The Islanders found a way to come back with 25 seconds remaining in the third period, and win a hard-fought game against the St. Louis Blues in overtime Monday afternoon. While this comeback would be the spotlight of discussion, Oliver Wahlstrom’s performance may have stolen some of that limelight.
After taking a solo lap in warmups, he was ready to play in his first NHL game. Lined with veterans Josh Bailey and Derek Brassard on the third line, Wahlstrom looked like he belonged at the NHL level.
Early on in the first period, possibly his first shift, Wahlstrom had a nice hit in the offensive zone, which was rewarded by the fans at Nassau Coliseum. Wahlstrom played 15:13 of ice time in the overtime victory and was able to register two shots on Blues’ netminder Jordan Binnington.
“He helped me choose out my tie today, he got a little emotional,” said #Isles rookie Oliver Wahlstrom after his dad dressed him up and then he helped undress the #Blues in his #NHL debut. @News12LI @Section_329 @eyesonislesFS pic.twitter.com/xxy63TdzfE
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) October 14, 2019
His silky hands were on full display, as the 19-year old had all the confidence in the world with just over 7 minutes remaining in the second, and his team trailing 1-0.
Even with missing the net on the backhand, it was evident how Wahlstrom is. And it became very clear that with time he can become the offensive threat he has showcased since he was a young kid. Wahlstrom can be physical when the situation calls for it.
As expected there were also a few mistakes.
On an odd-man rush during the game, Wahlstrom lost the puck in his skates. You could tell he was thinking what to do once he entered the offensive zone, but stumbled crossing the blue line as the play was offsides.
Yes, it did not look too pretty as the Islanders were trailing at that point and that could have been a great scoring opportunity. However, these mistakes are only going to make him stronger.
He learned rather quickly to keep it simple and make the first play before the second.
With a few players banged up, Wahlstrom should get some quality playing time in the next couple of games. Islanders head coach Barry Trotz seemed to like what he saw from the rookie on Monday afternoon.
"I thought he was really effective. I thought for his first game he didn’t look out of place at all. He was physical. The speed wasn’t an issue. I thought he moved his feet, he stayed involved."
Trotz give his take on Wahlstrom's first game and the team's overall performance: pic.twitter.com/K3AZQtdQao
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 14, 2019
Just like when Josh Ho-Sang and Matthew Barzal made their debuts, Wahlstrom seemed to have the fans captivated whenever his skates touched the ice.
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