Islanders give possible opening night clues with trio of forwards

Reading preseason lineups is a perilous activity at the best of times.

But the Islanders produced some intrigue on Monday.

There was the debut of Maxim Tsyplakov in the top six.

There was Julien Gauthier taking a look at the fourth line.

And there was the notable absence of Pierre Engvall.

All this in a sloppy 4-3 win over the Flyers that featured a full roster of NHL players – a victory that may well be representative of where things stand for opening night on October 10.

After a camp in which Simon Holmstrom spent most of the time on Nelson’s left, with Engvall also briefly seen, this was Tsyplakov’s chance to show what he could do.

“I think it’s a line that can be very successful,” Kyle Palmieri said. “Tonight as a whole was a little sloppy. It wasn’t so clear in the neutral zone.

Tsyplakov, however, contributed on the screen – if hockey counted such things – on Mathew Barzal’s power play goal and made his presence known for 16:07 of ice.

“I think he’s going to continue to improve, the more comfortable he gets and the faster he gets,” Palmieri said. “Obviously there’s not much of a language barrier, but he’s still learning the system, sometimes in camp things move a little quickly. As he becomes more comfortable, he will get better.

The fact that Engvall was left out of the match squad, in the middle of a pre-season where he has not performed particularly well, raised eyebrows.

“I think he had an OK camp,” Roy said of Engvall. “Obviously, he’s minus-5 (in games). So I’m not saying he plays badly. I think he tried to do the things we asked for. But I don’t have anything negative to say about his game.”

You don’t need to read too much between the lines on this one.

It would be stunning if Engvall, who signed a seven-year contract with the Islanders in July 2023, was not part of the opening night team.

It’s unlikely, but Engvall watching from the press box appears to be very much in play.

“I think everyone is fighting really hard to make the roster,” Engvall said. “I think some players are safer. For me, since day one, I just tried to do my best and skate hard and well. Unfortunately, some of the games I played had some drawbacks. But I just have to keep doing my best and that’s it.

As for Gauthier, his chances of making the opening night team suddenly improve after the former Ranger spent the second half of last season in AHL Bridgeport.

“I think so,” Gauthier said when asked if he thinks he can crack the lineup. “They gave me some confidence, just showing that I can be in the lineup tonight. You just have to make the most of it. Obviously, if it continues like this, I don’t see why not.

Gauthier’s status on opening night could depend on Hudson Fasching, who is dealing with a lower-body injury and skated alone Monday.

The Islanders have a math problem to solve before training camp ends. Unless Ilya Sorokin (back surgery) begins the season on long-term injured reserve, the team will likely only be able to field 22 players due to the salary cap.

Thus, between Fasching, Oliver Wahlstrom, Samuel Bolduc, Gauthier, Matt Martin and Engvall – who had not previously been considered at risk – only two can appear on the active list.

That’s more intrigue than this time of year has offered the islanders in recent times.

And with only one preseason game remaining, that could still change in any way.