Stefen Rosner sat down with New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson to discuss the team's struggles.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders have lost three straight games ahead of their Saturday evening showdown with the Boston Bruins.
Like most losses this season, the Islanders' kept things close against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
They played well enough to win the game, but their lack of finishing proved costly in a 2-1 loss.
"You have to keep pushing for more and truly believe that you're gonna get one," Nelson said on the team's collective failures to bury the puck. [We need to] put a better game together offensively in terms of finishing chances.
"Beyond that, I think special teams [need to be better]."
The Islanders power play (11%) and penalty kill (63.5%) are the worst in the league.
While losing often can create doubt about the team's approach, the Islanders' ability to create an abundance of scoring chances is why the team continues to have confidence in Patrick Roy's system.
"Obviously, when things aren't going well, it's tough, but I don't think there's any wavering in our belief," Nelson told The Hockey News. "I think the belief is still there, and you just have to try and find a little bit more of it and keep pushing and know that you're gonna get one.
"That kind of frees it up, and then all of a sudden, the game opens up."
Roy was asked about what makes him still believe in his system.
"[The belief is] based on scoring chances and puck possession," Roy said. "And I feel like in that game [against Toronto], it was, what, 14-14 in scoring chances? So we had enough chance to win the game. I don't mind those 2-1 games or 1-0 games. Sometimes, it's just to find a way to win those ones, get some confidence out of this, and feel good about it.
"I'd love to win every night 6-1, but that's not how it works. We just have to continue to play well defensively, and hopefully, we will get some confidence offensively, feel good about our shooting, and maybe be more relaxed offensively. I think that's going to help us. This is a great group. They're very resilient. They work hard, and they care. They want to do those things right, and I know that they will."
Unlocking Nelson is key for the offense, as he's in the midst of a 16-game goal drought.
"For myself, it's kind of same thing, same kind of mindset [as the team]," Nelson said. "You just have to know that you're gonna get one to turn it [around], and then you'll feel a little bit better and a little bit lighter."
With the power play, John MacLean may be the coach running things, but Nelson and other players are providing input as well.
"It's a little bit of both. You watch a video, pre-scout other teams and see what their tendencies are, maybe against a similar setup, and then look at some teams with a similar setup and where they've attacked, to try and generate," Nelson said regarding the power-play meetings. "Then from there, I think it's a combination of communication and ideas and the game plan to go out there trying to attack [the opponent's weakness]."
Nelson is someone who watches the highlights from around the league every night and takes mental notes.
"Yeah, I think that just goes hand in hand, too, with maybe players," Nelson said. "I think there's a few players where you watch them. You're not comparing yourself to other guys, and everyone's different, but you could maybe try and think about what they're thinking, different things and different plays.
"That's part of the learning process, as well as just visually watching, learning, and seeing how some guys exploit and play the game."
The Islanders battle the Boston Bruins at 6 PM ET in search of their first win of 2025.