Is Pierre Engvall battling for a spot in the Islanders' lineup?

Pierre Engvall’s lineup absence wouldn’t have been so noteworthy, except pretty much everyone else who is expected to dress for the Islanders’ season opener played in Monday night’s 4-3 preseason victory over the Flyers at UBS Arena.

Instead, Engvall skated with the non-game group in the morning as Julien Gauthier, on Casey Cizikas’ fourth line with Kyle MacLean, was in the lineup for the third straight game and fourth time in five preseason games.

“There’s no reason,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We’re just trying different guys. We want to see how the guys are going to play it out. We’re still in training camp.”

Except that Engvall is entering the second season of a seven-year, $21 million deal and was presumed to have a spot in the top 12 coming into camp. And Roy did mention Engvall was a minus-5 in his two preseason games.

Plus Engvall was a healthy scratch three times last season, once under Roy and twice under predecessor Lane Lambert.

“Of course you want to play all the games,” said Engvall, who had 10 goals and 18 assists in 74 games last season, mainly either on Brock Nelson’s second line or Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s third line. “I’m not playing today, but I got a good skate and a good workout and I’m ready for the next one.”

The Islanders will conclude their preseason against the visiting Rangers on Friday night before opening the regular season by hosting Utah on Oct. 10.

Gauthier, the former Ranger who started last season with the Islanders before being reassigned to their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, is pushing for playing time but went without a shot in 9:31.

Hudson Fasching, who remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury but did skate on Monday, also is in the mix.

Maxim Tsyplakov, who skated with Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on Monday and set an effective screen for Mathew Barzal’s first-period power-play goal, almost certainly will be in the opening-night lineup. The same is true for Simon Holmstrom, who was on Pageau’s right wing along with Anders Lee against the Flyers.

Former first-round Oliver Wahlstrom also is looking to retain his NHL job.

So Engvall, who is without a point in his two preseason games, responded with the obvious answer when asked if he thinks  he is fighting to be in the opening-night lineup.

“Yeah,” he said.  “I think everyone is fighting really hard to be in the lineup. Some players are more certain. For me, from Day 1, I’ve just been trying to do my best. Unfortunately, some of the games I played, I had a couple of minuses.”

Meanwhile, Gauthier, who had five goals and four assists in 27 games for the Islanders last season, senses a chance to win a starting spot. He has one goal and is a plus-4 in the preseason.

“I think so,” said Gauthier, who Roy reported was OK after going hard into the side wall late in the third period. “They’ve been giving me some trust just by showing I can be in the lineup tonight, so I’ve just got to make the most of it. If it keeps going well like that, I don’t see why not.”

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Ryan Pulock (illness) did not dress for the game . . . Goalie Jakub Skarek made 15 saves, including a shorthanded breakaway in the second period, as he played the whole game . . . The Islanders were 2-for-5 on the power play, including Lee’s second-period tip, but went 1-for-3 on the penalty kill. Both of the Flyers’ power-play goals came with defenseman Scott Mayfield in the box for high sticking . . . Palmieri scored the winner at 19:09 of the third period off Mayfield’s feed and MacLean had the Islanders’ other goal . . . Roy, unprompted, mentioned on Sunday that he chatted with top-line left wing Anthony Duclair about the “non-negotiables” of backchecking and skating hard to the bench. Duclair, who signed a four-year, $14 million deal and who played for Roy in junior hockey, said on Monday, “It was a pretty positive meeting. Just saying I’m having a good camp, moving my feet, creating some chances with my linemates. Me and Pat have always been an open book.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.