Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Let’s put aside Saturday afternoon’s shutout loss (day games are silly anyway!). You still have to feel good about where the Isles are after getting four of six points on their mid-west road trip and 10 of a possible 12 over six games. But there are still parts of their game yet to click.
“Give them credit, they played well. I thought they were taking away time and space but I didn’t think we played fast enough and there’s no excuse for it.” - Lane Lambert after Saturday’s loss
In the loss to the Red Wings, special teams were the difference. The Isles allowed a power play and a short-handed goal - you don’t often win games when that happens. In their three power-play opportunities, they generated just three shots on goal and two high-danger chances. Not good enough - and that’s been the trend so far this season when playing up a man.
Overall, the team has played well 5v5, and they’re scoring enough (3.42 goals per game). The penalty kill, despite allowing goals in four straight games, has been a bright spot and is third in the league at 90.5%.
But, as Stefan Rosner details in NYIHockeyNow, the power play remains the one missing piece that has yet to get going. At 13.5%, it is fourth from the bottom in the NHL and has received nothing from its second unit.
There are going to be games when 5v5 scoring dries up, or Ilya Sorokin isn’t at his best, and if the power play continues to lag, it could be what prevents the Islanders from staying in the top half of the Eastern Conference.
Coming up, Robin Salo needs to get some work in and a pre-game warm-up unlike any other Plus, Mat Barzal is still searching for his first, the Isles erupt in East Rutherford, and we revisit a trade proposal that was happily never entertained (at least by the GM).
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: On Sunday afternoon, the Islanders loaned defenseman Robin Salo to AHL Bridgeport. The Isles will play their next three of four games at home, and the one away game is at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, so they don’t necessarily need to carry seven defensemen.
Lane Lambert likes what he has in Sebastian Aho at the moment, so the reassignment appears to allow Salo to get some games in to keep fresh and game ready when he’s likely called back up before the Islanders head out for their next road trip that starts on Nov. 14th.
❓OUT OF PLACE: Detroit had a pre-game ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1997-98 team. To prevent the game from being delayed, the teams agreed to have their pre-game warmup at another facility without fans. “It was different today,” Semyon Varlamov said. “I don’t think I’ve ever done this before. But there’s always going to be new things. It was out of our control, what are you going to do? Detroit had a ceremony with big stars, big names.”
Varlamov had to leave during the second period after a collision in his crease and was replaced by Ilya Sorokin, who played the final 8:13 of the period.
The collision was a result of some "friendly fire" as Zach Parise checked Lucas Raymond from behind and sent him barreling head-first into Varlamov, who fell backward. He left for the remainder of the second, but came back for the third.
◾️ CAME BACK: "I feel good right now," said Varlamov. "I'm glad I was able to come back and finish the game and give [Sorokin] some rest.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are back at UBS Arena versus the Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames. It's an earlier start time with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
📊 STANDINGS:
🏒 STILL SEARCHING: You miss 100% you don’t take, and when you do shoot, you need to hit the net. Through 12 games, Mathew Barzal is still without a goal. Yes, he’s registered 11 assists and has been the same puck possession and skating wizard that we’ve grown accustomed to, but the first goal remains elusive. Heading into Saturday, he had among the lowest goals above expected (GAx) in the league, according to J Fresh Hockey.
On Saturday, with the game scoreless, Barzal had a 2-on-1 with Josh Bailey but appeared to be thinking pass the whole way. Guarding the pass, the Detroit defender was able to deflect the puck, which made Bailey skate on by.
For the game, Barzal had six missed shots, including one near the end of the game where he missed a yawning cage, albeit from a sharp angle. The reaction captured Barzal’s frustration.
Earlier, he came in with speed against Husso (was hit with a high stick that wasn’t called) but sent the backhand wide after pulling it back to avoid the poke check.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Brock Nelson saw his four-game goal-scoring streak end, and Anders Lee’s four-game point streak also ended. The Isles were shutout for the first time since February 2nd vs. Seattle and were shutout for the first time on the road since November 11, 2021, in NJ. The game was also Lou Lamoriello’s 3,000th NHL game as GM (including playoffs).
Detroit’s win was its first shutout against the Islanders since Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots in a 5-0 triumph on Nov. 29, 2013, at the Nassau Coliseum.
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: On November 7, 1990, Pat LaFontaine had two goals and an assist to carry the Islanders to a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils in East Rutherford. Patrick Flatley's 11th goal of the season at 13:35 of the third period was part of a four-goal third period and gave the Isles the lead. The loss was the Devils’ first at home during the 90-91 season.
🎧 Lighthouse Hockey - Islanders Anxiety: Dog Should Have Known Better: In a supersized episode, Mike and Dan recap the Islanders’ games against Blackhawks, Blues and Red Wings, and Dan speaks with former WHA & NHL linesman Ron Asselstine about his career and memories of the dynasty Isles.
🔗 4 Takeaways from Islanders’ Recent Success, by Jon Zella, The Hockey Writers: “Oh, how a week makes all the difference in the early throws of an NHL season. Following a three-game skid resulting in a 2-4-0 record, the New York Islanders now sit at 7-5-0, comfortably in the running for a wild card spot – for the time being.”
And we leave you with this…turn back the clock five years, and you may recall that Matt Duchene was considered by many as the No. 2 center the Isles needed to compliment John Tavares. While some fans were willing to pay a steep price, I don’t think any would have said yes to the asking price reported by Arthur Staple.
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.....as I noted in an 'Eye On Isles' comment, Detroit played what HAS to be among THE most openly obstructionist games I've EVER seen, with officials MOSTLY indulging them.....not sure HOW our boys COULD'VE won that one, with Husso JUST as INPENETRABLE (as YOU did Joe; yes, it does HAPPEN : (