New York Islanders Preseason Game Two Standout Players

The preseason is designed to see who does and doesn’t belong on the New York Islanders roster. Here are a few players that stood out in game number two.

Back-to-back days with New York Islanders hockey?! It feels like we’re in the middle of January. Thankfully, winter is here and we’re only in the middle of September with Islanders preseason hockey.

The goal for the preseason is to see who at camp belongs and who doesn’t. Over the next few weeks, the New York Islanders coaching and management staff will go about trying to answer that question.

In the preseason the results don’t really matter. It’s about weeding out those who don’t actually belong. So who stood out for the Islanders in preseason game number two?

Standout Players

Tanner Fritz

Like so many players on the Isles training camp roster, Tanner Fritz is fighting for a spot on the NHL roster. He won’t be a top-six option, but if he plays his cards right he could get a spot on the team’s third line.

Tonight, Fritz showed that he’s an effective penalty killer. With Valtteri Filppula gone and his “replacement” Derick Brassard not being a noted penalty killer, the Isles might need another body out there on the PK.

Derick Brassard

On Derick Brassard, he is also looking to secure a spot. It seems that he’s a lock for the roster, but with a $1.2 million single-year deal, we shouldn’t be so quick to give him the third-line center role.

Tonight Brassard gave the Islanders a glimpse of his defensive work ethic and his ability to score goals.

He connected with Mathew Barzal halfway in the third period to get the Islanders on the board with a nice one-timer.

Am I the only one that saw a player who could finally act as a one-timer option on the left side of PP1?

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Mathew Barzal

If you were worried that Mathew Barzal might actually be a 60 point player tonight should serve as a reminder that he is emphatically not. With two helpers tonight, Mathew Barzal was his usual offensive force for the Islanders.

First, he sets up Brassard with an audacious saucer pass that only he could pull off. Then, he connects with

Jordan Eberle

on the Isles second goal.

Both Barzal and Eberle ended the 2018-19 season well. The hope was that could carry over into 2019-20 season. So far that seems to be the case.