How Long Can Same Script Continue?

The Islanders have dropped their last three games and are now a bottom-five team in the NHL.

Stefen Rosner, David Kolb, and The Elmonters

Jan 03, 2025

ELMONT, NY — The New York Islanders had a chance to flip the script on an ugly 2024 portion of the season when they hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second end of the home-and-home to kick off 2025.

The Islanders played well, outside of the scoring goals part, losing 2-1.

And yes, their PP failed on three attempts, including 19 seconds of a 5-on-3, as they now sit at a paltry 11%. The Islanders are 0-for-20 over their last 10 games.

And yes, in a big moment of the game late in the third, their penalty kill couldn’t get the job done, allowing the game-winning goal to Bobby McMann. Their penalty kill went 1-for-2 to fall to 63.5% and have now allowed a power-play goal in eight straight games.

The Islanders have been outscored 9-0 on special teams over their last 10 games.

The Islanders have now lost 11 games when they’ve scored two or fewer goals.

The amount of chances the Islanders had in this game likely kept them up all night.

Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri couldn’t score on breakaways. Hudson Fasching was allowed to walk in from the right face-off dot but couldn’t bury.

On the power play, Brock Nelson couldn’t beat Woll on a back-door power-play chance, as he’s scoreless in 16 straight games.

Mathew Barzal had the best chance of the night, alone, at the top of the crease, with a few seconds to pick his spot. Woll tracked it into his glove.

“I think we just need to get better shots on net. The quality of our shots needs to be better,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “But overall, I wouldn't change anything in our game. I mean, I would love to see the better shots, quality of our shots, that's all. But the guys are working hard. The guys are playing hard.”

This was just a few days after he said that if you are a shooter, you have to score on your shot; if not, you must crash the net.

The crash-the-net people are having much more success than the shooters, and that’s a serious problem.

So, to sum things up:

Strong 5-on-5 play
Created plenty of chances, especially on the rush
Failed PP
Failed PK
Strong goaltending
Lose the game

Those are the same bullet notes of the Islanders portion of the script in 2024.

How long can this same script continue?

There’s no excuses. Everyone’s back healthy. The offensive structure is creating quality on top of quality chances.

They seem defeated collectively. The season is slipping away, and fast. The positive remarks from Patrick Roy after the continuous same-style losses aren’t going to cut it anymore.

Here’s what Roy said after the game.

“I have nothing to support what I’m going to say, but we’re playing good hockey.”

Roy will get criticized a lot, especially as the season continues, for decisions and ineptitude on special teams.

But I’m sorry. The offense blunders and most of the club’s issues are due to the player's failure to execute on both sides of the puck. The system works if it’s given a dash of power-play goals. Without them, the Islanders can’t score or gain momentum in games.

The team is ice-cold, but they don’t have any ice in their veins.

Former Canucks Captain, Islanders Forward Bo Horvat On Pettersson & Miller Rift

EAST MEADOW, NY -- There's a rift going on inside the Vancouver Canucks locker room between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.

The team has tried to put a lid on it, but the Canadian media and NHL insiders have commented on its toxicity and effect on Vancouver as a whole.

It sounds like if things don't clear up, one of the two could be on the move.

Who better to ask about that than former Canucks captain and current New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat, who played with the two.

Islanders Assistant Coach Benoit Desrosiers Deserving Of A Bigger Role

Out of the New York Islanders' three assistant coaches, only one seems to have the complete buy-in from players.

And that's Benoit Desrosiers, who is in his first full season as an NHL assistant coach.

While the 36-year-old has a say in the penalty kill, which is historically bad, he has complete control of the team's face-off game plan.

So, is it time for Desrosiers to take on a bigger role?

THE SKINNY & ISLANDERS NEWS

Before we get to the power play, here’s "The Skinny" from Eric Hornick (Brendan Burke and Butch Goring’s MSG Networks statistician). The site is updated after each game with incredible statistics and facts.

Hornick Gems: The Isles have not won consecutive home games this season; it is the first time since the shortened 2013 season that they have played 18 home games without consecutive home wins.

Check out much more at Hornick’s The Skinny: Maple Leafs 2, Isles 1