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Zajac was a healthy scratch for the first time as an Islander in the 1-0 shootout loss to the Capitals on Thursday, Neil Best of Newsday reports.
Someone had to come out of the lineup when Cal Clutterbuck was cleared to play, and Zajac was it. Zajac is sort of a fish without water on the Islanders. He's a center, but the team already has four options in Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas. Coach Barry Trotz seems to prefer to play Leo Komarov on the top line rather than Zajac. The Islanders don't want to mess with the chemistry of the second line, which leaves the third line or bust for Zajac. Thursday it was bust, but Trotz did make a point of saying his benching is unlikely to be a multi-game absence.
