Patrick Roy did not hide from responsibility after Friday’s 4-1 Islanders loss to Philadelphia that felt something like capitulation.
“I’ll take part of the blame for the first period,” Roy said. “I have a job to do to make sure our team is ready to play a strong game. So we’re together in this. We called a timeout and I felt like after that we started playing more our game.”
No small part of the game was lost in the first period, in which the Islanders went down 2-0 and did not record a shot through the first 13:15.
The head coach fell on the sword right as he is coming under more scrutiny, with his team in serious danger of blowing a playoff spot that seemed like a sure thing from December through March.
While Roy’s job has been considered safe all season — his relationship with general manager Mathieu Darche is believed to be quite good despite the two never having met before Darche was hired last spring — that would be in obvious danger of changing if the Islanders fail to make the playoffs.
So, too, would a number of other assumptions that have underpinned the season, such as the likelihood of captain Anders Lee re-signing as an unrestricted free agent.
Roy said he felt he could have said more to his team before the game to better prepare them.
“Sometimes you just make sure, you say a few words in the room after the meeting,” Roy said. “Tonight I thought the team was ready to play a strong game, and I could have done a better job approaching the guys, say a few things.
“That was an important game for us. They’re all important games — no kidding. I just feel like I could have done a better job, period.”
Simon Holmstrom returned from the upper-body injury that kept him out of Tuesday’s match in Buffalo, with Anthony Duclair coming out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.
Tony DeAngelo skated on his own Friday morning before the Islanders held an optional skate. Roy said it was not his first time on the ice since suffering a lower-body injury.
Roy said he did not expect DeAngelo to travel to Carolina for Saturday’s match.
The Islanders honored slain NYPD policeman Jonathan Diller during a TV timeout in the first period.
The killer, 36-year-old Guy Rivera, was convicted on lesser charges including aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder of Diller’s partner and weapons charges.
“We will always stand with his wife, Stephanie, their son Ryan and the entire Diller family. Detective Diller will be in our thoughts and hearts forever,” PA announcer Alex Anthony said.
