JG Pageau wants NY Islanders to maintain their pace of play heading into home opener

The New York Islanders may not have secured the result they wanted in Thursday's 4-3 season-opening loss in Pittsburgh, but the message from veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau was clear — this team is embracing a faster, more connected style under Patrick Roy.

“I thought we played with good pace,” Pageau said Friday. “We played fast on the transition — you saw a lot of times the D joining the rush, and I thought we played well as a unit of five… to join that rush and defend well.” While the team improved as the game went on, Pageau admitted there were still “little plays you wanted to do better.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s home opener against Washington, Pageau emphasized discipline and defensive details. “Washington’s got a great power play, so you want to stay disciplined,” he said. “There’s some little details in our D-zone… be more aggressive in certain situations. That’s going to be key against a good team that’s strong down low.”

Pageau also praised Max Shabanov, who scored his first NHL goal in his debut, and Simon Holmström, who set up the play. “I’m not surprised with [Shabanov’s] skills… what impressed me was without the puck, just making the read, his hockey IQ,” Pageau said. “And Homer — I’ve praised him a lot. The way he protects the puck, he’s always making something happen.”

After a slow start on the penalty kill, the group finished strong. “We want to build a little bit of that swagger,” Pageau said. “We have an extremely good plan and everyone’s buying in.” Above all, Pageau expects UBS Arena to see a high-tempo team on Saturday night. “The fans will get to see a team that’s playing together, playing fast, with a good pace… we want to give the fans a good show and play for them.”