Five keys for the Islanders in second half of season
Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello watches practice at the Northwell Health Ice Center at Eisenhower Park on Sept. 23, 2021. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
START FAST
The Islanders still have played at least three games fewer than any team holding a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, so a winning streak would make up ground even if the contenders continue to play well. Nine of the Islanders’ first 11 games coming out of the All-Star break are on the road and eight of those are against teams either in a playoff spot or in playoff contention. The Islanders must raise their game quickly to the level of the competition and start earning points consistently.
ASSESS QUICKLY
The NHL trade deadline is March 21, but president and general manager Lou Lamoriello must make an honest assessment of his organization well before then, probably no later than when the team embarks on a five-game road trip starting in Seattle on Feb. 22. If the Islanders still are 17 points or more out of a playoff spot by then, the hard decision to be sellers rather than buyers might need to be made, especially with few prospects in the pipeline at AHL Bridgeport. However, if the Islanders gain ground and Lamoriello believes there is a real playoff push coming, he must bolster his NHL roster. The needs are a puck-moving defenseman and a legitimate goal-scoring wing.
BETTER PLAY WITH THE PUCK
The Islanders will continue to be an inconsistent team if their puck management does not improve. It’s not just turnovers, because every team turns the puck over. It’s the ability to effortlessly break out of the defensive zone and navigate through the neutral zone smoothly. Too often, that has been a real issue for the Islanders. The passes need to be much crisper and the decision-making process in the back end must be much quicker. Losing puck-moving defensemen Devon Toews and Nick Leddy in back-to-back offseasons for salary-cup purposes is a crack in the roster that has been showing since the start of the season.
RIDE THE HOT GOALIE
Coach Barry Trotz has said he will go away from alternating Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, as he recently did for nine straight games, and start to rely on which goalie is playing better. The second-half schedule certainly is condensed, with 43 games in 80 days, but given the steep climb back into playoff contention, Trotz no longer can afford to let players work out their struggles in game situations. Now is the time to identify a No. 1 goalie.
BEAT THE BETTER TEAMS
The second half of the season is a minefield of playing teams either in playoff position or contending for the playoffs, and the Islanders haven’t shown they can collect points against elite competition. They have a 2-14-2 record against teams that went into the All-Star break holding a playoff spot and were outscored 61-30 in those games. They will finish the season by facing those teams in 11 of their final 13 games.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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