Four days and one preseason game into training camp, the Baby Islanders do not look one iota out of place.
Based on Sunday’s 2-1 preseason loss to the Devils, it is some of the veteran Isles who ought to be a little bit more worried about making the 23-man roster, for the more Victor Eklund plays, the more he looks like someone who belongs.
And though Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson are unlikely to make the final roster, both have at least done their part in challenging the assumption that it is a fait accompli.
“I thought I played pretty well,” Eiserman said after scoring his team’s only goal on a power-play one-timer from the right-hand dot. “A few moments I thought I could learn from, but obviously that’s the game. I’m gonna be watching film and seeing what I can do.”
Eiserman was on the second line with Matthew Highmore and Pierre Engvall, but his minutes got a boost thanks to the Islanders spending 7:05 on the power play.
Eklund was off the scoresheet, but he made what might have been the game’s most impressive play, a silky-smooth feed to Cal Ritchie for a grade-A chance in the slot, and proved his mettle along the boards.
With both teams the Islanders and Devils playing rosters largely made up of prospects, it is hard to make real judgments. But if the question is whether Eklund outplayed his teammates with whom he is competing for a roster spot — namely Engvall, Ondrej Palat and Mitchell Chaffee, out of the group on the ice Sunday — the answer is a resounding yes.
“He’s just a real good hockey player,” coach Pete DeBoer said of Eklund. “Can play in any situation. Dog on a bone on the puck out there. If he continues to do what he’s doing, he’s gonna make us have to make some really tough decisions.”
Vladimir Dravecky continued to impress, as the fifth-round pick skated 18:39 and picked up an assist.
“We threw him right in running the first power play,” DeBoer said. “A lot of ice time for, that’s his first real pro hockey game. He’s probably the youngest kid on the ice or one of them for sure. Thought he did a great job. He’s had a great camp.”
Marshall Warren was on the ice for both goals against and turned the puck over, leading to Connor Brown’s decider.
