Patrick Roy is gone but the NY Islanders still have a score to settle with Rantanen

We all remember what former New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said to Mikko Rantanen last season after his reckless play led to the end of Alexander Romanov's season.

“You're not going to [expletive] finish that game” — at least, if one reads lips.

Whether or not the Islanders changing coaches last season was a good idea was a conversation worth having at the time. Now, a conversation worth having is what Roy's absence behind the bench, and the absence of Romanov in the lineup means for tomorrow’s Islanders-Dallas Stars game.

This is in reference, of course, to the Stars and Islanders game from November of last year. Late in the third period, Rantanen sent Romanov face-first into the boards with a hit from behind.

It was a questionable hit at best — and more than likely, a dirty one. Rantanen was given a game misconduct for boarding, but that wasn’t the end of the story.

Roy was none too pleased with what he saw play out on the ice. And if one is a lip reader, that was obvious as Rantanen left the ice. Perhaps it was Roy’s own experience on the ice, his role as a generally outspoken coach, or maybe both, that drove his passion. Whatever the reason, Roy wasn’t shy about letting Rantanen know his thoughts.

When Roy yelled at Rantanen as he left the ice, fans had no choice but to think Rantanen would struggle to finish his next contest against the Islanders.

The trouble was that the next contest has yet to happen.

Rantanen was injured at the Olympics while playing for Finland. That meant he wasn’t in the lineup for the next game between the Stars and Islanders.

Now, the next opportunity for Rantanen to face the Islanders will come Sunday in Dallas.

Unfortunately for him, and for those who enjoy sports feuds, Roy won’t be there, and neither will Romanov as he's currently out for an estimated six to eight months after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month. This comes on the heels of last season, when Romanov played only 15 games.

What would essentially serve as an addition to the 2026–27 Islanders lineup was viewed as a vital one, but that addition will have to wait another season.

That also means Rantanen will have to wait another year to look across the ice at the man he sent into the boards with a hit from behind last season.

Even without Roy and Romanov, Sunday’s game will have some extra juice. It is an opportunity for the Isles to show the Stars and the rest of the NHL that they’re not the sort of team that can be pushed around. Coming off a 3–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in a game in which the Islanders did a lot of things well, Sunday’s contest against the Stars is full of opportunity.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow