Game 1 of the Carolina Hurricanes series against the New York Islanders went as many expected it would. The game was slow, chippy, hard-hitting, great defensively, and had a lot of big saves from both goaltenders. Also, as expected the Hurricanes won the game as they never trailed in the 3-1 victory.
Related: Islanders Have Blueprint to Win Series After Game 1 Loss
The Islanders are following a similar game plan to the one they had last season. The result a season ago was a one-sided series which they lost in six games. With Patrick Roy behind the bench, they must change and adapt if they want to upset the Hurricanes. Roy was known for his ability to adjust at the junior level and all eyes are on him to see if he can have the Islanders playing a different style to defeat a juggernaut like the Hurricanes.
Roy Must Speed Things Up
The Islanders must apply more pressure and try to win high-scoring games. They aren’t going to beat a team that is this good defensively in a low-scoring, grind-it-out type of series, as Game 1 showed. The Hurricanes only allowed 2.57 goals per game in the regular season and they limited the Islanders in the first game to only one goal.
One of the criticisms of former head coach Lane Lambert was that he had the team playing without structure or discipline. But give him some credit, he had the team playing at a fast pace, one that allowed them to run up the score (until they would inevitably run out of steam in the third period). Roy shouldn’t have the team playing like that. However, he should have the Islanders pushing for a faster pace and daring the Hurricanes to beat them with their offense.
The Islanders must try to win with offense, and they will give up scoring chances in the process, but it’s the price they must pay. The offense has the firepower to take over this series and with Mathew Barzal leading the top line with Bo Horvat, they can try it out in Game 2 with hopes of evening up the series.
Drop the Chip & Chase
The chip and chase is a staple and part of the Islanders’ identity. It allows them to create turnovers with the forecheck and set the tone in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, it only works when the opposition struggles to move the puck up the ice. The Hurricanes are not that type of team and certainly don’t struggle with their outlet passes with defensemen Brent Burns and Brady Skjei leading the way.
A lot of teams have great puck-moving defensemen and forwards capable of carrying the puck out of the defensive zone, but the Hurricanes do it at another level and it always leaves the Islanders a step behind. The Islanders play an outdated style of hockey and it plays right into the Hurricanes’ hands, allowing them to control the matchups.
The Islanders must carry the puck into the offensive zone and allow their skaters to maintain possession and establish an offensive zone presence. This is a series where possession and control of the puck in the offensive zone are key and it’s where having Barzal or defenseman Noah Dobson goes a long way.
Roy Must Rely on Consistency
One of the issues with Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s injury is that it moves everyone in the forward unit around. Pageau missed Game 1 and is day-to-day forcing Kyle MacLean to move up to the third-line center role while Simon Holmstrom, who normally plays on the wing, centers the fourth line. The bigger problem is when the lines then get subsequently put into a blender as they did in Game 1. Roy was desperate for a goal and kept moving everyone around but ultimately, the offense only worsened.
Roy must stick with the same four lines with the hope they can connect in a seven-game series. At first, the line combinations will struggle as they tend to do when they start out, but over time, it will leave the Islanders better off. Sure, Roy is focused on the upcoming game and winning one at a time but this is a seven-game series and this team must be prepared for a long matchup against a team that can win the war of attrition.
Roy’s Chessmatch With Brind’Amour
Right now, Rod Brind’Amour has the Hurricanes in a better position on the chessboard. At the same time, he doesn’t have Roy in checkmate or even check. This is a series of adjustments and tweaks from behind the bench and Roy was hired for this reason. The Islanders struggled to adapt last season and it became their downfall and having a coach who can pivot has helped them close the gap.
The first round is the biggest test thus far of Roy’s tenure with the Islanders and now, he must step up and deliver. He’s gotten the best out of the Islanders, allowing them to make the playoffs in the first place, and he can get this team over the hump. The Islanders can upset the Hurricanes with the right adjustments and from there, make a deep playoff run.