Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair have unexpectedly become key contributors to the Islanders this season despite their past struggles and high cap charges. Both players are now providing necessary depth on forward lines, with Palat noting he has made changes to his offseason routine but declining to specify them. Head coach DeBoer has praised Palat’s line for being consistent and effective in creating scoring chances, while Duclair responded positively after a coaching conversation by scoring his first goal of the season. This improved performance is crucial as the team awaits Mathew Barzal's return and seeks to compete for a playoff spot.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Going into the summer, Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair felt like representations of what the Islanders did not need: underproducing wingers who had struggled to justify their presence in the lineup, with their cap charges only exacerbating the problem.
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charges → go → problem
Though the season is still at such an early stage that small-sample caveats can apply to every sentence, it’s not a mere pleasant surprise that both players have produced thus far.
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players → apply → sentence
It’s a necessary condition if the Islanders — still without Mathew Barzal, by the way — are going to find the necessary forward depth to compete for a playoff spot.
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Islanders → ’ → spot
It’s one that both players are doing their part to fulfill.
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players → ’ → part
“I don’t think I play on another level [as opposed to last season].
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I → think → season
I work really hard, even when I got here,” Palat told The Post before the Islanders faced Tampa Bay on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
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Islanders → work → Arena
“I just think I’m playing a little bit differently.
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I → think → ?
I was working during the summer.
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I → work → summer
Point-wise, still, I want to be better, but we’ve created a lot of chances.”
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we → want → chances
Palat, 35, said he made changes to his offseason routine to compensate for age but preferred to keep the specifics private.
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he → say → specifics
So far, they’ve worked.
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they → work → ?
He’s played with noticeably more energy, and the Islanders’ fourth line has been noticeably more up ice.
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line → play → ice
“They’ve been maybe our most consistent line,” DeBoer said of the trio that currently includes Matias Maccelli and Casey Cizikas in addition to Palat.
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that → say → Palat
“It’s exactly what I talked about at the beginning of the year.
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I → ’ → year
The goal isn’t to get out there and survive your shift.
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goal → get → shift
It’s to tilt the ice, chip in some goals and help us win games.
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us → ’ → games
I think they’ve taken that message and kind of run with it.
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they → think → it
That’s noticeably different from the sort of fourth line the Islanders spent years with, and which they’ve failed to replicate since Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin aged out.
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Clutterbuck → ’ → which
During camp, it seemed like an odd fit, but the fruits of it are starting to pay off.
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fruits → seem → it
DeBoer’s trust is evident in the way he’s distributing minutes.
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he → distribute → minutes
Duclair, who seems to have gotten off on the right foot with DeBoer, is a big piece of the equation as well.
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who → seem → equation
It was highly notable that he responded well after DeBoer spoke to Duclair asking for a higher level after what he felt was a lackluster performance against the Rangers on Tuesday, scoring his first goal of the season two nights later against the Blackhawks.
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he → respond → Blackhawks
“You look at his career; he’s had some outstanding seasons where he’s put it all together,” DeBoer said.
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DeBoer → look → it
“I’m not asking him to do anything he hasn’t done before.”
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he → ask → anything
True, but Duclair didn’t come close to the 25-goal, 40-plus point player the Islanders expected in either of his first two seasons here, to the point that expectations have dropped in turn — for everyone except DeBoer, that is.
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that → come → DeBoer
DeBoer may not fully realize the subtext underpinning the situation, but his predecessor’s struggles to motivate Duclair — and subsequent public alienation — played a role in his issues here.
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struggles → realize → issues
Now, Duclair, who also made a point earlier this week of saying he feels fully healthy, can play without that weight on his shoulders.
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he → make → shoulders
He’s a very experienced coach,” Duclair said of DeBoer.
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Duclair → ’ → DeBoer
“He’s had a lot of success over the years, so anything he says, you want to take that and apply it right away.
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you → have → it
We’ve all bought into his system here the last couple games.
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We → buy → system
It’s just a question of keep building and keep learning.”
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It → ’ → ?
The Aporia
