Sunday’s game took a rather unfortunate turn for New York Islanders defenseman Samuel Bolduc, punished by his head coach Patrick Roy following a bad play.
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In a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, the 23-year-old guard got into trouble when he committed a turnover near his net. It all led to a goal from Vincent Trocheck, which made it 2-0 in the second period. His pilot didn’t like it and made it quite clear to him. The former QMJHL skater performed only three sequences on the ice at Madison Square Garden after his mistake.
In front of the journalists, Roy did not shy away from the subject of his protégé who was playing a first meeting this season in the Bettman circuit.
“It’s sad. However, Sam needs to be better. If he wants to play in the National League, he will have to understand and take his game up a notch. […] He’s a good hockey player, he has all the tools. Now he just needs to find the solutions. He needs to improve if he wants to play with us,” commented the instructor, as reported by the daily New York Post.
Moreover, Bolduc owes his participation in Sunday’s duel to the absence of Alexander Romanov, injured in his upper body during Friday’s clash against the Buffalo Sabres. He and Mike Reilly, hit in the head during the same game, could be missing on Tuesday when the Islanders face the Pittsburgh Penguins, which would logically give Bolduc a chance to redeem himself.
