BOSTON — It was all too recently that the Islanders seemed to have too many bottom six players and not enough skill guys capable of anchoring their top two lines.
The version of that problem starting to present itself this season is the reverse. The Islanders appear to have too many players who fit in their top nine, and too few who look at home on the fourth line.
That, granted, is a far better puzzle than the Islanders have had to deal with in the past, so nobody is complaining. Nevertheless, it is something Patrick Roy will need to deal with as soon, and Simon Holmstrom is not making it easy on the head coach.
Indeed, it is hard to view it as a coincidence that Holmstrom, who recorded zero goals, two assists and four shots on goal in six games on the fourth line to start the season, has suddenly looked far more like himself since being elevated to the third.
In those two games playing with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee, Holmstrom recorded two goals, an assist and five shots on goal while making a far more noticeable impact defensively. Given Holmstrom’s long history and chemistry with Pageau, that tracks.
“He’s definitely more comfortable when he gets the puck to know where we are on the ice, to support him or make plays or to find that open area,” Pageau told The Post after Monday’s practice. “We communicate a lot. And I have a lot of time on the PK together [with him].
“He’s such a fun player to play with. You can see it from up top, the confidence. That grows, maybe, as he gets a little more ice time. Your legs are always going. Sometimes, the way the game’s going, you’re not playing as much, it’s always harder to find your legs. And I feel now he’s been a big part of our success.”
As long as Max Shabanov — who, it can be presumed, will miss at least the next three games with an upper-body injury, given he didn’t make the trip to Boston — is out of the lineup, Roy can keep things as they are.
When Shabanov comes back in, though, the Islanders will need to figure out how to accommodate both the Russian rookie and Holmstrom.
Shabanov, at 5-foot-9, 167 pounds and still very much adjusting to the NHL, is no one’s idea of a fourth-liner. If Holmstrom stays hot on the third line, though, relegating him back to the fourth to make room for Shabanov may be a non-starter.
Over the summer, it looked like Emil Heineman — currently in the top six with Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin — would be a fourth-line staple. But with Heineman’s five goals leading the team in scoring and his line having consistently been the Islanders’ best, he’s proven he should be exactly where he is.
That would seemingly leave two options once Shabanov is healthy: putting him on Mat Barzal’s line while dropping Anthony Duclair to the fourth, or making Shabanov a healthy scratch.
Neither of those would be great either. If Holmstrom is immovable, however, it is what the Islanders would be left with.
And right now, that’s how things are trending.
“I feel like he’s skating really well,” Roy said. “He’s protecting the puck very well. I feel like he’s gaining confidence with his shot. You guys asked me a question maybe two weeks ago about the number of shots he had, and then he started putting pucks on net and he scored.
“I feel like maybe it’s just the confidence thing. I feel like his confidence is getting back as well.”
When push comes to shove, the question will be whether Roy is willing to mess with that equilibrium.
