Typically, a 38-save performance allows a team to win, especially at the American Hockey League (AHL) level. The Bridgeport Islanders are far from the typical team. They allowed three goals in their Oct. 30 game against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with one goal coming late in the third period to lose the game 4-3 in the shootout.
Related: Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Will Be One of the AHL’s Best This Season
The Islanders are a mess on defense and it’s why they are one of the worst AHL teams early on. The question is if this unit is better than the one from last season which allowed 3.08 goals per game (through eight games, they are allowing 3.87 goals per game.) The defense can improve by the end of the season but at the end of the day, the unit still looks like the same mess that kept the team in last place last season.
Young Skaters Give Islanders Hope
The big plus is that they have new faces on the defense to change the complexion. Isaiah George and Calle Odelius are two of the New York Islanders’ top prospects and are playing their first season in the AHL. They are still adapting to the league but they are great skaters and will make the unit better later in the season.
The problem is that the unit won’t look good early on. The Islanders no longer have Robin Salo or Sebastian Aho, two staples of the AHL roster, as anchors, and their two younger skaters are adapting and struggling in the process. It’s why they lost back-to-back games to the Charlotte Checkers where they allowed 13 goals. It’s hard to be patient when the team only has one win through eight games but that’s what must happen with this team.
The Defense Remains Structurally Flawed
The Islanders are searching for defensemen to emerge as two-way players to help out the NHL roster, which only has one reliable two-way player in Noah Dobson. It’s the direction the league is heading in and why George, Odelius, and Samuel Bolduc have taken on greater roles in the offensive zone. This mindset comes at a cost, especially for a team that already struggles to defend.
They allow a lot of scoring chances the other way. Their recent game saw them allow 41 shots and if it wasn’t for a strong game by Marcus Hogberg, they would have suffered their third blowout loss in a row. It’s not just the mindset: the defense allows opponents to move the puck around and find open shots on the net. The Islanders aren’t shutting teams down as they fail to play both the passing lanes and the shooting lanes when the opponent has the puck.
It’s one of the signs this team is poorly coached. The skaters on the ice have changed and the expectations are for things to improve. However, the defense has the same lingering issues. Great coaching staffs get their teams playing disciplined hockey or at least have them looking sound on one end of the ice. So far, the Islanders have played poorly across the board.
Issues From Last Season Are Still Prevalent
The kids refer to a turnover in the defensive zone when the skater tries an outlet pass as a “pizza” which gives the opposition a great scoring chance. The Islanders have given up enough pizzas in the past two seasons to ask their opposition if they want fries or anything else with it. The defenseman will often control the puck in their zone but then a poor outlet passes or mismanagement of the puck will create an instant scoring chance and prevent their goaltender from having an easy night in the net.
It’s a greater issue than the turnovers. The Islanders don’t move the puck well. It’s an issue at the forward position as well but ideally, one of the defensemen would be able to set up the offense. So far, nobody has. The irony is that the offseason additions were meant to upgrade that facet of the game. George and Odelius were great puck handlers last season yet they haven’t helped the Islanders turn defense into offense.
Lastly, when the Islanders have the puck in the offensive zone, the defensemen continue to play the same style as they did last season. They won’t move a lot in the zone and when they have the puck, they will either pass it to the wings or fling it on the net and hope for the best. It will create a goal or two but not enough to make the offense a potent one. Ultimately, it’s left the Islanders flailing early on in the season and with a bleak outlook for the rest of the season.
Goaltending Won’t Help Islanders
The latest game, where Hogberg made 38 saves, was the exception and not the rule. The goaltending was a weakness for the Islanders last season and it remains a weak link early on. Jakub Skarek has improved with a .904 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.02 goals-against average (GAA) on 83 shots but Hogberg, even with the strong game, still has a .882 SV% and a 3.89 GAA on 178 shots.
Ironically, the goaltender with the highest upside who can turn the unit around is Henrik Tikkanen, who put together an impressive 2023-24 season and signed an entry-level contract in the offseason yet was sent down to the ECHL last week. The goal is to give the younger goaltender more playing time and more starts but the argument could be made that he should be doing so regularly at the AHL level.
The Islanders have room to improve and the defense has the pieces in place to be a better one by the end of the season. The problem is that it doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon and the losses will keep piling up because of it.
