Before the New York Islanders’ first western Canada swing, there was positive anticipation for the games. It was a time to prove they could turn things around against good competition and show they had a fighting chance to get back into the playoff conversation. Fast forward a week or so, and that attitude has drastically changed.
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Their win against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 15 was immediately followed by a terribly played matinee against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. While mathematically, the Islanders could still make it to the playoffs, they’ve let their season slip through the cracks with no redemption in sight. As the team navigates an unfamiliar path, they may be trying to find a new identity, or at the very least, redefine it.
Islanders Identity Shift
Head coach Barry Trotz commented a few times on the Islanders’ recent play, finding bright spots in their losses, specifically to the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 11. The problem is, it’s February. If it was November and New York lost a “good game” in which they played a full 60 minutes but got “goalied” or suffered a few bad bounces, fans might understand. Even if they were in the playoff race and lost a game like that, it wouldn’t be great but people would understand. A mix of “we played well enough to win” and “we’re a better team than that” have been the highlights of post-game press conferences for the better part of three months, especially after their loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Their recent victory against the Bruins was the first win against a team in playoff contention since, well, the last time they played the Bruins back in December. It was also one of their best games since then, especially if you consider that Kieffer Bellows had a pretty good game against a good team. It is a bit of positive news that the team may have found their mojo, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot until they can figure out how to do it more consistently and change the narrative during the second half of the season.
Part of changing the narrative will depend on shifting or redefining the team’s identity. Some of it may be personnel-related; they might need a slight adjustment in the offseason to rekindle the chemistry they had over the last three seasons. Their lack of jump and consistency, coupled with a change in the physical side of their game, something the team was known for, is a concern but not something they can’t fix. It’s also understandable that, once you get behind on the season the way the Islanders have, it’s difficult to dig deep and find the energy to crawl out the monumental hole they were in.
Any realistic changes the team can make to the lineup aren’t monumental. As Carey (aka @habermetrics) said, they’re looking for someone like Jordan Eberle – who was lost to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft – who could be dynamic next to Mathew Barzal, albeit with a bit more consistency.
Right now, they don’t deserve to be in the playoff conversation, which is a tough pill to swallow after their success the last few seasons. They’ve built trust with their fans and set high expectations, but it’s waning quickly, especially when you continually can’t beat good teams and play down to lesser opponents like the Sabres and Canadiens. It also doesn’t help that they’re constantly playing from behind. Bad goals allowed by the goaltenders and poor defensive coverage have been the Islanders’ Achilles heal this season. One stat sums this up pretty nicely: the Islanders are 13-4-4 when scoring first and 5-16-3 when allowing the first goal.
Questioning Trotz
Speaking of building trust, Trotz recently mentioned this word in response to his decision-making with veteran players. We all know he’s given many a long leash to his more experienced players, but he’s called himself out on these decisions recently.
Even before the Islanders dropped back-to-back games to the Calgary Flames and Oilers, Trotz was hard on himself about his lineup decisions this season: “I think you have to self-reflect. Some guys I’ve given opportunity (to) have let me down, and I stuck with them because of what they’ve done in the past or what I think they may do. Sometimes, I’ve had a little slower trigger finger on certain things,” (from “After pondering the Islanders, and himself, Barry Trotz pulls out a new trick,” The Athletic, 2/10/2022).
The problem is, what has he done to fix it? In the nearly two weeks since he made that comment, only Andy Greene has been out in favor of Sebastian Aho. No one is questioning Aho’s place in the lineup, but Greene sitting over, say, Zdeno Chara, who has struggled mightily this season, is a headscratcher. To be fair, Trotz is only dealing with what he has; there aren’t a ton of other players to swap in and out of the lineup without calling someone up from Bridgeport, which, at this point, may not be advisable considering the state of the Islanders and its effect on player development.
Sure, Bellows, who has seen some time in the lineup after Josh Bailey’s – and now Oliver Wahlstrom’s – injury, is playing well, but what are the realistic options? Fans are calling for Bailey to be on the bench, but after that, who else? The answer is disappointing: no one. By no means is this a call to fire Trotz. Again, he’s dealing with what he has, and there are times good coaches falter and are unable to motivate their team. It is, however, a moment to recalibrate and direct any anger and frustration at the players on the ice and possibly general manager Lou Lamoriello.
Islanders Quotebook
Brock Nelson on the upcoming trade deadline and wanting to keep the team together: “It’s probably more known and unsaid. Everyone here wants to win for each other,” Nelson said. “Without having to say it, everyone wants to stick together, and we don’t want any change, so we have to put a strong push here and win some games.”
Mathew Barzal on the Islanders’ outlook with trade rumors starting to swirl: “If the wheels feel off, changes will have to be made, but no one is talking about that right now.”
Trotz on Kieffer Bellows following the game against the Bruins: “He was good in all three zones… That’s the game you want from Kieffer night in and night out. That’s a little bit of a blueprint for him to be a real productive player in this league.”
Islanders Storyline: NHL Trade Deadline Countdown
Trade rumors surrounding Cal Clutterbuck are heating up, hitting an all-time high last week after reports emerged that teams have been calling about the long-time Islander fourth-liner. It would be a tough pill to swallow for fans who have been in buy mode the last few seasons. Clutterbuck’s departure would also spell the end to the team’s Identity Line, which has been a force around the league for years.
