Islanders Reality A Cause For Concern
The Islanders have found ways to win despite offensive struggles, but a blowout loss exposed deeper issues. Now comes a defining response.
Happy Free Friday, peeps.
ELMONT, NY — The New York Islanders needed a game like this. Yes, I’m referring to Thursday’s 7-2 bludgeoning by the Utah Mammoth in front of a sold-out crowd at UBS Arena.
For too long, arguably the last three weeks, the Islanders haven’t played their best brand of hockey, yet they have found ways to get points. Not that they were thrilled with how they were playing — they’ve now been held to two or fewer goals in eight straight games, nine if you count the 3-2 shootout win to the Tampa Bay Lightning — but it’s easier to stomach the struggles when points are being obtained.
Over the last eight games, the Islanders have gone 4-3-1 and woke up this morning still holding down the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.
But let’s dissect things for a moment.
After the Vancouver Canucks beat them 4-1 on home ice back on Dec. 19, it was backup netminder David Rittich who stole them a point against the Buffalo Sabres in Western New York, in a 3-2 shootout loss.
On Tuesday, Dec. 23, Rittich was brilliant yet again, in a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. He kept the Islanders in the game early and then kept the game tied before Adam Pelech won the game with 1:15 to play in regulation. This start for Rittich came after we were told that Ilya Sorokin was dealing with a nagging issue with the club, using the upcoming Christmas break as a chance to rest up and be good to go afterward.
Unfortunately, Sorokin wasn’t ready to go after the break — he still isn’t ready, and it sounds like Rittich will start against Tampa on Saturday — which meant the team was turning to Rittich against the New York Rangers.
Rittich put forth another masterful performance, denying all 27 shots that came his way in a 2-0 shutout victory, despite the Islanders not playing their best.
Trend coming.
On Sunday, with Rittich being tasked with both games of the back-to-back situation, the Islanders blew a 2-1 lead with five minutes to go in the third period, before allowing the game-winning goal with just 2:06 to go.
It was a bad loss, but, hey, you move on.
The problem was, we saw them struggle again on Tuesday, recovering from blowing a 2-0 lead to beat the bad Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. After that game, Mathew Barzal summed things up.
“We just fu**ing took them lightly. Honestly, after (a 2-0 lead), we thought it was going to be an easy game,” (H/t Newsday).
You commend their hot start against Utah on Thursday, as they could not possibly come out flat after acknowledging what Barzal acknowledged.
But what’s a hot start if you don’t score any goals early, and what transpired over the final minutes was beyond ugly.
Nothing could be swept under the rug after their loss on Thursday. They couldn’t transition cleanly. They couldn’t close up their gaps. Both special teams struggled — the penalty kill had been a pretty big bright spot. They lost Bo Horvat at the 12-minute mark of the second period with an apparent lower-body injury, so we’ll see what the prognosis is on that.
Rittich was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots.
“We had a really good start. I think it affected us, not scoring in that first period, Roy said. “I think it played a role in this game. If we were to score in that first period, it would probably help us, give us some momentum out of it. I think that it did the opposite. But after that, I’d say it’s probably more the details of the game. We lost battles, one-on-one, battles where we should have been better in those areas. We take some penalties, offensive zone penalty, too many men. So I mean, these details at some point will hurt you. And this is a team that has a lot of good skills. So if you give them 2-on-1s and stuff like this, you probably ought to pay the price at the end of the night.”
The lack of goal scoring is one thing, but the group's cohesiveness and inability to find consistency certainly stem from the forever-changing lineup.
Obviously, injuries play a vital role, and Roy is trying to find trios that work. He may have found one to stick with, as the Maxim Shabanov—Calum Ritchie—Simon Holmstrom line has been effective these last few games, but everyone else has had a hard time getting into an offensive groove.
I think that happens when the lines fluctuate as much as they have. I know this is a group where most players have played together often over the years. But when the Islanders were rolling on that road trip, where they went 6-1-0, their lineup didn’t change much.
The fact of the matter is that we’ve seen a handful of bottom-six players rotated in and out. At this point, 41 games into the season, Roy should know who is 12 best forwards are. Players can have bad nights — I get it — but there should be a clear line on which 12 gives them the best chance to win a hockey game.
Those 12 should be playing. And for a little while, lines should be allowed to gel because the constant rotation isn’t working. The offense isn’t clicking, and we are at the point where Sorokin is missing as much time as he had, and Rittich is being forced to play what will likely be an eighth straight game on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the offense needs to win them a hockey game — in regulation.
Regular changes are a sign of a mediocre team, and this team should be better than that. We can go through a list of players who need to start carrying their weight more offensively.
And, I want to make it clear that against Utah, the defense and penalty-killing, including Rittich on a goal or two, weren’t good enough either. But it’s hard to fault that side of the puck when they’ve been the only reason the Islanders have been in games and earned points for a handful of weeks.
The Islanders needed a wake-up call like Thursday, and now, it’s about the response.
And that response will speak volumes not just to upper management but to each other.
A strong start against the Leafs won’t be good enough. They need a win in which they score more than 2 goals. They need a breakout game, and Toronto, for many reasons, should bring out the best in them.
Time will tell.
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