New York Islanders’ new forward, Maxim Tsyplakov, has been a great surprise to the lineup.
At 26, his physical size and strong hockey IQ have allowed him to flourish on the team’s second line alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
He isn’t scared to drive the net, is great in front and behind the goal, and has shown an innate ability to slow the game down and quickly speed things up with on-the-money passes in transition.
Through 14 games, Tsyplakov has two goals and six assists.
His latest goal was a beautiful individual effort against the Buffalo Sabres:
Despite his age, Tsyplakov is eligible for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best rookie.
He is third in scoring and leads all rookies with 42 hits.
Related: Islanders Maxim Tsyplakov’s Rookie Of The Year Candidacy Grows With Even More Ice Time Due To Injuries
But he also leads the rookies and Islanders in penalty minutes, with 14 through 14 games.
Of the seven penalties, five have been stick infractions, while the other two were interference and boarding.
It’s not lazy penalties, per se, but Tsyplakov’s lack of speed and the fact that he’s still getting accustomed to the NHL game is leading to some growing pains.
At the end of the day, he just needs to be a tad smarter when the puck isn’t on his stick.
Tsyplakov’s mistakes are similar to that of New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe, who struggles in tight quarters and sometimes loses control of his body.
His boarding penalty on Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux is a perfect example of that:
The timing of when Tsyplakov has taken his penalties hasn’t been great, either. Here’s a breakdown:
Against The Stars: 3-0 Loss
Against The Avalanche: 6-2 Win
Against The Canadiens: 4-3 Win (SO)
Against The Ducks: 3-1 Loss
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Hooking penalty at 9:02 of the third
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Score was 2-1 Ducks
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Islanders got the kill, but lost
Against The Pengins: 4-3 Win (SO)
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Tripping penalty at 13:21 of the second
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Game was tied at 1-1
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Evgeni Malkin scored to make it 2-1 Pittsburgh
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Islanders came back from 3-1 in the third to win
Against the Senators: 4-2 Win
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Boarding at 13:35 of the third
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Score was 3-1 Islanders
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Drake Batherson scored to make it 3-2
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Islanders, on their heels, got an empty-net goal to ice the game
Tsyplakov is a talented player, and the Islanders have him for a bargain of $950,000.
The more he plays, the more comfortable he’ll become.
Roy needs to be able to trust him late in games. Consistent penalty minutes aren’t the way to earn trust, so he’ll need to clean that up a bit going forward.
