New York Islanders prospect Victor Eklund has the best chance of any youngster to crack the opening-night lineup.
He dominated during rookie camp, but the big question is how he’ll look in main camp.
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Not only does he look the part, but after scoring in day two’s scrimmage, Eklund has now scored in every game.
In the first rookie showcase game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, he rifled a slingshot high blocker side.
In the second rookie showcase game, also against the Devils, Eklund hopped on a loose puck in front of goal.
And his latest was a beauty, as he knocked down a Matthew Schaefer point shot before scoring on Vitek Vanecek, who had been sliding to stop the initial shot.
He played in Friday’s scrimmage alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Emil Heineman, which has been his linemates over the first two days of training camp.
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“Well, he looks good,” Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer said. “You don’t want to get out in front of it too far. I think we’ve still got a lot of runway here, and he’s going to play some exhibition games against NHL teams, which is important.
“But he’s scored in every game that we’ve stuck him in — the two rookie games, today in the scrimmage — so he’s just got to continue on that path. But again, it’s early, and that’s what you want. You want young players to make those decisions as tough as possible.”
Eklund will likely play in at least three of the four preseason games, starting with Sunday afternoon against the Devils at The Rock.
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