How Islanders Turned Home Ice Into An Advantage In January
The Islanders needed to get results at home and that they did in the month of January.
The New York Islanders’ start to the 2024-25 season on home ice was a disaster.
Their first game of the season saw them blow two third-period leads in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club, which set the tone for life at UBS Arena.
After returning from a three-game road trip, the Islanders blew a 2-0 lead and a 3-2 lead before ultimately finding a way to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 after a nine-round shootout. In the same game, Anthony Duclair fell victim to a long-term lower-body injury.
The next three home games were disasters. They were shut out 1-0 by the Detroit Red Wings, blew a 3-0 lead in a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, and fell 3-1 to the weak Anaheim Ducks to close out their October home slate with a record of 1-3-1.
November was a tad better, but not by much going 3-2-1. They blew a 3-1 lead to the New Jersey Devils in a 4-3 overtime loss on Nov. 9 before blowing a 2-1 lead to the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-2 loss on Nov. 25.
December brought more shakiness at UBS, which went 3-3-0 and suffered embarrassing losses to the Seattle Kraken, 5-2, and the Buffalo Sabres, 7-1.
If the Islanders wanted any shot at turning their season around, playing well on home ice in front of the Blue & Orange faithful had to be a priority.
And it just so happened that the hockey gods were giving the Islanders a prime opportunity with a seven-game homestand in mid-January.
After dropping their first game of January on home ice, a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders swept a three-game road trip before beginning that extra-important homestand.
However, in typical Islanders fashion, they dropped their first two games, losing to the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, erasing their hard work from a few games earlier.
But that Ottawa loss had one positive: the play of Marc Gatcomb, whose physicality and energy made its NHL debut at UBS Arena.
All of a sudden, the Islanders were mimicking Gatcomb’s game, destroying teams in the physicality department while playing the fastest brand of Islanders hockey we had ever seen.
The bottom six were playing their roles to a tee, opening the door for the top six to flourish. And that paid dividends in the goaltending department, with Ilya Sorokin and Marcus Hogberg (before Hogberg got hurt) elevating their games to the highest of levels.
The Islanders couldn’t be stopped as the momentum from the UBS Arena crowd rolled over from one game to the next.
The Islanders concluded their seven-game homestand on a five-game winning streak, which seeped into their road trip. They went seven straight with a victory before falling 6-3 to the Florida Panthers this past Sunday.
But, despite the win streak and being winners of 7-of-8, it was of the utmost importance that the Islanders rebounded against the Vegas Golden Knights at UBS Arena on Tuesday, their final game before the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break.
And the Islanders did just that, winning their sixth straight game in front of their home faithful, beating Vegas 2-1.
According to NHL statistician Eric Hornick, their six straight home wins matches the longest stretch at UBS Arena (also in 2021-22); they have not had a longer home winning streak since winning seven straight on Coliseum ice from November 11- December 2, 2014.
The Islanders’ first game after the break is at home ice on March 1 against Barry Trotz and the Nashville Predators.
Could St. Louis Blues Forward Jordan Kyrou Be A Target For Islanders With Mathew Barzal Out Indefinitely?
With Mathew Barzal down and out for the foreseeable future, the New York Islanders could use a speedy right-shot forward to help counteract the loss.
Anthony Duclair is the internal option and is being given a chance on the top line with Bo Horvat and Anders Lee. However, as long as he's still battling his lower-body injury, he's not able to be as effective.
Could St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou be an option to replace Barzal this season and bolster the club going forward?
More over at The Hockey News.
Focused Islanders Brock Nelson Laughs At ‘Wild’ Rumors
EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders battled the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 28, ESPN broadcaster John Buccigross made a comment about pending unrestricted free agent Brock Nelson.
"Brock Nelson, picked by Bill Guerin (for 4 Nations Face-off). Everyone thinks Nelson is going to sign with Minnesota," Buccigross said. "It's like the worse kept secret in hockey that he'll be with the Wild next year."
Following Thursday's practice, I asked Nelson about the rumors on him going to Minnesota was a done deal.
