DETROIT — Nearly two weeks ago, Marc Gatcomb rejoined the New York Islanders lineup after a long absence since the season’s second game. Initially, his return seemed like a short-lived stint.
Having spent the majority of the season in the AHL, Gatcomb was called up to fill the gap left by Jonathan Drouin, who joined Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the injury list. His presence was expected to be a temporary fix for the Islanders’ forward troubles.
However, despite Drouin and Pageau’s return to the ice, Gatcomb has managed to secure his position on the team. The dynamic shifted when Bo Horvat suffered an injury, yet Gatcomb has remained a constant in the lineup.
His impressive performance has compelled head coach Patrick Roy to keep him active, even leading to Max Tsyplakov being benched. Gatcomb has invigorated the fourth line alongside Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean, proving to be an effective unit that Roy is hesitant to alter.
“He’s making the most of his opportunity,” Roy remarked following Gatcomb’s sole goal of the season in a game against Vegas last week. “Mathieu [Darche] and I agreed that this year, it’s all about performance. If you’re outperforming someone, you’ll stay in the lineup.”
Gatcomb’s aggressive style — highlighted by 39 hits over seven games — complements the physical nature of the fourth line, making him an ideal fit for this particular setup.
In six games together, the trio of Cizikas, Gatcomb and MacLean has a 60.05 expected goals percentage. There’s some small-sample inflation there to be sure, but it’s not something the Islanders are likely to mess with right now.
“I think just sticking with the same mindset I had previously,” Gatcomb said. “Just coming in, working hard every day. Just doing what I can to help the guys out. I think me, Casey and Mac have been playing well together. So just keep building chemistry and build off that.”
Per team statistician Eric Hornick, the Islanders’ 12 points in December with seven games left to play already are more than the 11 points they had last December. They also have already beaten their point total from the calendar year 2024 (86) with 88 in 2025.
The Islanders beat the Red Wings 7-2 and 5-0 in the first two games between them. A season sweep would mark their first against Detroit since 2019-20.
