So, Kieffer Bellows had a rough outing in Pittsburgh on Thursday night after entering the lineup for fellow first-round pick Michael Dal Colle.
Those things happen with young players and it must be noted the Islanders’ 4-1 loss represented just the 16th NHL game for the 22-year-old Bellows, picked 19th overall in 2016.
Short of winning the next Stanley Cup, the most important thing to come out of this season for the Islanders may be the integration of former first-rounders such as defenseman Noah Dobson, Oliver Wahlstrom, Dal Colle and Bellows into varying degrees of important roles at the NHL level.