Anders Lee missing from practice is the last thing Patrick Roy's Islanders needed
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Cimon Asselin
Apr 2, 2026 (12:04)
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Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Anders Lee and head coach Patrick Roy saw the New York Islanders practice without their captain Friday, and the timing couldn't be worse.
This is where things tighten fast.
Lee wasn't just missing from a line. He was missing from a group sitting at 89 points and fighting to hold its playoff spot.
And there's still no clear reason for the absence.
That's what raises concern inside this room.
The Islanders are already short-handed. Simon Holmstrom is day-to-day, and Tony DeAngelo is out with a lower-body issue.
Now add the captain to that list.
UPDATE: The team has just confirmed that Anders Lee's absence is due to a maintenance day.
Roy forced to reshuffle on the fly
Patrick Roy didn't have the option to tweak. He had to rebuild his forward group entirely.
Anthony Duclair moved up, Maxim Shabanov stepped in, and the top six lost its usual structure in one skate.
That's not a small adjustment in April.
Lee drives the interior game. He works the crease, handles heavy matchups, and anchors the power play.
Take that away, and everything shifts.
Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat still carry the offense, but neither replaces what Lee does around the net.
That matters for a team with 222 goals in 76 games.
Depth players are now being pushed into bigger minutes immediately.
That changes matchups, especially against playoff-caliber teams that can expose weaker lines.
Special teams could feel it right away too.
No Lee in front means less traffic and fewer second chances. No DeAngelo means less clean puck movement up top.
That's two hits on the same unit.
Roy still has Ilya Sorokin to stabilize things in the crease, but goaltending alone won't cover a thin lineup forever.
And the standings aren't forgiving.
If Lee misses time, this quickly becomes more than a practice note. It becomes a turning point in the Islanders' season.
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