Shabanov Steps Up

Max Shabanov has made many strides in his first 12 NHL games, and he took a big one on Friday night.

The Russian winger took on an elevated role after Kyle Palmieri went down with injury, slotting into his place with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman in the 4-3 SO loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Head Coach Patrick Roy gave him a long leash – Shabanov eclipsed 22 minutes of ice time for the first time in his NHL career – and he ran with the opportunity.

“Shabanov is a very skilled player,” Roy said. “You always want to know how far he can go and right now he’s going to have that chance. You don’t replace a guy like Palmieri, but it’s an opportunity for him to jump in.”

The Islanders will be asking a lot out of Shabanov in the absence of Palmieri, who needs surgery on his ACL and is consequently out for 6-8 months. No doubt it’s a huge blow to lose a key veteran for the season, but the Islanders are forging ahead with a next-man-up mentality.

Roy is curious to see how Shabanov plays after an “outstanding” performance on that line on Friday. Shabanov finished the night with a career-high 22:19 TOI after he hadn’t yet reached the 15-minute threshold in any of his prior 12 NHL games. The beginning of his NHL career has had its tribulations, as an upper-body injury kept him sidelined for 12 games from Oct. 21 – Nov. 16. He sported a three-point game in a 5-0 win over Detroit on Nov. 20 in his third game since returning from injury.

The Isles knew of the skills Shabanov came in with – but now they’re seeing him trusted more responsibility in tight games.

“His skill, his vision out there, the way he makes plays stands out,” Heineman said. “He creates a lot of scoring chances with his passes and he can do stuff on his own that amazes a lot of people.”

Shabanov played an important role in helping the Isles pick up a point against Philly. Shabanov jumped in on the power play, as the Russian winger used his body in the slot on the power play to help deflect Matthew Schaefer’s shot, before Anders Lee tipped it home to tie the game at three, which snapped a 0-for-29 drought.

Shabanov was also utilized in overtime, where Roy was impressed with his defensive game at three-on-three. His ability to rise to the challenge in the absence of a key veteran winger speaks to the Shabanov has made in his first NHL season.

“I find that he’s getting more confident with the puck every game,” Horvat said. “He’s making plays, creating, holding onto the puck on the rush. The more he plays, the more opportunity he gets, he’ll run with it.”

Roy said that he’s looking forward to seeing how Shabanov builds on his game, believing that his ceiling has not yet been reached.

“I think this is just the beginning,” Roy said. “I really believe that he’s going to continue to shine, the more comfortable [he gets], the better he’s going to play.”