Islanders' Patrick Roy still searching for right bottom-six combinations
Patrick Roy heard the rumors, the innuendo, the speculation about the status of his relationship with Lou Lamoriello after the executive’s recent player personnel decisions.
So the Hall of Famer decided that after practice Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center was both the right time and right place to unequivocally put to rest any and all misconceptions that have been taken as gospel by certain corners of the fan base.
“It’s funny when people make it sound like Lou and I aren’t on the same page,” Roy said. “Fully false. We are talking every day about the lineup. Lou has the final say upstairs and I have the final say behind the bench. And at the end of the day, all we both care [about] is to win hockey games.
“Right now, the [forward spots] 11 and 12, we don’t feel comfortable yet with the guys and we’re going to try until we find the guys we are comfortable with.”
Roy’s impromptu State of the Relationship address came during a broader discussion about Pierre Engvall, whom the Islanders recalled from AHL Bridgeport before Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Panthers at UBS Arena.
After an uneven training camp, Engvall was placed on waivers before the start of the season and was assigned to Bridgeport after he cleared. In making the announcement, Lamoriello said Engvall is “not a bottom-six player.”
When he met with reporters Saturday afternoon and was asked if Engvall’s demotion to Bridgeport was meant as a wake-up call for the winger — who is in the second year of a seven-year, $21 million contract — Lamoriello said, “Absolutely.”
In six games with Bridgeport, Engvall scored one goal.
“It was tough,” he said when he was asked what his reaction was to being sent to Bridgeport. “I’m just happy to be back and just going to do my best.”
Roy dressed Engvall for the game against the Panthers, placing him on the fourth line with Kyle MacLean and Matt Martin, whom Lamoriello signed to a one-year deal Saturday. Engvall received 10:11 of ice time in the loss, and Roy was less than effusive in his analysis of the 28-year-old’s performance.
“We know what he did for this team in the past two years,” Roy said. “I guess Lou thought it was a good moment for him to be back and play.”
During Monday’s practice, Engvall skated on the fourth line with MacLean and Hudson Fasching. Martin and Oliver Wahlstrom served as a fourth defense pair. Roy said the line of Engvall, MacLean and Fasching will dress for Tuesday night’s home game against Anaheim and Martin will play Wednesday night in Columbus.
Roy laid out his non-negotiables when he was asked what he and Lamoriello need from the left and right wingers on the fourth line.
“[The Islanders] had probably the best fourth line in the NHL for years with [Cal Clutterbuck, Martin and Casey Cizikas],” Roy said. “That’s exactly what we’re looking for. Guys that you know are going to go against the top line and do the job
. . . We don’t expect them to score every night, but we want them to be [game-changers] at times.”