The New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday night at Honda Center, a game notable for two Islanders forwards making their season debuts out of necessity rather than choice.
With injuries sidelining Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli, the Islanders turned to Kyle MacLean, who had been waiting three weeks for a roster spot, and Mitchell Chaffee, called up on an emergency basis from AHL Hamilton just a day earlier. The club dressed only 12 healthy forwards for the contest.
“I’m just excited to get going,” MacLean told The Post before the win. “I feel like I’ve been working, staying patient. Never like to see injuries, but definitely excited for this opportunity and looking forward to being in the lineup.”
MacLean and Chaffee skated on either side of a fourth line centered by Casey Cizikas, giving New York a more traditional, defense-first bottom unit than it has used for much of the season. Coach Pete DeBoer said the line delivered against Anaheim’s bigger bodies.
“I thought they did a great job. I didn’t have to hide them. They had some shifts against their big guys. I thought they gave us energy, they gave us some physicality. Some really good puck-possession shifts, especially in the third period.”
Chaffee carries more offensive pedigree than a typical fourth-liner, having scored 12 goals for Tampa Bay in 2024-25 and produced at a point-per-game pace in the AHL, though he struggled during an 11-game stretch with the Lightning last season.
MacLean, who pairs well with Cizikas’s puck-retrieval style, praised his new linemate’s two-way game.
“He’s a good worker. He’s a strong player too and he’s got a really good shot — he’s pretty lethal when he gets it off. I think what we saw [in training camp] is he’s a good worker. I think he’s gonna complement Casey great. Be good on the forecheck, be hard on pucks and he’s got a good, sneaky shot too.”
Away from the lineup shuffle, DeBoer addressed lingering uncertainty over center Mat Barzal’s recovery, acknowledging a shift from the more optimistic timeline the team offered a month ago.
“I just think injuries are different. If you have a broken bone, it’s a really clear timeline: 4-6 weeks or whatever it is. I think with what he’s dealing with, there’s more ambiguity. And I think that’s what you’re seeing, and that’s what we’re dealing with.”
When DeBoer was pressed further on Barzal’s status, a team spokesman said assistant general manager Mathieu Darche would be made available soon to discuss the injury in more detail.
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