Tony DeAngelo makes bigger impact than expected in Islanders debut

For a first impression, you could do a whole lot worse.It took all of one shift into Saturday night’s match against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena for it to become clear that the Islanders would need more from Tony DeAngelo than anyone had anticipated, the order growing exponentially at the sight of Ryan Pulock going up the tunnel injured less than a minute into the game.DeAngelo, mere hours after officially becoming an Islander by clearing waivers at 2 p.m.on Saturday, ended up skating 25:10 over 30 shifts in a chaotic 3-2 overtime win over the Hurricanes.“There’s guys, for some reason, they don’t feel those minutes,” coach Patrick Roy said.

“I guess he’s one of them.He could go out there and play.

I was looking at his last game in Russia — he played 26 minutes.So welcome to the Islanders organization.”A signing that could have been cast as pragmatic when it was announced on Friday afternoon, DeAngelo might now be an essential piece of the puzzle if Pulock’s injury keeps him out for a lengthy period of time.“To be honest, real grateful for the opportunity,” the 29-year-old former Ranger said.

“Two weeks ago, NHL career looked pretty bleak.I wouldn’t say I took it for granted when I was here, but to get another opportunity back, you can’t ask for much more.”DeAngelo’s preparation on Saturday consisted merely of a quick skate, some film and quick introductions to his new teammates.

Roy told him not to worry about the system — just go out, play and there would be time to learn all later.For the moment, it worked well enough.Sign up for Inside the Islanders by Ethan Sears, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.

Please provide a valid email address.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! “I knew it’s a similar game — especially since Patty took over — as Carolina plays,” said DeAngelo, wh...