Brock Nelson was making a pregame drink on Monday night time when Barry Trotz popped into the room.
“Hey, what’s up?” Nelson recalled him saying. “Everyone able to go?”
It wasn’t too quickly earlier than the sport. However that didn’t make a lot of a distinction.
After 5 days on the COVID-19 listing, Trotz was again behind the Islanders’ bench. Following the 4-1 win over the Flyers, he got here into the press convention with a pep in his step.
“I had a lot of vitality,” he mentioned. “I don’t have a lot of a voice, however I've a lot of vitality proper now.”
When a reporter remarked that they had been glad to see him wholesome, Trotz volunteered: “I really feel nice. I felt nice throughout COVID. I ought to’ve had COVID all 12 months. I felt nice, I actually did. I had no signs, nothing. I used to be feeling really higher than I had in months.”
Trotz didn’t attend Monday’s morning skate, at which affiliate coach Lane Lambert addressed media and mentioned there was no replace on the top coach’s standing, however Trotz cleared protocol in time for the sport.
Trotz hadn’t coached the Islanders since Dec. 30, lacking the New Yr’s Day sport to be together with his household in Dauphin, Manitoba after the loss of life of his mom. He missed observe for the following few days, then briefly returned earlier than coming down with the virus.
“It felt like a couple of 12 months in the past,” Trotz mentioned of the final time he coached.
Gamers mentioned they didn’t see a serious distinction with Lambert — a longtime Trotz assistant — operating the bench, however having the top coach again nonetheless made a distinction.
“I feel it’s powerful when he’s not there,” Nelson mentioned. “Clear message from each of them, form of the identical. The entire workers works laborious to place the sport plan collectively.”
There’s nonetheless no clear timeframe on Ryan Pulock’s return from damage. It’s been over 9 weeks since he suffered a lower-body damage, with an unique prognosis of 4 to 6 weeks.
“Clearly he’s so much nearer than he was weeks and weeks or months in the past,” Trotz mentioned. “It’ll be an improve for us for positive [when he returns].”
The Islanders tried swapping strains round, with Kieffer Bellows on Mat Barzal’s proper and Josh Bailey to the suitable of Nelson. Trotz mentioned afterwards he didn’t like how issues regarded with Bellows on the primary line.
J-G Pageau was 9-4 on faceoffs on Monday.
Tuesday’s sport on the Flyers can be broadcast solely on ESPN Plus.
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