Islanders' Hudson Fasching may get another turn alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau

It was not, as Lane Lambert insisted, a case of Oliver Wahlstrom playing his way out of the lineup.

Instead, Lambert wants and needs to see if Hudson Fasching can be an effective power forward on the Islanders’ third line.  

“I want him to use his skating and take pucks to the net. He’s certainly shown that in the past,” Lambert said of the 28-year-old who is likely to get another opportunity to prove he deserves to skate regularly on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s right wing Thursday night in Washington against the Capitals.

Fasching replaced Wahlstrom as the third-line right wing during the Islanders' practice Wednesday morning at Northwell Health Ice Center.

Should Fasching dress in place of Wahlstrom, it will be his first game action since the 5-4 overtime loss to the Devils on Oct. 20. Fasching played the first three games of the season but was scratched for Wahlstrom in the 3-1 loss to the Sabres in Buffalo on Oct. 21.

What does he expect to bring to the lineup?

“I can forecheck hard,” Fasching said. “I think that’s something I really wanted to focus on. After kind of watching my first three games, [it was] something I could do better coming back in the lineup. So [I’m] trying to forecheck harder and then making sure everything is detailed and dialed in the ‘D’ zone and trying to make plays."

Although the Islanders finished October with a 4-2-2 record and 10 points, the revolving door on Pageau’s wings and their lack of production is concerning.  

Fasching has totaled three shots and four penalty minutes thus far.  Wahlstrom, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, recorded seven shots in the last five games, including Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to Detroit at UBS Arena.

Simon Holmstrom played in seven games in October, recording a goal on six shots. Julien Gauthier, the ex-Ranger, has played just one game this season, the loss to the Sabres. He was credited with a shot on goal in 12:58 of ice time.

Isles files

Defenseman Scott Mayfield was a full participant in the near-hourlong practice and will travel with the team to Washington. While Lambert would not commit to reinserting the veteran into the lineup, he did say, “There’s been progress, obviously, [since] he’s skating with the group and skating with the team. So certainly it’s come over the last week.”  . . . Washington will be shorthanded as the team announced center Nicklas Backstrom has taken a leave of absence due to a lingering left hip problem. “This is a difficult decision but one that I feel is right for my health at this time,” Backstrom said in a statement. Backstrom had resurfacing surgery on the hip in June 2022, which caused the 35-year-old to play only 39 games last season . . . Semyon Varlamov was the first goalie off the ice, which could be an indicator that the 35-year-old will start against the Capitals . . .  Ryan Pulock replaced Wahlstrom on the second power-play unit.