The New York Islanders spent the first month of the season looking like a team that had found its lane. They weren’t blowing opponents off the ice, but they were organized, hard to play against and committed to the kind of hockey Pete DeBoer wants: structured, disciplined and steady.
Now, after four straight losses, that version of the Islanders feels harder to find.
What’s been so frustrating about this skid is that the Islanders haven’t completely lost their game. They’ve lost their grip on it. The foundation is still there at times, but they keep drifting away from the details that made them effective in the first place.
“It’s all a mindset for us,” captain Bo Horvat told Newsday following Tuesday’s practice. “We know what our good game likes like and then sometimes we just get away from it and it kind of bites us.”
That’s the issue in a nutshell. The Islanders aren’t getting overwhelmed for a full 60 minutes. They’re showing flashes of the same responsible hockey that carried them through October, then loosening up once the game starts to open.
Monday’s 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose fit that script. New York controlled the first 10 minutes, scored first and then, instead of staying patient, seemed willing to turn the game into a back-and-forth exchange.
That’s not their game.
“We turned the puck over too much and we didn’t defend with enough detail,” DeBoer said. “We got into a game that we’re not built for in order to win.”
The Islanders’ formula is pretty clear. They need clean puck management, sound defensive structure and the discipline to force opponents to earn everything. They’re not built to run and gun, and they’re not built to win a track meet.
Getting back on track doesn’t call for a dramatic overhaul. It calls for sticking with the plan, especially after an early lead.
Keep the puck moving safely. Cut down the turnovers.
Don’t let a few offensive chances pull them away from the defensive work that gives them a chance.
Thursday against the Kings would be a good time to do exactly that.
In Other News...
Islanders Could Face Tough Lineup Calls As Key Returns Near
The Islanders are using a break in their three-game road trip to catch their breath in Los Angeles, but the pause may not make life any easier once play resumes. A few key pieces are starting to work their way back into the mix, and that always forces a coach to start weighing not just who is healthy, but how the lineup should look when everyone is available again.
Matias Maccelli, Ryan Pulock and Mat Barzal all practiced as regulars on Wednesday, a sign that the roster picture is getting closer to full strength. J-G Pageau took a maintenance day, adding another small wrinkle to a group that is already heading toward some difficult decisions, with the kind of lineup pressure that can ripple through the rest of the trip and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Keep Letting Sorokins Best Nights Slip Away
Ilya Sorokin has done his part during the Islanders recent skid, but the results have not followed. Over a 0-2-2 stretch, the goalie has turned in strong performances that should have given New York a chance to bank points, only for the team to come away empty too often and leave another night of quality netminding feeling wasted.
Bo Horvat and coach Pete DeBoer both praised Sorokins play, underscoring how much the Islanders have leaned on him while trying to steady their game. The bigger concern now is less about Sorokins form than whether the group in front of him can start closing out games and turn those standout nights into wins. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Are Suddenly Tied To A Flyers Situation Worth Watching
A Flyers situation that surfaced late last night has naturally caught the attention of teams around the league, including the Islanders, even if nothing has moved beyond the rumor stage. Matvei Michkov remains viewed in Philadelphia as a central piece of the rebuild, and as of early last night the Flyers had not received a formal trade request from the young forward. There also have been no confirmed trade talks, which keeps this firmly in the realm of something to monitor rather than something already in motion.
Still, the mere possibility is enough to put the Islanders on the list of clubs worth watching here. Any team that might pry loose a player with Michkovs ceiling would have to come prepared with real value, and Philadelphia is not in a hurry to entertain the idea. For now, the story is less about an active market than about whether interest around the league eventually turns into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]