If there is one long-term positive in a series that has the Islanders on the brink of elimination and looking like even their best punch isn’t enough to take a game off Carolina, it’s Kyle MacLean.
The rookie added to a series in which his impact has been overwhelmingly positive on Thursday night by continuing to play with noticeable energy on both ends of the ice, creating enough that Patrick Roy was compelled to try him for a handful of shifts on the top line with Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal.
“I thought he had a great game,” Roy said on a Zoom call Friday. “We were double-shifting Horvat and Barzal. Casey’s [Cizikas] not used to playing that many minutes, so I thought it was good for Kyle to jump in. I also did it with the line of [Kyle] Palmieri and [Brock] Nelson, give a bit of a break to [Hudson Fasching].”
The working assumption through the regular season had been that MacLean was establishing himself as a fourth-line center of the future.
It’s worth wondering now if he is more than that after the rookie played a strong Game 1 on the third line and has been arguably the Islanders’ best skater through three games of the series.
MacLean not only leads all Islanders in expected goals percentage at five-on-five, but leads them by 10 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.
The nine high-danger chances produced with him on the ice is tied for the most among Islanders skaters.
It is not a coincidence. MacLean has gotten easier matchups, yes, but he’s also been more engaged than a lot of established veterans for the Islanders. A move into the top-six for Game 4 would not be without merit.
“I thought he was great. I really like Maccer’s game,” Horvat said. “He’s got lots of speed and he’s very smart with the puck and he’s good at both ends of the rink, too. Him and Casey have a lot of similar characteristics, their work ethic and how they hunt pucks and stuff like that.”
Roy said he had yet to decide on his Game 4 lines, but didn’t rule out giving MacLean more minutes.
“I like his energy,” Roy said. “I feel like he looks a lot like Casey. I thought that Fasching and Cizikas and MacLean, I thought they all had a great game. So I was comfortable whatever I was doing with these guys playing with our top guys.”
Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters Friday he has yet to decide on a starter in goal for Game 4, citing potential wear and tear for Frederik Andersen as potential reason to give him the afternoon off.