MONTREAL — Patrick Roy’s message for Pierre Engvall, at least in public, has been as clear as possible.
Say Engvall’s name within 20 feet of the Islanders head coach and Roy will respond by saying he needs to get to the net.
But after being made a healthy scratch Saturday, with another night in the press box appearing to be in the cards for Tuesday night against the Canadiens, pending Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s return from injury, Engvall appeared confused by his benching.
“I’m not really sure right now,” he said when asked what Roy’s message to him had been. “Again, I said it before, I’ll keep working, working on some extra stuff now after practices. Obviously you want to get back to playing. It sucks to be out, not gonna lie about that.”
It appeared that the message intended by sending Engvall to AHL Bridgeport at the start of the season had gotten through when he scored in three straight games and consistently attacked the net earlier this month.
But that wore off after a few games — a pattern that’s been the only thing consistent about the Swede since Engvall has been an Islander.
“It’s sad, but right now, there’s guys playing better than him,” Roy said following Monday’s practice. “They’re probably not as talented as he is, but they’re playing better than he is.
“When you want to win, you go with the guys you know are gonna play inside. Not on the outside. And we need to find a way to have Pierre doing this on a consistent basis. That’s all. If he’s doing it, he’s a very good hockey player. For a period of time, four or five games I’d said, he was one of our good players. And when he stopped playing on the outside, stopped bringing pucks to the net, stopped being involved physically, he’s just an average player.”
It’s not the first time Roy has given a frank and direct opinion on Engvall in public.
Asked whether he felt a healthy scratch on Saturday was a fair reflection of his game, Engvall himself said, “I’m not gonna comment on that.”
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (lower-body) will be a game-time decision on Monday. If he plays, Pageau is likely to center a line with Kyle MacLean and Oliver Wahlstrom, with Simon Holmstrom retaining his spot on the top line.
Adam Pelech (jaw) has started skating on his own, per Roy.
Marcus Hogberg was emergency-recalled for Monday’s practice as Semyon Varlamov sat out with a lower-body injury. But Varlamov traveled to Montreal while Hogberg did not.
Isles prospects Danny Nelson (Notre Dame) and Cole Eiserman (Boston University) were both named to Team USA’s preliminary squad for World Juniors.