Islanders' choice of Simon Holmstrom paying off

Lou Lamoriello held court inside Rogers Arena late in the night of June 21, 2019.

The president and general manager of the Islanders announced the selection of Simon Holmstrom with the 23rd pick of the NHL entry draft earlier that evening, and a contingent of journalists who had traveled from New York asked the Hall-of-Fame executive variations of the same question:

Why?

“Our scouts were extremely high on him. Top-six forward with skill,” Lamoriello told reporters at the time. “[It was] unanimous with [the scouting staff] that if he was going to be there at that point we were going to take him.”

Nearly six years later, the selection of Holmstrom is starting to pay dividends for an Islanders team that finds itself in the midst of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

“We’re lucky to have him,” Bo Horvat said of Holmstrom following practice Friday morning at Northwell Health Ice Center. “He’s just continuing to get better and better.”

Ahead of Saturday’s late-afternoon matinee against Calgary, the 23-year-old has set career highs in goals (17) and assists  (20) and is now on a newly created top line with Horvat and Kyle Palmieri that has helped the Islanders (32-28-8, 72 points) climb back into playoff contention. 

“It’s a lot of playing with confidence,” said Holmstrom, who has scored goals in each of the Islanders' last three games, including a one-timer from the right circle on the power play late in the second period of Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.

The goal, which gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead, caused head coach Patrick Roy to wax lyrical when he was questioned about it following practice.

“That was a phenomenal shot,” Roy said. “I was in a perfect angle to see it and it was right under [the crossbar], the right spot. I think he could take more and more [shots]. I hope scoring a goal like that will bring some confidence to him in a way that [he shoots] more often because he has that shot.”

It also helps that Holmstrom is starting shifts in the offensive zone with two offensively-oriented linemates. According to data culled by analytical site NaturalStatTrick.com, of the 76 faceoffs the Holmstrom-Horvat-Palmieri line have taken this season, 55 (82.09%) have been in the offensive zone.

And they have taken full advantage.

In the 81 minutes and 28 seconds of ice time they skated together, the line scored seven goals, while generating 68 scoring chances and 24 high-danger chances.

“It’s about making an impact,” Palmieri said. “It’s about being a line that drives our team.”

Notes & quotes: It appears likely that Alex Romanov will return to the lineup after missing the previous two games with an illness. Romanov was a full participant in the half-hour practice and was partnered with Tony DeAngelo on the second defense pair Roy said Marcus Hogberg will be the starting goalie against the Flames (32-25-11, 75 points) . . . The Islanders signed Colorado College center Gleb Veremyev to a two-year, entry-level contract which begins next season. The 21-year-old finished with nine goals and eight assists in 37 games this past season and totaled 52 points (26 goals and 26 assists) in 88 career games with Colorado College.