When forward Kyle Palmieri went down with a torn ACL on Nov. 28 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the question was which New York Islanders would step up in his absence?
For a while, no one was taking the opportunity and running with it as head coach Patrick Roy cycled his lines, hoping that someone would get in an offensive groove and take some pressure off Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, the latter of whom has missed six straight games and 11 of the last 14.
As of late, two players have risen to the occasion.
Forward Simon Holmstrom is playing the most confident brand of hockey we've seen from him at the NHL level, even more so than what we saw in his breakout campaign last season, where he scored 20 goals with 25 assists for 45 points.
While his slow start to the season might disallow him from reaching last season's point totals, his confidence with the puck on his stick has been impressive and, more importantly, consistent. He's driving plays. He's using that long reach and his 6'1, 208-pound frame to protect pucks, win battles, and find teammates.
Although he's been held pointless in the last two games, with no shots in their 1-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, he had four goals and one assist in the three games prior.
He scored the overtime winner against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night for the 4-3 dub:
Simon says, “Game over.” #Islespic.twitter.com/FGYnMVEaty
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 11, 2026
The penalty kill, in which he plays a leading role, has killed off 8-of-10 on this road trip.
The other player who has really stepped up has been forward Anthony Duclair.
After what happened at the tail-end of last season and his struggles to start this season, you have to credit Duclair for buying in and doing the little things that help win hockey games. He found himself in a bottom-six role where he committed to the defensive side of the puck and even sat in the press box at times.
But a breakout game against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 6, a 9-0 win which saw him score a hat-trick, adding two assists for a five-point night, has him humming along, and Roy rewarded him with an opportunity to play on the top line with Barzal.
After going pointless in their 2-1 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators and in their 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild, Duclair has found the back of the net in each of the last two games.
He scored the lone goal in the Islanders' 1-0 shutout win against Edmonton, a power-play goal playing in the Horvat bumper spot:
A Ritchie twist-pass and Duclair finishes brilliantly. The #Isles take a 1-0 lead, late!
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 16, 2026
pic.twitter.com/1uH8tZpd43
This summer, when you looked at this team on paper, you thought that this was going to be the deepest offensive team Long Island has seen in quite a while.
However, we were just not seeing the depth scoring come through consistently. With injuries to Horvat and Palmieri, the Islanders had to rely heavily on defense, goaltending, and the penalty kill.
While those things have remained tremendously strong, backstopping the team in every win, the Islanders are starting to get some scoring from "the other guys," and that's beyond critical, especially once Horvat returns.