MacLean’s Spark Lights Lamp in Playoff Debut

With 32 NHL games under his belt, Kyle MacLean suited up for his first career playoff game on Saturday against Carolina. It was a big moment, especially in a hostile PNC Arena, but he met the moment and scored for the New York Islanders in his postseason debut. 

“It's cool, a lot of excitement,” MacLean said of his playoff debut. “Cool building, a lot of adrenaline. It was great to get the first one under the belt.” 

MacLean became the first Islander to score in his playoff debut since Ryan Strome in 2015 and 15th in franchise history. In the process, MacLean also became the first player from the Jr. Hurricanes youth program – he lived in North Carolina when his father John MacLean coached the Hurricanes – to score against Carolina. 
 
“It’s kind of funny how it works out,” MacLean said. “I watched a lot of games when he was coaching for the Hurricanes.” 

Not only had MacLean earned the opportunity to play in Game 1, but the 24-year-old forward had also earned the trust of Head Coach Patrick Roy to shoulder more responsibility in a big moment. When JG Pageau was ruled out of the lineup for Game 1, Roy didn’t hesitate to elevate MacLean to a line with Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall. 

“I feel that he’s getting more and more confident out there and playing really good hockey,” Patrick Roy said. “He played with Anders and Pierre, I thought he had another solid game.”

The line had a 6-4 shot advantage and a 3-2 high-danger chance advantage when on the ice together at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. They also scored, as MacLean stuffed the puck through the legs of Frederik Andersen to tie the score at one apiece in a tremendous second effort on Lee’s tip on net.  That effort has been appreciated by MacLean’s teammates since he arrived on the scene in January.

“Right from the start he’s been impactful for us,” Mathew Barzal said. “He’s been a spark for our group and added some key depth down the middle. Everyone in the room is pumped for him and the way he’s playing. We’re lucky to have him.”
   
MacLean’s path to the NHL was unique. He went undrafted and sported an AHL resume of 81 points (29G, 52A) through 200 games with Bridgeport. He got his first NHL opportunity on Jan. 19, when the team needed a center after Casey Cizikas missed time with a lower-body injury. But after two separate stints filling the role of the energetic veteran center, MacLean stayed in the lineup even after Cizikas returned.   
 
“He’s made a name for himself,” Kyle Palmieri said. “It’s an opportunity where he knew the kind of role he was going to play. He got called up and got right into it.” 
 
The 6'1" 190 lbs. forward brings physicality and speed, while chipping in offensively. MacLean signed an AHL contract with the Islanders organization in 2019 and teammates have been long familiar with his work ethic, seeing his potential grow each year in training camp.  
 
“He has that work ethic, that dog-mentality, he’s going to play in this league for a long time,” Cizikas said. “Watching him in camps, he’s always had that in him.”

With a surplus of capable centers, MacLean’s seamless fit allowed Roy to shuffle with his lines in the team’s journey to the playoffs. MacLean mainly played down the middle of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, which freed up Cizikas to play around the lineup, eventually settling with Bo Horvat and Barzal. Through 32 regular season games, MacLean contributed nine points (4G, 5A) down the stretch where each game had huge implications.
 
“It’s been a challenge for sure, but I learned a lot,” MacLean said. “It’s a great thing to be part of a playoff run too in your first experience, to have these games mean something. Down the stretch for the past month and a half we’ve been playing playoff hockey. Every game mattered and every point mattered.” 
 
MacLean has proved he belongs in the NHL, and the Isles will need him in the heated battle with the Hurricanes in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  
 
“He’s settling into the group more and more and feeling good about it,” Lee said of MacLean. “He deserves to be here and it’s well-earned. You don’t get the call-up and stay around if it’s not earned. We’re very appreciative to have him in the room and his presence around and it’s fun to see him get more and more comfortable.”