Lane Lambert hopes raising his voice will lift Islanders' game
Head coach Lane Lambert of the New York Islanders looks at UBS Arena. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Lane Lambert stopped one drill to implore his players to engage physically along the walls rather than backing off. The Islanders’ coach halted another drill to question defenseman Noah Dobson’s efforts at boxing out attackers at the crease. A power-play drill was interrupted so Lambert could emphasize to Jean-Gabriel Pageau the need to rim the puck along the boards in the offensive zone to get it down low.
Lambert did almost all of the talking during practice. Some salty language was used.
Lambert pushed the Islanders, whose playoff chances are teetering on the brink, through an up-tempo, physically demanding practice emphasizing net-front defense at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow on Monday. They will host the also-ran Senators on Tuesday night after conceding third-period leads in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime road loss to the Canadiens and Thursday’s 6-5 loss to the visiting Canucks, neither a playoff contender.
“A little bit of it is how we lost,” Kyle Palmieri said. “We’re a team that likes to pride ourselves in playing good defense. We have structure and we have a way we need to play to win hockey games. It’s not far off. Whether it’s one shift here or there or one detail here or there that we need to sharpen up is why it’s something we need to fix. We don’t have a ton of time.”
The Islanders (27-23-7) are two points behind the Capitals, who have played one fewer game, for the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and one point behind the Penguins, who have played four fewer games, for the second wild-card position.
“[Lambert] is a passionate guy,” Palmieri said. “We don’t get a ton of practice time with the way the schedule has been. We want to get out there and work on the things we have to. You don’t want to waste a day practicing just to say you practiced. We had things to work on today.”
“I think it’s great,” said Bo Horvat, who has three goals and an assist in four games with the Islanders since being acquired from the Canucks. “This is a super-important part of the year and our details lacked a little bit the last couple of games and that’s what he was driving on today.”
Lambert said he was pleased with the practice despite some of the on-ice annoyance he showed.
“I don’t think it was sloppy at all,” he said. “We had a really good, competitive practice today. Guys are corrected whether it be on the ice or in the video room. That’s coaching.”
Notes & quotes: Casey Cizikas missed practice because of a non-COVID-19 illness and Lambert said the fourth-line center’s status for Tuesday’s game was uncertain. “We’re not sure,” Lambert said. “He’s sick, so we’ll see.” Otto Koivula was recalled from Bridgeport and skated in Cizikas’ spot . . . Rookie defenseman Samuel Bolduc was reassigned to Bridgeport.
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.
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