New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy didn’t mince his words when he discussed Anthony Duclair’s game in their 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
“He was god awful,” Roy told reporters after the game. “He’s lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that’s how I feel.”
Duclair had 12:15 of ice time against Tampa Bay, about three minutes less than his season average. He had the third-lowest ice time among Islanders skaters in that contest.
Roy thought the 29-year-old had a bad game, and “that’s why I didn’t play him a lot.”
“He’s not skating, not competing, not moving his feet, he’s not playing up to what we expect from him,” he said, adding he thinks it’s an “effort thing.”
Less ice time has been the theme of Duclair’s last three games. In their outing against the Lightning on Saturday, he played 11:05, a season low.
However, the Isles took on the Carolina Hurricanes the next day, and he played even less, clocking 10:10 in a 6-4 loss.
Duclair’s recent ice time comes during some of the lowest offensive production of his 11-year NHL career.
In 44 games this season, Duclair has seven goals and four assists for 11 points. His 0.25 points per game is a career low, as is his minus-15 plus/minus rating.
In comparison, Duclair put up 24 goals and 42 points in 73 appearances last season playing for Tampa Bay and the San Jose Sharks. That earned him a four-year deal worth $3.5 million per season with the Islanders, the longest contract with the biggest cap hit of his career.
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The Point-Claire, Que., native hasn’t had a point in his last six games. He also hasn’t recorded an even-strength point in 17 games and has just three points in his last 25.
With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Islanders are five points back of the Montreal Canadiens, who control the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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