From a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2) to points in 10 of their last 11 games (8-1-2), the New York Islanders have flipped the script on their 2023-24 season. One decision by Lane Lambert has changed the course of the Islanders season.
From a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2) to points in 10 of their last 11 games (8-1-2), the New York Islanders have flipped the script on their 2023-24 season. One decision by Lane Lambert has changed the course of the Islanders season.
From a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2) to points in 10 of their last 11 games (8-1-2), the New York Islanders have flipped the script on their 2023-24 season.
No, their play has not been perfect over their last 11, blowing four third-period leads over that span, including a 3-2 lead with 6.5 seconds to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night before winning in overtime.
What's helped turn the tide of a lackluster start has been the elite play of Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, who are playing to a level that Islander fans could have only dreamed of.
Barzal has 29 points in 26 games (nine goals, 20 assists), while Horvat has 25 (10 goals, 15 assists).
That stat line for these two players wasn't bad out of the gate, but they've certainly elevated their game, providing elite play together consistently for the first time.
So, what's changed for those two as of late?
The Islanders captain got off to a miserable start to the season, with just three goals through 20 games. He played minutes on the top line and the third line, ultimately finding some chemistry with Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
But, before the Islanders game against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 28, Islanders head coach Lane Lambert elected to place Lee, who had two goals over his last three games, back up with Horvat and Barzal.
The Islanders ultimately allowed the go-ahead goal with under three seconds to play in regulation after Lee dropped the gloves and, with a bloody face, tried to get the bench going:
"As far as Lee goes, that line, in my mind, in the last few games at 5-on-5, they've needed some net presence," Lambert said on why he made the change. "I thought Lee was very good tonight.
The Islanders have gone 5-1-1 since the lineup change, with Lee recording five points (two goals, three assists) over that span.
Barzal has 10 points (four goals, six assists) at 5-on-5 in six games (he missed the Florida game due to illness), while Horvat has nine points (four goals, five assists) since Lee rejoined the line.
According to NaturalStatrick.com, in 71:13 minutes from Nov. 28 to now, the Islanders have outscored their opponents 8-3 when that threesome has been on the ice.
When Lee hasn't been on the ice with Horvat and Barzal, the Islanders have been outscored 2-1.
Lee wasn't the support the Islanders' dynamic duo needed earlier in the season. He was struggling to win puck battles, get to the front of the net, and, quite frankly, keep up with their speed.
But Lee's ability to get out of their way and do the little things to help them make plays is paying tremendous dividends for his line and the Islanders.
Since this change, the Islanders have had the most goals in the NHL, with 31 over that span.
"If somebody asks why the Islanders are winning now, and they weren't earlier in the year, the answer is because Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzel finally have support on their line. It's helping everything," one NHL scout told The Hockey News.
THN asked Horvat on Dec. 5 about what he'd seen from Lee recently.
"He looks like he's just doing his thing in front of the net again," Horvat said.
"I mean, that's where he's the best, is being strong in front of goal and doing little things like that. I think he's been playing really well as of late, finishing his opportunities, and you'd be more worried if he weren't getting chances, and he still was, and it was just a matter of time."
On Dec. 9, Lee scored two goals in the third period to force overtime against the Los Angeles Kings before Jean-Gabriel Pageau won it in the extra frame.
"Very inspirational. He's been playing really well," Lambert said following Lee's effective night. "He's been leading. He's been forechecking. He's battling. He's getting to the net front, and he got rewarded tonight."
Lee finding a home on the top line this season and that line performing well has provided a spark throughout the lineup.
The Islanders Brock Nelson line has continued their strong play while Pageau's line and Cizikas' line have done their jobs. Looking at this lineup, it's the deepest this group has been, even deeper than the teams that went to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals
When a team lacks superstar talent, like the Islanders do, compared to some of the elite teams around the NHL, it makes the ability to run all four lines even more integral to success.
Right now, Lambert has been able to do that.
Is Lee the final answer for the Islanders dynamic duo?
No.
Should general manager Lou Lamoriello look to upgrade that position ahead of the 2023 NHL Deadline for a more long-term answer?
Yes.
But what Lee has been able to do recently has played a vital role in the fact that the Islanders are back to playing a stronger brand of hockey and find themselves in second place in the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday morning.
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.