Anthony Duclair had a memorable and historic night for the NY Islanders

Anthony Duclair didn’t just respond to being scratched — he authored one of the most statistically outrageous nights in modern New York Islanders history.

In the Islanders’ 9-0 demolition of the New Jersey Devils, Duclair was everywhere, doing everything, and then some. Three goals. Five points. A plus-six rating. Read that again: plus-six. In the post-dynasty era — from 1984 through 2025 — no Islanders player had ever finished a game at +6. Not once. Until Tuesday night.

That alone would make the night historic. But it goes deeper.

According to Isles statistician Eric Hornick, Duclair is now the only active NHL player to have recorded multiple +6 games in his career. The first came on Jan. 14, 2022, when he did it with Florida against Dallas. The second? This one. In an Islanders sweater. Against a division rival. After being a healthy scratch two nights earlier.

That's as unlikely as it feels unreal.

Duclair joined Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier as the only Islanders to ever record a hat trick in a game immediately after missing the previous one. Bossy and Trottier did it in the dynasty years. Duclair did it in 2026 — after watching from the press box against Toronto.

From the moment he scored at 4:01 of the first period, it felt different. He didn’t just score goals; he tilted the ice. Every line he touched exploded. Every shift felt dangerous. The Devils had no answer, and Duclair kept pouring it on, completing the hat trick early in the second and adding two assists for good measure.

For a player who’s taken heat this season — for inconsistency, for line fits, for scratching — this was the ultimate rebuttal. It wasn’t just a bounce-back game. It was a statement.

History doesn’t always announce itself loudly. On Tuesday night at UBS Arena, the stage belonged Anthony Duclair, and his season, once looking like another disappointment, received a huge jolt.