Islanders' Alexander Romanov takes yet another whack to the face
Head coach Patrick Roy of the Islanders talks with his team during a stoppage against the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena on Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Alexander Romanov answered silently by directing attention to his bloody lower lip.
Thursday night’s 7-2 win over the Sharks at SAP Center was just the defenseman’s second game without a full face shield after a 17-game stint with one because he had taken a puck to the mouth and a high stick to the face in successive matches.
But at 7:54 of the third period, Filip Zadina drew a four-minute high-sticking penalty for whacking Romanov in the lip.
He was asked how it felt not having the full face shield. He jokingly pulled back his lip.
Before the game, though, Romanov acknowledged that he much prefers playing with just a regular face shield.
“Much better,” said Romanov, who also hated having to wear a full face shield for a long stretch last season. “It feels so good right now. I still have the same confidence, I’m not going to be scared of the puck. I knew it would take six to eight weeks.”
Romanov was one of three Islanders defensemen to notch goals on Thursday, blasting in a one-timer from the left point at 18:31 of the first period.
Coach Patrick Roy said getting scoring from the back end is just part of his emphasis on having the Islanders play as a fluid unit of five players.
“They’re a big part of our offense,” Roy said. “That’s the way we’re playing. When I say a unit of five, it includes the defensemen.”
Defenseman Noah Dobson nearly had a second goal at 10:52 of the second period, but his shot went off the crossbar.
Saw it coming
Roy had a simple message for Islanders president/general manager Lou Lamoriello when the two met on Feb. 24 to discuss that day’s defeat.
“I said, ‘You know what? I like what’s going on,’ ” the coach said he told his boss. “I said all we needed right now was some confidence.”
The Islanders have won five straight since that 4-2 loss to the Lightning. Roy revamped all four of his forward lines for the next game, a 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Stars on Feb. 26.
“Lou was excited about the line change and the ideas that were behind it,” Roy said. “Sometimes it’s a bit of pain before the gain. That’s how I was seeing it. I knew we were building the right way.”
Isles files
Dobson and left wing Pierre Engvall played in their 300th NHL game, with Engvall becoming the first seventh-round pick from the 2014 draft to reach the milestone. “When you first get into the league, it’s so eye-opening at times,” said Dobson, selected 12th overall in 2018. “The more games you play, the more comfortable you feel.'' . . . Bo Horvat won 11 of 15 faceoffs . . . Horvat and linemates Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson were all plus-4 . . . Defenseman Samuel Bolduc and forwards Hudson Fasching and Oliver Wahlstrom were healthy scratches.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
