Peter DeBoer Reveals Reason for NY Islanders Line Change

Why did the New York Islanders flip Ondrej Palat and Simon Holmstrom on the third and fourth lines?

Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to the press following the team’s 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Five games into the 2026-27 NHL season, the New York Islanders have yet to settle on permanent trios for their forward lines.

Head coach Peter DeBoer has been shuffling things around, looking for the right combination to generate an offensive spark. Some players have responded, such as Captain Bo Horvat, who has recorded at least one point in all five games thus far.

The line of Brayden Schenn, Victor Eklund and Calum Ritchie has also looked great. Matias Maccelli and Anthony Duclair have had their moments as well, but in the bottom-six, DeBoer made another move to shake things up.

During their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Simon Holmstrom was moved down to the fourth line, with Ondrej Palat being elevated to his spot on the third line. It paid immediate dividends.

Peter DeBoer explains Simon Holmstrom line change

Oct 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders right wing Simon Holmstrom (92) skates with the puck against New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43) during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the team’s practice on Oct. 12, DeBoer deployed the same lines as he did in the second half of the game against the Lightning, and shared why he believes a move to the fourth line can help Holmstrom get on track.

It is a bit of a reset putting him on the line along with Casey Cizikas, who DeBoer believes can help Holmstrom unlock parts of his game to meet the lofty expectations that he places on himself.

“Let's concentrate on getting to pucks first, getting in the battle, winning the battle,” DeBoer said about what he wants to see from Holmström, via Tyler Millen of NHL.com. “The end result is the goal(s) and the points and rightfully so, he’s put a lot of pressure on himself to score early in the season. It's been no secret that we've talked about we need more scoring on everyone, we need everybody to take a step. That's a lot of pressure to deal with so again just a mental reset to put the process ahead of the result.”

After Thursday's game, #Isles coach Pete DeBoer related that he had spoken to Anthony Duclair after the third game and said he needed Duclair to be more engaged. Duke responded with good game vs Chicago.

Simon Holmstrom just said he and DeBoer had same chat this morning.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) October 12, 2026

Now, part of a checking line when he takes the ice, the thought process is that Holmstrom will be able to focus on the little things to help the team win, not being hyper-fixated on scoring goals and producing offensively.

Those things can still come within the natural flow of the game, with a veteran such as Cizikas helping set the table. Palat and Maccelli have both had strong starts to the season after playing alongside the steady center.

After scoring 19 goals last season, Holmstrom has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. He has one goal and one assist in five games with a plus/minus ratio of -2. It would be great to see him take a step forward from the back-to-back campaigns of 41+ points that he has produced, and this line change could do it.