Islanders fire Lane Lambert, stunningly name Patrick Roy coach: ‘Time to do it’
Lou Lamoriello finally saw enough.
Lane Lambert survived a seven-game losing streak in November.
But he could not survive a four-game skid that hit a low with a 4-3 overtime loss to the bottom-dwelling Blackhawks on Thursday night in Chicago, sinking the Islanders’ record to 2-6-2 over their past 10 games.
Lamoriello, the Isles’ GM, announced on Saturday that Lambert had been dismissed after 1 ½ seasons behind the bench, over which he had a 61-46-20 record.
It is the first midseason coaching change Lamoriello has made since 2014-15, when he fired Pete DeBoer with the Devils.
“I felt that the inconsistency that has been going on for some period of time was not going to end,” Lamoriello said on a Zoom call Saturday evening. “You come to that point, there is always a fine, fine line.
“And that fine line in my mind was crossed that this was the time to do it.”
In Lambert’s place, the Islanders hired Patrick Roy, bringing the Hall of Fame goaltender back behind an NHL bench for the first time since 2016, with the hope that he can jolt them into a fifth postseason appearance in six years.
John MacLean and Doug Houda are staying on as assistant coaches while Mitch Korn and Piero Greco are staying on in their roles running the team’s goaltending.
Roy, who had a Hall of Fame 19-year career that included three Vezina Trophies and four Stanley Cups in Montreal and Colorado, had been the general manager and head coach of the Quebec Maritimes Junior League’s Quebec Remparts — a franchise he co-owns — from 2018 through last summer, when he stepped down after winning the Memorial Cup.
His three years with the Avalanche, over which he compiled a 130-92-24 record from 2013-16 before resigning prior to training camp ahead of 2016-17, account for his only head-coaching experience in the NHL, but Roy was well-regarded enough to be brought up as a candidate for several pro jobs, including the Rangers.
“When I left Colorado, I thought the phone will ring faster but it did not,” Roy said. “And I understood that the way I left Colorado was probably not the best way to do things. But I’m proud of taking the time to go back to Junior, working with these guys, learning, kind of resource myself in the game and making sure that I stay on top of that different culture.
“Because the player of today is different than what it was in my times and it changed. And you have to adjust to the younger guys. I’m very happy I did this and I’m very happy that I received this call. … It was a very welcome call.”
Lamoriello said that Roy was the only candidate he spoke to.
“Patrick,” Lamoriello said, “can flat-out coach.”
The turnaround needs to start immediately for the Islanders, with the Stars and Golden Knights coming into town this week as the Isles finish out their pre-All-Star break schedule with games every other day — including a return to Montreal for Roy on Wednesday.
The list of things that need fixing runs the gamut.
The Islanders had problems finishing games at the start of the season, but lately, their issues have expanded.
They’ve played lethargic hockey, struggled in the defensive zone, struggled on special teams and struggled to score.
Injuries — Casey Cizikas, Semyon Varlamov, Pierre Engvall and Ryan Pulock are all currently unavailable, while nearly the entire defense corps has been banged up at some point this season — have played a major role.
But efforts like a shambolic 5-0 loss to the Wild on Monday and an overtime loss in Chicago where the Isles didn’t start playing until down 3-1 in the third period sealed Lambert’s fate.
In Lamoriello’s mind, this — not changes to the roster — was what the Islanders needed.
“I’m very happy with the roster at this point,” Lamoriello said. “Will that change like anything else? You never know. But if there’s ever an opportunity for us to get better, we never feel that we’re good enough.”
Right now, though, it is on Saint Patrick to save the season.
“It’s playoff hockey for the Islanders from now on,” Roy said. “Because every game you play, there are huge points where you’re gonna have to catch up to three, four teams in front of you. You cannot approach those games like a regular-season game.
“That’s playoff hockey. And that’s the mentality that I hope our players are willing to play with.”
