ATTACKERS
Simon Holmstrom, NYI (vs EDM) – Holmstrom was given a golden opportunity when Anthony Duclair went down due to injury, and was given the mandate to play on the top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat . The experiment was inconclusive, but it was when he was left out of this trio that Holmstrom exploded. Placed on a five-on-five unit with Casey Cizikas and Pierre Engvall, Holmstrom has five points in his last five games, and he has hit the target in two of his last three games. Always used on the power play, he collected two points on the power play during this fruitful sequence. The Islanders will visit the Edmonton Oilers, who are winning a lot on the numerical penalty as evidenced by their performance of 59.0%. A great opportunity for Holmstrom to continue his momentum.
Evan Rodrigues, FLA (vs NJD) – The Finnish air and saunas seemed to invigorate Rodrigues, who had been shut out in his last eight games before heading to Tampere for the 2024 NHL Overall Series presented by Fastenal. Rodrigues had three points in two games against the Dallas Stars and followed that up with three more points in two games since the Panthers returned to North America. The turning point came when he was reunited with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on an equal numerical basis, and it’s a safe bet that this trio will still have success against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Canada
