Scoring the fourth-most goals on the Islanders hardly is something they give out awards for, but considering Blake Comeau has been benched this season for multiple games and started last year in the minors, it’s not bad.
And headed into today’s game against Ottawa at the Coliseum (2 p.m., MSG Plus, WHLI 1100-AM), that’s where Comeau — who has 16 goal on the year, and four in his last two games — is on the list.
“It’s been an up-and-down season, with the start I had,” Comeau said. “I always had it in my head that I could be a contributor on this team. Sometimes it’s hard to keep believing that when you keep getting healthy scratched and are not putting up numbers.”
But his increased effort, on Scott Gordon’s behest, to get shots on net slowly has paid off, particularly in Thursday’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia, when he scored a pair of ugly goals.
“I think Blake has honest intentions to work all the time,” Gordon said. “With the ability he has, he should be able to produce offensively. It’s nothing more than getting pucks to the net.”
And Comeau thinks his recent turnaround will pay dividends beyond this year.
“This is a big confidence boost going into the summer,” Comeau said. “I have to keep building.”
Something that Gordon wants to see more of.
“I don’t think anybody didn’t think Blake had the potential to do more than what he had done in his short time in the NHL prior to this season,” Gordon said. “He has all the tools. It’s a matter of getting production and now we’re getting it.”
Comeau doesn’t expect that to change.
“Now that I’ve gone through a stretch here where I’m playing consistent hockey, I can come back next year ready to go from the start,” Comeau said. “I don’t expect to have the same issues again. To go from having been sent down last year, to being scratched this season, it took something like this for me to get going. Hopefully, that’s all behind me.”