As strong as Maxim Tsyplakov has been in his rookie year, taking penalties has been an issue throughout.
And after Tsyplakov took a second penalty in the second period of Saturday’s 6-3 Islanders win over the Penguins at UBS Arena, coach Patrick Roy’s patience ran out.
The Russian was demoted to the fourth line for the remainder of the game, switching spots with Casey Cizikas, with Roy citing the penalties afterward along with a number of turnovers Tsyplakov made.
“A mix of both,” Roy said. “We’re here to win hockey games. It’s not a charity event. It’s about winning hockey games and he wasn’t playing well. So that’s all it is.”
After Cizikas scored a pair of goals following his promotion to Bo Horvat’s line, the immediate question now becomes whether the Islanders start Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh the way they finished Saturday’s.
“Playing with those guys, the way they see the ice, the way they can create opportunities, I’m just trying to play my game, get up the ice as quick as I can,” Cizikas said. “Try and create a turnover or get in on the forecheck hard. That’s just something I really tried to focus on even when I did move up with them.”
That immediate question aside, there is the bigger-picture issue of how Tsyplakov might respond from a public callout from the head coach.
“Sippy had a so-so game,” Roy said. “Two bad penalties, not necessary, and a couple turnovers. And Casey had so much jump, I thought that was a good time for him to step up and play with Bo and [Simon] Holmstrom.”
Roy said pregame the Islanders’ tentative plan is to give goalie Marcus Hogberg his first start on the second end of the back-to-back Sunday in Pittsburgh.
“That’s my job to be ready when they need me,” Hogberg said. “It’s been feeling good in practice and then the periods that I’ve been playing.”
Mathew Barzal’s first-period assist marked his first five-on-five point of the season.
Semyon Varlamov (lower body) still has yet to start skating on his own, Roy said.
With the Rangers’ loss to the Lightning, Saturday marked the first time the Islanders have more standings points than the Blueshirts this late in the season since Dec. 11, 2022.