Islanders scoring more but need to get back to defensive roots
TEMPE Ariz. Jared Bednar was asked Tuesday morning about the Islanders reputation: disciplined, defensive, structured.
Its a brand theyve built over years and not one that can be shed over half a season, at least amongst casual watchers.
The coach of the Avalanche, however, is not that.
Yeah, it doesnt seem to be the case this year, Bednar said. I mean, theyre a good defensive hockey team, but theyve opened things up significantly. Theyre a high-danger offensive team right now. Put pucks in the back of the net.
Expected goals for is high. Little bit higher on the defensive side of it as well, but their goaltendings been outstanding, too.
With all the polite trappings necessary from an opposing coach, that is a way of saying the identity of the 2023-24 Islanders does not remotely resemble that of recent Islanders vintage.
Avalanche’s Nathan McKinnon (front) congratulates Valeri Nichuskin (center) for scoring the game game-tying goal in the third period of the Islanders’ overtime loss. APBednars team then went out and produced some more proof of that on the ice in a 5-4 overtime victory.
That was the sixth time in 37 games the Isles have allowed five or more goals, by the way.
At the peak of the Barry Trotz era, they did so just four times over 54 games in 2021.
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Different time, different team.
But the Islanders would do well to fall back on some of those old characteristics.
It is not easy to lock things down defensively when the Isles have spent most of the season down multiple members of their defensive core.
The number of D-men out went back up to three on Wednesday when Robert Bortuzzo was put on injured reserve, joining Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, who are both on long-term injured reserve.
The Islanders cant control for that.
But they can control for having more of a response after Bortuzzo was hit into the boards by Samuel Girard leading to his injury on Tuesday night.
It was a legal hit no one needed to drop gloves with Girard.
But it was reflective of an evening where the Avalanche controlled the game physically, getting credit for 16 hits to the Isles 20 despite having significantly more puck possession.
They came in hard, Isles coach Lane Lambert said. I didnt think we did a good enough job of getting skin for our defensemen and holding people up.
Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield tries to chase Nathan MacKinnon during their overtime loss to the Avalanche. APThey can also control for structure and for managing the puck, too.
They had some of the former on Tuesday, when they did a nice job of keeping shots to the outside at even strength.
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But this is a team currently ranking 30th in high-danger chances allowed at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
The increased offense helps, and surely makes for more entertaining hockey than the Isles used to play.
Trying to win every game 2-1 is not what this team, built around the surging Noah Dobson and the dynamic duo of Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat, needs.
They had trouble creating offense for the last few years, I would say, but their personnel, the way theyre playing now, they become much more dangerous both off the rush and in offensive-zone play, Bednar said. What they do really well is they go to the net hard. So their D can shoot the puck, their forwards can get pucks through and then they go to the net and crash the net hard. And so deflections, screens, rebounds, low-slot drives, theyre gonna make it tough on you around the paint and in your end.
All true, and all a credit to Lambert for turning the Islanders into a dangerous offensive outfit.
But there is a reasonable middle ground here that his team has yet to find as it brings a season-long goal differential of negative-10 into Arizona for Thursdays game against the Coyotes.
It is no coincidence that the Islanders did not truly climb back into the playoff race last season until they embraced defensive structure with Barzal out and started playing a more careful, closed-off game.
That is what needs to happen now, and soon.
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