Low-scoring Isles still searching for offensive punch
New York Islanders left wing Zach Parise chases the puck behind Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Zach Trotman in the first period of an NHL hockey game at UBS Arena on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
DETROIT — Often, slumping players or coaches on struggling teams patiently point to the scoring chances being created as an omen of better things to come.
This is not one of those times for the Islanders.
"We need the production right now," coach Barry Trotz said before Saturday night’s game against the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. "It’s hard to win in this league as it is. We haven’t scored a lot. We’ve got to win 1-0 right now."
The last-place Islanders entered Saturday on an 0-8-1 skid after Thursday night’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks at UBS Arena. They had scored one or fewer goals in seven of their previous eight games, having been shut out three times in that span. They had been outscored by an aggregate 34-8 during their nine-game losing streak.
The Islanders did get Zdeno Chara back in the lineup after the future Hall of Fame defenseman missed the previous three games while in COVID-19 protocol. In all, eight Islanders players have tested positive since Nov. 16 but only Casey Cizikas remained unavailable.
Still, it’s an understatement to note the Islanders, who opened the season with a 13-game road trip, have faced plenty of adversity just a quarter of the way through what was supposed to be a Stanley Cup-or-bust season after back-to-back berths in the NHL semifinals.
"It’s a group that doesn’t get rattled," said Zach Parise, in his first season with the Islanders. "Just from talking to guys before the season, that had been brought up, too, just how calm, collected throughout the games they are as a group. From what we’ve been dealt with this year, I’m seeing that big time.
"It would be easy right now to start going the other direction. It’s a positive group of people and players that just doesn’t seem to get fazed by anything, which could easily happen right now."
Still, Parise, who has scored fewer than 20 goals just five times in full seasons since entering the NHL in 2005, had just three assists in his first 18 games.
"At the end of the day, we’d all like to be scoring goals and giving ourselves a little breathing room out there," said Parise, who entered Saturday sixth on the Islanders with 34 shots. "But, as a group, it’s not coming as easily as you’d like it to. For me, personally, I feel the looks are there."
Fellow former Devil Kyle Palmieri, a five-time, 20-goal scorer who entered Saturday third on the team with 44 shots, had one goal and six assists in 18 games. Anthony Beauvillier, who Trotz predicted earlier this season was due for a "breakout season," entered Saturday without a point in nine games. Josh Bailey had just one goal in his first 13 games. Jean-Gabriel Pageau had just one goal and three assists in 17 games.
"We’ve got some guys that, you look at them, year in and year out, and you’re earmarking 18 to 22 goals a year for some of these guys and they’re sitting at zero or one," Trotz said.
"It’s not because of a lack of ice time. It’s not from lack of opportunities. It has been a lack of production. It’s a little bit of a mindset. When you’re scoring, you’re getting it and you’re delivering it to the net right now. Half the time, they’re not even picking a corner, they’re just shooting off the instincts. [Now it’s] a lot of double clutching. We don’t get it off our stick very quick and that comes with confidence. Right now, we don’t have a lot of offensive confidence."
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.
