ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kyle MacLean was out of Sunday’s lineup with illness, so the Islanders tried something way out of left field.
Adam Boqvist, a defenseman, centered the fourth line in MacLean’s spot as the Islanders went with a lineup that was technically 11 forwards and seven defenseman, with the intent of playing as if it were 12 and eight.
“I kind of asked him if he’s open,” coach Patrick Roy said before a 4-1 loss to the Ducks. “He said whatever helps the team to win. That’s what we want from our guys.”
Scott Mayfield drew back in on defense while Matt Martin, activated off injured reserve Saturday, was a healthy scratch.
Boqvist ultimately played 10:52 of ice, with 8:13 of that coming at even strength, accounting for one shot on net on a line with Pierre Engvall and Marc Gatcomb, with Engvall taking faceoffs.
The current setup of the Islanders roster, with 13 forwards and nine defensemen, lends itself to something like this happening if a forward is out.
And Boqvist, being the most offensive defenseman on the team, was the coaching staff’s first choice to step up as a forward.
“Appreciate that,” Roy said. “Appreciate what he did and I thought he had a good game.”
“At the NHL level, it might be a first [for him],” Roy said. “But at the same time, he’s so good offensively. He’ll play down low for these guys [Marc Gatcomb and Pierre Engvall], and he’ll be on the rush. We’ll see how it goes. It’s to start the game, isn’t it?”
After being activated off injured reserve Saturday, Marcus Hogberg was in net for the Islanders on Sunday, giving Ilya Sorokin a rare day off.
“He worked so hard after the injury,” Roy said of Hogberg, who suffered a presumed hand injury Jan. 25. “He was on the ice almost every day with [goalie coach] Piero [Greco]. He was not receiving shots, but he was getting himself ready.
“When the shots came, he was confident enough the puck won’t go on his finger, hit the shaft of his stick and go on his finger. Overall, it’s nice to see someone working so hard, at that opportunity. … The last game he played against Carolina, he played so well. We’re happy to see him back.”
Hogberg, who might be the backup for the rest of the season with Semyon Varlamov’s status murky at best, stopped 22-of-25 shots in front of a leaky Islanders defense.
“First of all, it was fun to play again, to play in a game,” Hogberg said. “Little bit rusty, but it helped me the more the game went on. I felt more comfortable.”
Kyle Palmieri missed the last 7:38 of the second period with an apparent injury but returned to play in the third.
