in the sixth season of a seven-year, $49 million deal, has played throughout his 13 NHL seasons. The difference, though, is that he no longer is young by NHL standards.

Lee acknowledged that he adjusts his offseason preparation yearly to account for getting older.

The simple change: Each offseason, he has to do more.

“It’s a lot of work,” Lee said. “It just takes more work, that’s all it is. Every summer I go in and change something up. I figure what I need in my game. How did I feel last year? What was it that went well? What was it that didn’t and why didn’t I feel good here? And you go and make adjustments.”

But Lee also gave a deeper dive into what he worked on this summer. Hand-eye coordination around the net is paramount for him to score off rebounds and tips.

“A few things changed [this summer],” Lee said. “I always work on my skating and that’s never going to change. I feel great with my body, I’ve got it in a great spot. I worked a lot on my hands. I worked a lot on positioning and finding and tweaking little parts of the game that you can come out with the puck, you can come out in a spot to make a pass, make a play.

“I think I work on [hand-eye coordination] more each year because the game is so fast and quick. You’ve got to have your hands.”

Notes & quotes: The Islanders are listing defenseman Mike Reilly (concussion) as out indefinitely instead of day-to-day. Reilly was knocked out on a high hit from the Sabres’ Jordan Greenway on Nov. 1 and has not resumed skating. When Roy was asked if Reilly was “doing OK,” he replied: “I cannot answer that question. But he’s out indefinitely, so we’ll see how things go.’’ . . . Defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) skated on his own on Saturday and will accompany the Islanders on their five-game road trip that starts Tuesday in Edmonton. He missed his fourth straight game and seventh in the last eight after initially being hurt on a high hit from the Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid in the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime road win on Oct. 25 . . . Forward Hudson Fasching remained the healthy scratch.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.