The Islanders penalty-kill personnel isn't getting it done, and things need to change if they want to give themselves a shot at the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Islanders penalty-kill personnel isn't getting it done, and things need to change if they want to give themselves a shot at the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The New York Islanders' penalty-kill struggles were magnified in front of just under 80,000 people Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.
The Rangers used their last two-man advantages to erase a 5-3 third-period deficit, going 3-for-5 on the night en route to a 6-5 overtime win.
The Islanders woke up Monday and Tuesday morning with a penalty kill at 70.7 percent, the worst in the entire National Hockey League.
Under Lane Lambert this season (45 games), the Islanders allowed 37 power-play goals on 137 opportunities (73.0 percent).
Here's how things have played out with Patrick Roy and then assistant coach, and defensive specialist, Benoit Desrosiers:
But here's the issue.
Last season, the Islanders power play was dreadful and it took until the playoffs before assistant coach Doug Houda removed a struggling Noah Dobson from the point.
Through the regular season, the Islanders power play sat at 15.8 percent, third worst in the NHL.
It was a change that should have been made much earlier in the season, given the Islanders' need for results.
This season, the penalty kill has been dreadful, yet the same players are being sent out there to try and get the job done -- which they haven't.
PK 1: Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck - Adam Pelech - Scott Mayfield
PK 2: Simon Holmstrom - JG Pageau - Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock
In the loss on Sunday, Bo Horvat took Holmstrom's spot, the first change we've seen on the shorthanded units outside of fill-ins for injured players or penalty-killers being in the box.
Per Ethan Sears of the New York Posts, Holmstrom was back on the penalty kill Tuesday morning.
The Islanders have 28 games to go and are currently six points out of the second wild-card spot in the East.
If they want to give themselves even a shot at making the playoffs, the penalty kill has to be improved.
If the players on the penalty kill aren't getting the job done, Roy needs to start handing that responsibility to other players.