Everything seems like it’s a struggle right now for the New York Islanders. It’s easy to see why.
The team’s overall confidence, which was showing in droves in the first three months of the season, has gone missing. And last week might have been the lowest point.
The Isles went 0-2-1 in the three games that were on their schedule. They lost a heartbreaker to their bitter rivals — the New York Rangers — in overtime after rallying from a two-goal deficit late in the third period. They followed that defeat up with a 3-2 overtime loss to the defending Cup champion Blues, one where they were two minutes away from stealing two points. Then came Saturday, where they were outplayed and outclassed from the minute the puck was dropped in a 4-0 drubbing by the Boston Bruins.
“We have another gear in us,†forward Derick Brassard told Newsday yesterday. “It’s just, at this time of the year, it’s your will against their will.â€
Brassard is right. This current group does have another gear in them. But to get there, they need to start playing with confidence and swagger again.
That means being the aggressor in games right off the bat.
Too many times recently, the Isles have been forced to play on their heels, essentially having to “chase the game” as head coach Barry Trotz would say. They seem to give up the first goal almost every night now too. And to make matters worse, when they have to divert to that style, the more prone they’ve become to making uncharacteristic mistakes while also forcing their goaltenders, Thomas Greiss and Semyon Varlamov, to be under siege.
“We just haven’t been able to find that extra push that can get the momentum or make a difference in the game,” d-man Ryan Pulock told reporters following practice Monday. “That’s the difference right now.”
The physical aspect is another spot where the Isles could find some of that edge were used to seeing them play with.
Even though the New York Islanders are still the second-best in the NHL in hits-per-game as team with 28.0, the team has looked a bit soft since losing two-thirds of their fourth line — Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas — to freak injuries. Those two guys, along with their running mate, Matt Martin, are extremely vital to the game the Islanders want to play. Clutterbuck is back now which is a positive sign, but Cizikas is still a week or more away from returning. That still opens up a spot for someone, maybe one of the veterans — Leo Komarov, Johnny Boychuk, or even Josh Bailey — to take on that extra responsibility.
The offense finally figuring itself out would also really give this team a big boost.
There’s no need to harp on how brutal the offense has looked in recent weeks, let alone the entire season. There just seems to be a hesitation to just let it fly on the attack, and it’s having an effect on everyone in the lineup. It’s no different for the power play, where the Islanders just can’t seem to get themselves together and be a cohesive two units.
If you want to win in this league, you have to be willing to shoot the puck and make it hard on the opposition however possible. If the New York Islanders started doing that, it would make a world of difference.
There are 18 games left this year for the Islanders, and every one of them is going to be a dogfight. Trotz has said that while his team has gotten punched in the mouth, they can’t just lay down and take it. They need to push back.
How do they do that? By showing confidence.
Getting two straight games against some of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, the Canadiens and Senators could help with that. But from this point forward, the Islanders need to be a confident bunch if they want to be a threat in the postseason or even a playoff team in general.