Islanders' Kyle MacLean, Marc Gatcomb battling for spot among bottom-six forwards
The Islanders' Kyle MacLean, left, and Marc Gatcomb. Credit: Jim McIsaac
NEWARK — Kyle MacLean has been a constant in the Islanders’ lineup since his call-up from the AHL in January, 2024. The same has been true for Marc Gatcomb after he was brought up a year later.
But both are battling to keep their ice time among the bottom-six forwards with it quite possible at least one will be an odd man out.
The two 26-year-olds got their first chance to play in the preseason as the Islanders, with few regulars in the lineup, lost to NHL-heavy Devils, 6-2, on Tuesday night at Prudential Center.
“It’s no secret that it’s competitive fighting for spots,” MacLean said. “I don’t think it’s different. I think every year you’re hungry and you’ve got to show something.”
MacLean, who had four goals and seven assists in 81 games last season, had a game-high eight hits as he centered Liam Foudy and Julien Gauthier. He also saw 42 seconds of shorthanded time as the Devils were three-for-four on the power play.
Gatcomb, who had eight goals and one assist in 39 games as a rookie, had six hits in 14:20 on Casey Cizikas’ right wing along with Adam Beckman while also seeing power-play and penalty-kill time.
Rookie Calum Ritchie, a prized prospect acquired as part of the Brock Nelson trade with the Avalanche, closed the scoring with a five-on-three goal at 10:10 of the third period. He centered Emil Heineman — who tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 15:56 of the first period — and Simon Holmstrom.
“There were good and bad moments,” Ritchie said. “I would like to probably possess the puck a bit more, play more offensive. In the defensive zone, I thought I was pretty decent and kept things to the outside.”
Ritchie pushing for a spot could make things even tougher for MacLean and Gatcomb to reclaim a bottom-six role.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau will likely center a third line with Anthony Duclair and either Holmstrom or Russian rookie Max Shabanov. Heineman and Cizikas seem locks for spots, too. Max Tsyplakov, who had 10 goals and 25 assists as a rookie, is also a strong candidate for constant playing time.
“It’s just sticking with what got me here and not trying to change my game,” Gatcomb said. “I found success using my legs and being physical and shooting the puck. [Competition] makes you that much hungrier. You’ve got a target on your back that someone’s coming for your spot.”
Notes & quotes: Left wing Daylan Kuefler, a sixth-round pick in 2022, logged just 2:52 before exiting in the first period with an upper-body injury. He will be re-evaluated on Wednesday . . . Marcus Hogberg allowed three goals on 25 shots before Tristan Lennox came in to stop 10 of 13 shots, allowing Dawson Mercer’s goal at 10:39 of the second period to make it 4-1 on the first shot he faced . . . First-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson (17th overall) logged 17:48 after being helped off the ice unable to put weight on his left leg following a center-ice hit from Noah Juulsen in the third period of Sunday’s 3-2, 11-round shootout loss to the Flyers at UBS Arena.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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