Barry Trotz’s trust in Oliver Wahlstrom comes down to what the Islanders wing has done lately on the ice.
But after a poor outing Saturday against the Blues, in which Wahlstrom played 10:31, took a penalty, was minus-3 and made a few bad reads, the coach’s trust in Wahlstrom is not too high. And after two periods and 8:27 of ice time on Tuesday, it was at zero.
“You just gotta play better,” Trotz said after the Islanders beat the Penguins 5-4 via shootout. “I’m not giving you the details.”
Wahlstrom took a hard fall and was tended to on the bench during the second period, so it seemed possible his absence was due to injury. But Trotz was crystal clear that it had to do with performance.
“He’s gotta sorta rebuild that [trust] again,” Trotz said earlier in the day of the 21-year-old. “Give me the first shift and if the first shift’s good, then the second shift. We’ll just go shift by shift.”
When Wahlstrom worked late at an optional morning skate for the Islanders, it looked as though he might be out of the lineup entirely. But Trotz said that, although he had a change in mind, the player who was going to come in — presumably Kieffer Bellows — wasn’t feeling well Tuesday morning.
The Islanders have found a line that seems to work in lining Wahlstrom up with Mathew Barzal and Zach Parise, but Wahlstrom’s production — he has just four points since the beginning of March — has dropped off dramatically.
Coupled with the ever-present questions surrounding Wahlstrom’s ice time, role and ultimate potential, it makes for a situation to watch as the Islanders finish out their season.
“There’s times when you have to understand that the systematic play has to trump your instincts,” Trotz said. “And Wally’s an instinctive player. When they get out of bounds, then you really are just playing s–tty. Just getting a better balance for him all the time from every part of his game. The forecheck game, neutral zone, the defensive zone and then just a little bit of poise sometimes when things get a little chaotic.”
That is not too different from what Trotz has asked of Wahlstrom in the past. But development won’t happen overnight and Trotz is willing to exercise patience.
“Some guys linger a little bit [on mistakes]. I would say Wally lingers more than he needs to,” Trotz said. “Because he has a lot of ability and I think he’s gonna be a pretty solid player.”
The Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) announced signing Koby Bender, a 24-year-old forward from Minnesota-Duluth to an amateur tryout contract. Bender had seven goals and 19 assists in college as a fifth-year senior this past season.
Butch Goring will miss at least three more game broadcasts on MSG Plus, with Joe Micheletti set to fill in on Thursday and Cheryl Pounder taking the role on Friday and Sunday. Anson Carter worked Tuesday alongside Brendan Burke.