Bo Horvat scored with 2:06 left in overtime Monday night for the visiting New York Islanders, who earned a much-needed win by edging the Dallas Stars 3-2
Mathew Barzal capped a marathon shift by weaving his way in and out of traffic in the Stars’ zone until he finally eluded Esa Lindell and passed to Horvat, who fired a shot beyond Scott Wedgewood’s glove for his second overtime-winner against Dallas this season.
The NY Islanders will have decisions to make following the March 8th trade deadline. As we await the decision of Lou Lamoriello to buy, sell, or stand pat at the deadline, it has become clear to the fanbase that the roster needs a shakeup. Patrick Roy has begun the process by shuffling the lineup for Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars. While this may result in a short-term fix, the long-term aspirations of the Islanders must be taken into consideration by the front office.
The Isles’ roster is compromised of veteran players with some on longer-term contracts than others. Most notably, the entire ‘Identity Line’ is set to reach free agency except for Casey Cizikas. Regardless of whether Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, or Oliver Wahlstrom are traded, the Islanders must start to give their younger players in Bridgeport an opportunity in the NHL.
On the current roster, only Simon Holmstrom can be considered a ‘prospect’ since he is still a 23-year-old developing forward. Ruslan Iskhakov is NHL-ready and deserves to be promoted after the deadline, while William Dufour and Matthew Maggio are just starting to find consistency. Even though Iskhakov has centered
