The Islanders need to get Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas going.
The Islanders need to get Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas going.
New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy has loved the play of his new-look fourth line through four games.
We want to give the benefit of the doubt to the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, but the advanced statistics say the complete opposite about the trio of Casey Cizikas, Kyle MacLean, and Oliver Wahlstrom.
When the trio has been on the ice (34:02), the Islanders have been outshot 20-13, with scoring chances 21-6 in favor of the opponents, per NaturalStatrick.com.
They've been on the ice for one goal against, which came at 18:06 of the third period of the season-opener, with the Islanders holding trying to hold on to a 4-3 lead.
The Islanders lost that one in overtime.
Corsi For, which is the total number of shot attempts compared to their opponents, sits at 34.43% through four games, the only Islanders' line to be under 50 percent.
Wahlstrom's presence on the line was supposed to make this fourth line more offensive, given the speed of MacLean and Cizikas and No. 26's release.
Not scoring isn't the issue if the chances have been there, but, per MoneyPuck.com, that line has the third-lowest Expected Goals For of just 20 percent:
It's easy to point the finger at No. 26, the former 11th overall pick who is trying to do anything he can to stick in an NHL lineup.
Is that blame justified?
No, it's not, with all three playing a part in the line's downfall.
No one on that line has recorded a point this season, but MacLean leads the Islanders and the NHL, winning 73 percent of his draws.
While Cizikas is second among the forwards with 4.42 giveaways per game, his five blocks lead the offense.
Wahlstrom does lead the trio with three shots on goal and had a huge block in their 1-0 overtime loss to the Blues on Thursday night.
But the physicality has been non-existent, with just one hit at 5-on-5 through four games.
MacLean and Cizikas are second and third amongst forwards in his at 5-on-5, with seven and six, respectively.
It's just a threesome that is not working.
We just want to repeat that Wahlstrom isn't alone in this line's failures. At times, he's shown an understanding of what he needs to do defensively, and MacLean and Cizikas haven't played to the level expected early on, at 5-on-5, that is.
But that line is supposed to be trusted in the biggest of situations, and if the Islanders are going to succeed, they will need to get the most out of MacLean and Cizikas because playing lockdown defense is supposed to be their bread and butter.
It's worth a new look on MacLean's right to see if someone like Julien Gauthier, with his speed and physicality, can help get this line get going.
If it's not Gauthier, Hudson Fasching is waiting patiently in Bridgeport, a player who Roy trusted to play big minutes in the postseason just a few months ago.
Listen.
It made perfect sense why the Islanders tried Wahlstrom on the fourth line.
The Islanders wanted to have four lines that could produce, and with that line no longer having Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, it would be much faster.
But speed only matters if it's used effectively, and when a line gets pinned in its own zone, speed means nothing.
If the Islanders were winning, then the leash for that line as a whole would be much longer.
But because the Islanders have gone 1-1-2 through their opening four games, it's paramount to figure out how to get that line clicking.
Wahlstrom may very well prove to be an effective bottom-six player, whether he's with the Islanders or elsewhere.
And he's likely the most talented player that's played on the team's fourth line.
But, as we've talked about with the Islanders' top line, it's not about the best player playing with the best players but the right fit, and Wahlstrom's game just doesn't fit his linemates, at least not right now.