January wasn't too kind to the New York Islanders a year ago. Are they more prepared this time around?
January wasn't too kind to the New York Islanders a year ago. Are they more prepared this time around?
The New York Islanders kick off 2023 Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
Through the opening 36 games of the season, the Islanders are 17-10-9, good enough for the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but just a point back of the Carolina Hurricanes for second in the Metropolitan Division.
In year two under head coach Lane Lambert, the Islanders have averaged 3.03 goals per game, allowing 3.22. The power play, which has been an asset rather than a liability, has operated at a 23 percent clip, while shockingly, the penalty kill has been an issue, coming through at just 73.4 percent.
Given the state of the Metro and the East, January becomes an incredibly important month for the Islanders, as eight of their 13 games come on the road. Their competition is relatively high, battling 10 teams that are currently holding down playoff spots, including the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, twice.
If unprepared for it, January is a significant test that could damper a potential playoff berth.
Last year, in January, the Islanders struggled the most, making the season's final three months to qualify for the playoffs a grueling trek.
With a record of 21-14-2 through 37 games, winning three straight to close out 2022, the Islanders entered 2023 sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
For a team not known for consistent offensive output, the Islanders scored 3.22 goals per game under their first-year head coach, while allowing just 2.65, the sixth-fewest in the league.
The penalty kill was thriving, operating at an 82.1 percent clip, with the one glaring issue being the power play, which sat at just 18.8 percent.
But, given their ability to overcome the weaker power play, the Islanders just needed to continue to do what they had been doing and a playoff berth as a top-three team in the Metro.
Then came the month of January.
In 15 games, the Islanders posted a record of 4-8-3. The offensive dried up, averaging 1.93 goals per game while allowing 2.87, being outscored 44-29.
While the Islanders struggled mightily, they watched the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins leapfrog them.
Things were a bit different for New York than they are today, running this lineup on Jan. 1 in a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken:
Josh Bailey-Mat Barzal-Casey Cizikas
Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Hudson Fasching
Ross Johnston-Aatu Räty-Matt Martin
Parker Wotherspoon-Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov-Scott Mayfield
Sebastian Aho-Noah Dobson
Ilya Sorokin
Cory Schneider
Defenseman Adam Pelech and Kyle Palmieri were missing from the lineup due to concussions, failing to return until Jan. 23, a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was also on the shelf after suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 17 in a 5-2 win against the Golden Knights.
Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal led the struggling offense in January, with four goals each in 15 games as the rest of the depth struggled.
Defensively, Ilya Sorokin was left out to dry, doing what he could but still seeing an elevated stat line.
The Islanders found a way to put a weak January behind them, reverting to more of a Barry Trotz style, allowing 2.53 goals per game over the final 30 games of the season.
That regained defensive structure allowed the offense to find their legs again, scoring 3.13 goals per game.
The Islanders can thank their new second line for that, as Palmieri was a man on a mission once he returned, and the addition of Pierre Engvall became the missing piece to what became one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Bo Horvat had been acquired before Engvall, but with the loss of Barzal due to a regular season-ending lower-body injury on Feb. 18, no running mate didn't help the newcomer's cause, as he struggled to produce at the alarming rate he was in Vancouver.
The Islanders may not have been in control of their fate, treading water with a 15-16-1 record, but they made the postseason due to the Penguin's embarrassing collapse to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 82.
But that was last year, and there are strong reasons to think that the Islanders could keep the offense going.
The most important thing is the health of the top six, which isn't an issue right now. Horvat and Barzal have been the duo the Islanders needed.
If Engvall can elevate his play ever so slightly, the second line will continue to be one of the better goal-producing lines in hockey.
The third line, which has been defensively sound, has started to find an offensive touch, and we will wait and see if Zach Parise joins that line.
The fourth line has been much stronger with Hudson Fasching on that line, but Matt Martin provides a strong option if one of those bottom players can't go.
The biggest question will be the Islanders' backend, which has been banged up since the start of the season.
Scott Mayfield looked strong in his return to the lineup after an eight-game absence, showing that the ankle injury that kept him out for seven games earlier in the year may be behind him.
Pelech, who has been out since Nov. 24 with an upper-body injury, did travel and has skated the last two practices, meaning he should be back in the next few days.
Ryan Pulock has yet to resume skating since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 7, but Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has done a strong job plugging holes with the acquisitions of Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo.
Reilly has been such a strong addition to the backend that he has leapfrogged Sebastian Aho and is a starter in this lineup for now.
Given the competition the Islanders are about to face, winning won't happen unless this defensive structure can clean up their act in front of Ilya Sorokin and Varlamov, with Sorokin still trying to find the consistent game that led to him being named a Vezina Finalist in 2022-23.
The potential to continue collecting points is undoubtedly there for the Islanders in 2024, with a much deeper lineup than a year ago.
But potential isn't always reality, and the Islanders will be taking it day by day, as every day will bring a new challenge for a group still searching for their identity.
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.