COLUMBUS, Ohio — Simon Holmstrom played on Tuesday night as though he had something to prove.
After being a healthy scratch in four of the five previous games, that did not feel like much of a coincidence.
“I want him to earn it,” coach Patrick Roy said after Holmstrom scored the game-winning goal in a crucial 2-1 win over the Blackhawks. “And that’s what he did.”
Setting aside the goal for a moment, this was one of the more noticeable games Holmstrom had played in a while.
Over 13:13 of ice time, the 22-year-old often found himself in the dirty areas.
His speed made things happen on a line with Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
His four shots on goal were tied for a season-high.
In bringing Holmstrom back into the fold, with Hudson Fasching coming out, Roy had said before the game he liked how the young Swede had been practicing.
Holmstrom, a couple days prior, had said that the series of scratches was perhaps not the biggest surprise after he’s scored just once in March.
“I would say both yes and no,” he told The Post. “It’s a tough one. You never know what’s gonna happen. You can only control what you can do, so just trying to do that.”
Thursday, he took his fate into his own hands and elevated himself, taking advantage after Anders Lee won the puck behind the net to get off a quick shot that trickled through Petr Mrazek for a 2-1 lead.
The resultant victory pulled the Islanders within a point of a playoff spot.
“It’s no fun to sit out,” he said afterward. “So you want to be out there and help your team. Luckily, we got a huge win.”
Roy, afterward, sounded inclined to keep Holmstrom in the fold for another must-win game Thursday against the Blue Jackets.
“He scored a big goal for us and I thought he had a solid game with Page and Ander,” Roy said. “That’s the hockey he’s capable of playing, and that’s what he did and that’s what he gave us. And we’re gonna need everybody till the end of the year, no matter what. So we need to make sure that everybody is accountable every day we’re on the ice, in games and practices.”
The Islanders did not hold practice Wednesday as they traveled to Columbus.
They enter Thursday with a nine-game point streak against the Blue Jackets (8-0-1) going back to 2022.
