Islanders' Matthew Maggio gets experience, bloody nose against Rangers

The Islanders 'Matthew Maggio in the third period of a preseason game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Ed Murray
Matthew Maggio sported a bloodied, deep gash on his nose, which was likely broken after he took an elbow in the first period. That, a power-play assist and escaping a knee-on-knee collision without apparent damage, were suitable mementos for the highly-touted Islanders prospect in his first NHL preseason game.
“They’re saying it’s broken,” Maggio said after the Islanders 4-2 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in their preseason opener. “Take some Advil. Take some Tylenol and be ready for tomorrow.”
Maggio and two other forward prospects battling for a spot in training camp, William Dufour and Arnaud Durandeau, combined for the Islanders’ first-period power-play goal and had eventful – though not error-free – performances.
The same could be said for defense prospect Isaiah George, who logged 14:48 with one shot and one blocked shot in his preseason debut. George stayed in the game after a hard check from Matt Rempe left him crumpled behind the Islanders’ net in the first period.
“His first game is a great learning experience for him,” coach Lane Lambert said. “Learn to get back a little quicker and move the puck a little quicker.”
Maggio, last season’s OHL most outstanding player with 54 goals and 57 assists in 66 games, logged 13:46 with one shot, playing on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s right wing with Anders Lee.
He stayed in the game after Vincent Trocheck wiped him out with a kneeing penalty in the first period.
“I know some of the boys were saying it was pretty dirty but that’s hockey stuff that’s going to happen,” Maggio said. “I’m pretty grateful I came out of that one without too bad of an injury.”
Durandeau, who played four games for the Islanders’ last season, shot the puck off the end wall to set up Dufour’s sharp-angle power-play goal, then netted the game’s final goal in the third period. He played 15:05 skating on Jackson Cates’ left wing with Hudson Fasching.
Dufour, who played one game for the Islanders last season, logged 16:53 with three shots as he skated on Brock Nelson’s right wing with Pierre Engvall.
“We wish for that,” Dufour said of the prospects’ power-play goal. “We didn’t get the results that we wanted but we did some good things in general and we can build on that.”
Notes & quotes: Lambert called a timeout at 3:10 of the first period after the Rangers took a 3-0 lead. “A couple of turnovers early that cost us,” Lambert said as Engvall’s led to the first goal and defenseman Scott Mayfield’s led to the third… Ross Johnston retaliated against Trocheck with a first-period double minor for roughing and fought Rempe in the second period…Semyon Varlamov stopped 20-of-24 shots and Jakub Skarek made six saves in the third period. Ilya Sorokin is expected to start against the Flyers on Wednesday night at UBS Arena…Defenseman Alexander Romanov, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, participated in Tuesday’s team scrimmage after being held out of Monday’s for precautionary reasons. “No issues, no pain, everything was good,” Romanov said.