Two games was just enough for Matt Donovan to gain some perspective.
The Islanders rookie defenseman returned from his short stint as a healthy scratch to play well in Thursday’s 3-2 home win over the Oilers. After the team’s mandatory off day Friday, Donovan was expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday night when the Hurricanes come to the Coliseum.
The 23-year-old made the team out of training camp, and played assertively in the first three games of the season, showing coach Jack Capuano that his offensive instincts are not completely detached from his defensive responsibility. Then came Oct. 11 in Chicago, when Donovan had his first bad NHL game, a match in which the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks made him look overmatched and overwhelmed.
“He struggled,” Capuano said after that game. “There’s no question.”
So what the coach did was sit Donovan for two straight games, as the team went 0-1-1 and missed his ability to push the play and join the rush. Donovan got back in on Thursday and looked right at home, logging three shots on goal while playing 13:32, including 2:07 on the power play.
“I just got to watch these last few games and think,” Donovan said. “I got to learn by myself the mistakes I made the first couple games and what I need to correct to stay in the lineup.”
With a handful of young defensemen in the system, Donovan has been able to single himself out and stick with the team. Playing for AHL Bridgeport are Calvin de Haan and Aaron Ness, both highly touted prospects who could come up this year and contribute. Further down the line is Griffin Reinhart, the 19-year-old who stayed with the Islanders out of camp but was sent back to his junior club before being able to get into a game.
Donovan is a very different player than the man who replaced him, hulking veteran Matt Carkner, so Capuano has the flexibility to change the makeup of his lineup depending on matchups. There is also little doubt Donovan will encounter more speed bumps, and might necessitate another period of time sitting and watching.
Yet, when asked if the game looks easier from the press box, Donovan didn’t hesitate.
“No,” he said. “It’s never easy.”