"That's a funny one. If [Buccigross] knows the deal, I guess, have him let me know," Nelson told The Hockey News. "That's nothing that I thought about or anything like that. And I think it's also just an easy one to say that for any Minnesota guy they'd love to go back and play for Minnesota.
Read more at The Hockey News.
ISLANDERS NEWS
THN Isles: Islanders Maxim Tsyplakov On Longest Point Streak Of Young NHL Career; Goals Will Come If He Sticks To His Guns
THN Isles: Islanders Bo Horvat Shows Off His Hockey IQ On Opening Tally Against Vegas
THN Isles: Inside The Mind Of Islanders Jakub Skarek Before, During & After His NHL Debut
THN Isles: Storybook Start To Tony DeAngelo’s Time With Islanders
THN Isles: Boqvist Buries In Islanders Debut — Wearing Beauvillier’s Glove?
THN Isles: Winners Of Six Straight, Lou Lamoriello Provides A State Of Islanders Update
THN Isles: Canucks Pettersson A Perfect Fit For Islanders & Why The Haul May Not Be As Steep As Expected
THN Isles: Islanders Brock Nelson & The 'Worst Kept Secret In Hockey’
Complimentary Parking!
Once again for the 2024-25 season, those that drive a BMW can receive complimentary single-game parking in the Emerald Parking lot.
Please click the BMW | Islanders image below for parking registration information,
Wins back to back in Winnipeg and Minnesota would make this season real fast. The only reason it’s possible is Sorokin. In the unlikely case they do get the four points, they have as good as chance as anyone to make the playoffs. Health of team is going to be huge coming out of the break Hogberg Dobson Pulock especially. Hogberg back and playing well is key. Pulock and Dobson proving they are somewhat healthy before the trade deadline is essential to get a quality young scoring wing back in a trade.
The Home Ice Problems at UBS started from Day 1. So many variables that fed into that. Barzel a couple of weeks ago was caught complaining about the crowd size, strange because the team gave very little reason for people to come out. I did not renew my season tickets after 2022- 2023. Attendance issues are solely a result of the On-Ice Product. UBS experience is first rate,as good as there is in the league. All attendance issues are due to the on ice product, Period!The Islanders have done a magnificent job from Sales to Arena Parking attendants. So I say to Barzel give us a consistent winning performance 3/4 of the time and the crowds will fill UBS. I’d love to renew my season tickets, but to expect different results after just playing it back over and over again is insanity. People want to see a legitimate Cup Contender. If I was Matt Barzel I would spend the Summer Training with Adam Oates. After seeing the results Lee and Horvat had with Oates, it’s a no brainer. Barzel needs to produce more period, not concern himself with the crowd size that comes to see a underwhelming hockey team. I’m a Barzel fan, but there is too much untapped scoring potential in his game. In saying that I do like his 200ft game that Barry instilled in him. Lou is in a unique situation let’s see what the team does and the moves he makes. It’s going to be a very interesting month. The overall effort and attention to detail is all of a sudden there regardless of who’s on the ice. The goaltending is outstanding with Sorokin and Hogberg. There are going to be opportunities to add to this team’s offensive capabilities. It was fantastic to hear directly from Brock that he basically wants to sign with the Islanders. Lou should give him the 3x8 he deserves, and I have very little worry about a drop off from Brock. The trade chips we use have to be Pulock or Dobson. We need a highly skilled proven winger. The Jordan Kyrou rumor makes so much sense. 1. He is a 26 year old proven product 2. He is signed long term at very good AAV. 3. He can complete a top line with Barzel Horvat and make a difference in the PP
4. He is a responsible defensive player.
He may not be the as flashy as Petterson, but might be the best fit. Dobson going to St. Louis is a great fit for them they need that foundational Defenseman. The risk with trading Dobson does it click, does he get stronger in the weight room and get that Nasty edge? If so you are looking at a two way Norris Trophy guy. The other option is to trade Pulock to Jets for a potential top winger prospect in Brad Lambert. A riskier move but with high reward potential, because you get to keep Dobson. The Islanders have had Dobson long enough to know his psychological make up. Is he Shane Gostisbehere or does he have it in him to be that Two Way Norris guy?