The Islanders are starting to get a clearer picture of what they want to be under Pete DeBoer, and the picture is coming into focus around one word.
“Relentless,” DeBoer said when Newsday asked him to define the team’s identity. “It’s a word that I really like on how we want to play. If we’re going to make mistakes, I want to make them being aggressive.
“We’re getting better at being the smarter team on the road, which means not turning the puck over, staying out of the penalty box. Giving yourself a chance to win every night. Because with our goaltending and if you defend well and you’re the smarter team, that’s a formula to at least give yourself a chance to win every game you’re in.”
That’s the backbone of the Islanders right now. They head into Tuesday night’s game against the Ducks at UBS Arena coming off a strong 1-0-1 trip through Canada, and their calling card has already become obvious: structure, discipline and defense. The Islanders enter Tuesday ranked second in the NHL with 18 goals against, and they have given up two or fewer goals in six of their eight games.
But DeBoer knows that alone won’t be enough. A true identity has to travel both directions. The Islanders need that same defensive bite to turn into offense, because the kind of completeness that matters in this league has to show up in the attacking zone, too.
“As far as our systems go, we want to be relentless in how we want to pursue the puck and how we want to defend,” DeBoer said.
That message has taken root with players like Kyle MacLean, who has fit the fourth-line mold DeBoer seems to value.
“What we’re sort of establishing is getting in the defensive zone and having good reloads,” MacLean said. “A lot of things Pete’s been harping on we’re doing a good job of, the defensive zone especially. That’s where it starts and then everything builds out from there.”
The problem, as always, is that the Islanders have had to build this identity while dealing with a long list of injuries. Alexander Romanov, who has a right knee injury, is likely done for the regular season.
Mathew Barzal has been out since the start of training camp with a left knee injury, though he is skating on his own. And on Saturday in Toronto, where the Islanders earned a gritty 4-1 win, second-line center Cal Ritchie and top-line left wing Matias Maccelli both left with lower-body injuries.
Even so, the two forwards inserted into Tuesday’s lineup - MacLean and Mitchell Chaffee - fit the tone DeBoer is trying to set. Both play a style that matches the “relentless” label.
Chaffee, recalled Monday from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario, also echoed the sense of connection inside the room.
“It’s a special group,” Chaffee said. “From the top down, the players are better people.
When everyone is connected together and playing well, I think this team is special. They have a lot of attributes that not a lot of teams have.
When you come in here, you can tell everyone is so close.”
That kind of chemistry matters, but the Islanders know it has to be backed by results. They have not had a true team identity since Barry Trotz guided them to back-to-back appearances in the NHL semifinals in 2020 and 2021, when their defense was stingy and the group had a tight bond through the chaos of the pandemic-impacted seasons. Since then, the Islanders have not won a playoff series and have not appeared in the postseason since 2024.
There was a different kind of push under Patrick Roy, who wanted his teams to play fast and aggressive. But that style often came at the expense of defense, and the Islanders were too often left depending on Ilya Sorokin to rescue points.
Now, with DeBoer, the standard looks more grounded. The defense is there.
The discipline is there. The challenge is making sure the offense follows.
And after the way the Islanders handled the Maple Leafs while down to 10 forwards, there’s a real reason for optimism. Playing smart under pressure and coming away with two points can do that.
Winning has to be part of the identity, too.
In Other News...
Stars Lose A Key Defensive Piece At The Worst Time
Scott Mayfields season has already been defined by a frustrating lack of ice time, and the latest sign points to that not changing against the Anaheim Ducks. The Islanders defenseman has appeared in only two games this season, leaving him on the outside looking in even as the club continues to manage its blue line and evaluate its options.
The situation has created an awkward backdrop for both player and team, especially with a full no-trade clause giving Mayfield control over his future for now. If the healthy scratches keep piling up, his name could become one to watch as the season moves along and the Islanders navigate a roster picture that still feels unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders May Have Found A Fourth Line Fans Can Rally Behind
The Islanders 3-2 win over the Ducks had the kind of depth-driven feel that can steady a team looking for reliable contributions beyond its top end. With three different goal scorers and nine players recording points, the night offered a little bit of everything, but one of the more noticeable developments came from the bottom half of the lineup, where fresh faces and grinding shifts helped set the tone.
Mitchell Chaffee, recalled on Monday, made his Islanders debut and left enough of an impression to earn the hardest worker helmet, while Ondej Palt was named player of the game. Afterward, head coach Pete DeBoer pointed to Chaffee and Kyle MacLean as examples of the physical edge and energy that can make a fourth line matter, the kind of detail that can quickly turn a one-off performance into something fans start watching for every night. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Still Have A Barzal Problem With No Clear End In Sight
Mathew Barzals absence has stretched from the start of training camp into the early part of the season, and the Islanders still do not have a clear answer on when he might get back on the ice. General manager Mathieu Darche said Barzal is dealing with inflammation in his left knee and remains without a timetable to resume practicing or playing, leaving the club to keep navigating life without one of its most important forwards.
The uncertainty around Barzal has only added to the attention around the roster, but Darche also pushed back on another item making the rounds. He said there is no truth to the rumor that defenseman Scott Mayfield is considering waiving his no-trade clause, noting that Mayfields agent was in town for unrelated reasons, which at least quiets one source of speculation while the bigger Barzal question lingers. [Read more 🡒]