A confident Simon Holmstrom accomplishes rare NY Islanders multi-goal feat

Simon Holmstrom has been part of the New York Islanders organization since 2019, which makes it easy to forget that he's still only 23 years old. That makes him the youngest forward on the team and a player with plenty of room for potential and growth, especially when playing with confidence.

Holstrom scored twice in Saturday night's 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres at UBS Arena, less than 24 hours after he scored two goals against the Washington Capitals in DC. In doing so, he became the first Islanders player and youngest since Mathew Barzal (Dec. 28 - Dec. 29, 2018) to have multi-goal games on consecutive days. The Swedish forward now has seven goals and seven assists this season in 25 games after finishing with 15 goals and 25 points in 75 games last year.

With JG Pageau out of the lineup, Holmstrom has skated on a line with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat, and the move has coincided with two of his best games. "Sliding him in has been seamless; he's been keeping the puck alive for all of us, and that's why I think we're working really well," Lee said. "He's such a solid player, he's really smart, understands the game. He's got great skills."

Holmstrom was drafted as an offensively talented forward, but received accolades for being a responsible two-way forward in his rookie season and then was recognized for his short-handed goal prowess last season. This year, he's having more success 5-on-5 and showing 20+ goal potential for a team that needs scoring depth across all four lines, especially with Barzal and Anthony Duclair out.

"I've played with those two guys before, so I felt pretty confident going in there," Holmstrom said after the win versus Buffalo. "We have a lot of guys out right now, so someone's got to step up. And getting that chance, I've got to take it."

His rising confidence has also resulted in the coach's growing confidence in playing him in all situations. "He's a smart player first of all, said Patrick Roy. "The play he made for the empty-netter, that was a great read. He put his stick right at the right place and he cut the play because they were going for a cross pass. Right now, his confidence is growing, which is good for our team."

Holmstrom has flashed potential before, having him sustain it is key for his development and key for the Islanders to have the sustained success necessary to turn their season around.