Who are these New York Islanders as we reach the halfway mark of the 2023-24 season?
Who are these New York Islanders as we reach the halfway mark of the 2023-24 season?
After the New York Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime, they reached the halfway mark of the 2023-24 regular season.
With 48 points in 41 games and a 19-12-10 record, the Islanders find themselves sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division because they hold the second tie-breaker (ROW) over the stunning Philadelphia Flyers.
It's been a wacky season for New York, a roller coaster ride that goes upside down, backward, and forwards. Right now, it's stopped in the middle of the track, and its next course of action is to be determined.
After going 4-2-2 to close out October, the Islanders found a way to get points in November despite posting a 5-5-4 record, which included a seven-game losing skid.
When December rolled around, the Islanders had a tad more success, starting the month with a seven-game point streak (5-0-2) before finishing the month with a record of 8-3-3 to close out 2023.
So, after the first 36 games of the season, the Islanders had played to a 17-10-9 record, earning 43 of a possible 72 points (.597 point percentage).
The key for the Islanders, if they wanted to continue to keep themselves in the race, was to have a strong January after playing their worst brand of hockey last January (4-8-3).
So far, January has been a microcosm of their season, posting a 2-1-1 record after two ugly losses to Vegas and Vancouver, a dominating win over the Arizona Coyotes, and a come-from-behind thriller against Toronto.
The question is, who are these Islanders?
Under former head coach Barry Trotz, the Islanders' identity was their elite defense.
In their first year under Lane Lambert, the Islanders' entity was one name: Ilya Sorokin.
This season, the Islanders don't have an identity, as their defense has been suspect, their goaltending hasn't been as elite as it was, and their offense, albeit more consistent, is middle of the pack.
The most consistent area of their game has been their power play, words that haven't been uttered since the dynasty days.
Through 41 games, the Islanders have averaged 3.07 goals per game (18th), allowing 3.29 (21st). Their power play is operating at 25 percent (9th), while the penalty kill is only at 73 percent (29th).
Let's look back to the Islanders' numbers at this time last season.
Through 41 games a year ago, the Islanders (22-17-2) had averaged 3.15 goals per game, allowing 2.73 with a power play at 18.3 percent and a penalty kill at 81.3 percent.
Despite the better stats, the Islanders entered the second half of last season, sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division and second in the wild-card race.
Mat Barzal had 41 points (11 goals, 30 assists) through his first 40 games to lead the Islanders, with Brock Nelson's 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) close behind.
This year, things are much different.
While Barzal, the Islanders All-Star, still leads the pack, he's averaging over a point per game, with 45 points (12 goals, 33 assists) in 40 games.
Defenseman Noah Dobson, who struggled a season ago, has been one of the NHL's best defensemen in this first half, a Norris-worthy blueliner, with 42 points (six goals, 36 assists) in 41 games.
Third on the Islanders scoring is Bo Horvat, who, in his first full season with the Islanders, is bringing the offense that the organization expected.
The Toronto native has 40 points, with a team-leading 17 goals and 23 assists.
Nelson is still having a great season but hasn't had to be the lone ranger for New York, sitting with 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) through 41 games.
The Islanders are actually one of only six NHL teams to have at least three players averaging a point per game or better.
So, if we are trying to figure out what this Islanders team is, it's definitely a more top-heavy team than they have been in years past.
Barzal and Horvat have been the Islanders first true elite duo in quite some time. Nelson has continued to be the top-six forward he's been over the last few years, and Dobson has been the bonafide No. 1 defenseman the organization has longed for since Denis Potvin.
In the second half of the season, the Islanders need to work on getting their depth forwards to provide more scoring and the depth defenseman to shore up their play in front of goal, which will only help Sorokin find his game.
That's not to say depth hasn't played a vital role in the Islanders being in the heat of the playoff race.
The acquisition of Julien Gauthier and the re-signing of Hudson Fasching have paid dividends, both doing their job when in the lineup.
On the backend, the acquisitions of Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo helped fill holes, and it's to the point now that when the blue line becomes fully healthy, Reilly may have earned a starting gig.
It's more so the players that have been here that need to pick up their play in the second half, like Kyle Palmieri, who had one of his better showings of the season against Toronto Thursday.
Pierre Engvall needs to find a way to be more effective, and Simon Holmstrom needs to become more of a difference-maker at 5-on-5.
If the Islanders can run all four lines like they did Thursday, that will allow for more consistent production and likely more wins.
The Islanders kick off the second half of their season Saturday night at 8 PM ET against the Nashville Predators.
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.