New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson spoke with us about getting out of his latest slump, what the mindset has been and more.
New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson spoke with us about getting out of his latest slump, what the mindset has been and more.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has had a fantastic season, but like any, there are ebbs and flows.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, Dobson had been dealing with the ebbs a bit lately down the stretch.
But, over the last two games, Dobson has been the difference-maker, helping the Islanders climb to the third seed in the Metropolitan Division and stay there with two game-winning tallies in each of the last two outings.
He's also looked a bit sharper defensively, turning a much-needed corner with only five games to go.
"It's nice to contribute offensively," Dobson told The Hockey News on Monday. "It was a few games in a row, a little bit, a little stretch where I wasn't producing offensively. But at the same time, there are parts of the year where you have to find different ways to contribute. If you're not producing and shots aren't going in for you, you have to make sure you're breaking the puck out and playing solid defensively, so that's been my mindset.
"But confidence offensively can definitely help you, and hopefully, we can keep going here, finish the year strong, and try to get into a playoff spot."
His goal at 3:21 of the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, which gave New York a 3-2 lead, brought Dobson a huge sense of relief, as it was his first goal in 13 games.
"Definitely a sense of relief. I mean, especially in that game," Dobson said. "I feel like in the first period, I had lots of looks. In a tight game, there was definitely a sense of relief, just excitement, fired up for a big goal. Anytime you can contribute in the third period of a playoff race like this, it's a great feeling."
Then on Saturday against the Nashville Predators, with the game scoreless, Dobson came through yet again, breaking the ice at 9:07 of the second with a wrist shot through a screen:
"Mike made a great play to freeze everyone. And then anytime as a defenseman where you get your head up and you have that much time where you can settle the puck and find a lane, you're eyes open up," Dobson said. "And when you have a nice screen like that, it's nice to feel where you can find that lane and the whole way you are seeing it, just praying it doesn't get hit by anything.
"Casey did a great screen, and I'm just trying to pick the corner there. Very fortunate to have it go in."
While the goal was impressive and much needed, Dobson also recorded seven blocks in the game, doing his part defensively.
That's the kind of performance his head coach, Patrick Roy, wants to see.
"We've been saying all along that we don't need those big blasts from the blue line," Roy said. "Sometimes, just a nice wrist or two towards the net and what, it's two games in a row now he scores goals. So it's good for him, and I think, and I hope that when he's playing well like he did defensively and scores goals, it shows him that he could play both sides and be rewarded no matter what, defensively as well."
Dobson has always said that when he's feeling good defensively, that allows him to be much more confident up the ice.
"I've always said it goes hand-in-hand. I feel when I'm playing my best, I'm strong in my own end first, where I'm playing aggressively, breaking the puck out clean, getting up the ice," Dobson said. "When you're taking care of things in your end, you're spending less time in the d-zone and more time in the o-zone, more opportunities to make plays offensively, but it's got to go hand-in-hand. This time of year, you got to make sure you're sharp in all areas so that's been the focus and my mindset right now."
That doesn't mean it's an easy task, especially when the games are magnified this late in a season, but Dobson is using his past to help him navigate the tough stretch.
"At times. I feel like, maybe in the past, I would have been focusing on that a little bit more. But just having gone through it, where I kind of know how it works, has helped," Dobson said. "A lot of the game is mental. You have to make sure your mindset is right. Just having past experiences where I've been able to deal with slumps, say offensively, I felt a lot better this time around where I wasn't allowing it to affect my game and that's the main thing here.
"There are still lots of different parts of the game where you have to be dialed in and strong, not just offensively. So that's been my mindset, just to make sure I'm dialed in and focused, and all those other things will take care of themselves."
When things aren't falling for Dobson, he goes to the film room.
"I always say that when things aren't going well, I'm always watching my stuff and seeing areas where I can improve," Dobson said. But it wasn't like I wasn't getting opportunities or the same looks I had throughout the year. It's just a long season. There are ebbs and flows, but I think for me, it's not focusing on that too much, deviating from other parts of the game.
"Defensively, we are breaking pucks out, and that's the mindset. The other stuff will come on its own, but it's definitely important to stick to the game plan. As a team, you can't change your game when things aren't going well. You got to stick with it, and we have the blueprint of what gives us success. I'm just trying to stay even-keeled through the game no matter what happens and get back to the game plan as soon as we can."
Whether it's at 5-on-5 or quarterbacking the top power play, Dobson has had some issues with shots being blocked. As he explains, there's a fine line.
"Looking at when you're getting shots blocked and comparing it to when you don't get shots blocked, I think there are little things you can dissect that kind of creep in, whether you are drifting a little too far or you're staying wide where you're not getting yourself at a good angle rather than being in the model of the ice," Dobson said. "You make a note of that. You don't get a lot of practice at this time of the year, but when you do get the chances, before and after practice, you have to find those times to get those reps in and get rid of those bad habits where you're drifting too wide or stuff like that.
"So it's a combination, and this time of year, there's a high commitment from all the teams, so it's hard to get pucks through, but it's definitely important. You have to find ways."
Dobson has been a catalyst for the Islanders this season, which is a positive. But whether you are an elite player or a fringe starter, all that matters right now is what you do in that next moment.
The young defenseman has played a vital role in the last two wins, and with five games to go, he'll need to keep doing what he's been doing to help get this team into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.