The Islanders fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday evening by a score of 3–2. Unfortunately, Patrik Laine scored in overtime to give Columbus the victory, thanks to a well-timed wrist shot, beating goalie Ilya Sorokin.
For the Islanders, Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield contributed goals, but the team as a whole disappointed once again. The Islanders’ second line played poorly, as head coach Barry Trotz torched them for their performance.
“Their analytics were terrible” in CHI. “Think we may have to change some things around with that line.”
The line normally consists of Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders have plenty of talent on the second line for them to produce, but Trotz now has to consider alternative combinations.
As Matt O’Leary of Eyes on Isles points out, the second line has a goal percentage of just 16.7%, while they were expected to land over 30%. They are well behind the first line, so Trotz changing things up is justifiable. With Bailey struggling to start the year, Trotz may have to disrupt the first line to add more quality behind them.
Of course, the season is still young, and players are still getting into the groove of things, so a bit of consistency may be beneficial in the short term.