Stefen Rosner
New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho had not played in an NHL game since March 18th of 2018.
After signing a two-year, $1.45 million contract extension this past October, the likelihood of him getting much NHL action this season was slim. Noah Dobson had taken that next step to replace Devon Toews, while veteran Andy Greene was brought back to solidify the backend.
As each game came and went, Aho took part in warmups, patiently waiting for an opportunity. Finally, that chance came on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils.
As the game was about to start, Dobson was not seen on the Islanders bench. We would find out that later he was removed due to COVID-19 concerns. Aho was on standby as he took his place and geared up for his first taste of NHL action in over three years. He was thrown into the fire but played quite well in the win.
Aho got off to a hot start as he picked up the primary assist on Kieffer Bellows’ first-period goal, and besides one lousy turnover, he looked solid in his 10:38 minutes of action.
“I think he played really well,” Adam Pelech said following practice Monday morning. “It wasn’t a surprise. We all had confidence in him.”
As the clock trickled down on Monday, Dobson remained on the NHL’s COVID-19 List. That meant Aho found himself back on the ice for a second straight game as he played alongside Greene on the third defensive pairing against the Washington Capitals.
To no fault but their own, the Islanders lost this game by a score of 3-1. However, while Aho had his mistakes, he was not the major part of the problem.
The 25-year old logged 3:52 minutes in a strong first period. Less than two minutes into the opening frame, Jordan Eberle peeled around the left circle before he fed Aho crossing the Capitals’ blue line. Aho put a hard slap shot on goal, but Capitals’ netminder Ilya Samsonov made a strong left pad save. This was a rather intelligent shot, as the hard shot to the far pad usually produces a dangerous rebound.
Unfortunately, no one was there to bury it.
In the second period, Aho saw almost double the minutes he saw in the first, as he played 6:27. Over that time, the Swedish defender showcased his quick thinking, as the puck is never on his stick long. Before the halfway point of the period, he picked his head up and rifled a strong pass across the rink to an Islander forward, but unfortunately, the puck was deflected by a Capitals’ player. While the pass did not connect with its intended target, that pass showcased Aho’s vision and awareness.
Inside seven minutes left to play in the middle frame, Aho got his second shot on goal. We have noticed over his six periods played this season that he does not hesitate to let the puck go when given a chance. For a team where hesitation happens more often than not, this is what you want to see when a shooting lane becomes available. He added a hit to the stat sheet that period as well.
The Islanders allowed two goals in the middle frame, but Aho was not on the ice for either of them.
It had been smooth sailing for Aho through forty minutes of play, but as he did in the game on Sunday, he made a mistake, this one not ending up in the back of his net. At 4:32 of the third period, Aho was called for holding on Richard Panik. The Islanders had allowed two power-play goals already, and a third here would have been the dagger.
But the struggling penalty kill came up big, and Aho was off the hook. It is still not a smart play, but it is a lot easier to move on when the opponent fails to make the mistake count.
After coming out of the penalty box, Aho was stellar. He was making big plays in his own zone, as he knocked down passes and was the first to loose pucks. Around the 9:30 mark of the third period, Aho stepped up inside the Capitals’ blue line and carried the puck inside the left circle. He saw Jean-Gabriel Pageau sitting in the slot and fed a nice, quick pass to the third-line center. But Pageau was unable to corral the puck.
Aho was on the ice in the game’s final minutes with the net empty and the Islanders trailing by two. This speaks volumes to the trust head coach Barry Trotz has in his young defenseman, and moving forward should be a significant boost of confidence.
