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It was almost exactly a year ago that undrafted Kyle MacLean excelled in what was meant to be a temporary call-up and earned a permanent spot on the Islanders’ fourth line.
It’s still too early to say whether another undrafted player, Marc Gatcomb, is on the same path. But three games into his NHL career, he’s making a good impression.
“It is a pleasant surprise, first of all,” coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday’s practice. “But he had a really good camp, so we were all excited to see how he would respond and he’s doing a really nice job. He deserves to play and the way he’s been playing forced us to play him.”
Marc Gatcomb skates during the Islanders-Senators game on Jan. 14, 2025. NHLI via Getty ImagesSo, at least for Friday night’s match against the Flyers, a fourth-line job is Gatcomb’s to lose.
The 25-year-old native of Woburn, Mass., has averaged just 8:57 of ice so far, but his speed and physicality have jumped out, with an eye-popping 19 hits so far. There’s also been a noted lack of mistakes, which does not hurt.
“I think [physicality’s] a big part of my game that I try to take pride in,” Gatcomb told The Post. “A hit could lead to a turnover or time in the O-Zone, getting out of the D-Zone. I feel like that’s helped me the last couple games. Keep trying to build on that.”
What the Islanders will do with their roster once Max Tsyplakov returns from suspension Saturday or Hudson Fasching returns from an upper-body injury is unclear, but Gatcomb has created a problem here.
The fourth line of him, MacLean and Pierre Engvall played the sort of hard-charging, up-ice game on Monday against the Blue Jackets that the Islanders have rarely seen from their bottom trio all season.
Maybe it’s fleeting, but the Islanders are in no position to turn their back on production.
“I feel like my game is slowly progressing,” Gatcomb said. “Slowly getting more comfortable. Getting used to the speed, the strength of everyone out there. Every day trying to learn something new and trying to get better as I go.”
Marc Gatcomb fights for the puck during the Islanders-Senators game on Jan. 14, 2025. APNoah Dobson is week-to-week with a right leg injury that did not require surgery, per the Islanders.
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Scott Mayfield is expected to play on the top pair with Alexander Romanov in Dobson’s absence, with Dennis Cholowski and Isaiah George forming the third pair.
Fasching (upper body) was a full-contact participant in practice, but Roy could not say whether he would be activated ahead of Friday’s game.
Regardless, Roy said the Islanders plan to keep the same forward lines they had Monday night.
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