The Islanders have been shut out three times through their first six games for the first time in franchise history.
The Islanders have been shut out three times through their first six games for the first time in franchise history.
The New York Islanders have been shut out three times through their first six games for the first time in their franchise's history.
After blowing two third-period leads on opening night to the Utah Hockey Club in a 5-4 overtime loss, the Islanders were shut out twice on their three-game road trip,
They started the road trip with a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars before concluding the road trip with a 1-0 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Then came Tuesday night, when the Islanders dominated the Red Wings yet fell 1-0 in regulation.
Let's dive into the numbers.
Through these three games, the Islanders have outshot their opponents 97-68, averaging 32.3 shots per game while allowing 22.67.
At 5-on-5, the Islanders have outshot their opponents 86-63, averaging 28.66 per game, allowing 21.
Yes, the shooting statistic is a tad misleading because quality does matter.
But, if you watched the games, there have been grade-A chances in all three for the Islanders to find the back of the net, and they have not.
Outside of the Dallas game, the Islanders dominated the Blues and the Red Wings.
Let's move on to special teams, as the power play is supposed to be the shutout-bailout.
The Islanders power play, which is 2-for-19 on the season (10.53%), is 0-for-6 in these three shutouts, averaging three per game, with 11 total shots (1.83 per).
On the other hand, the penalty kill has been perfect. The team is 4-for-4, takes just 1.3 penalties per game, and allows five power-play shots (1.25 per).
Face-offs are important, with defensive zone wins and neutral zone wins key in getting up the ice. The offensive zone wins are supposed to give teams looks on goal immediately or after a cycle.
In these three shutouts, the Islanders have won 86 of 167 draws (51.5%), 38 of 74 offensive-zone draws (51.53%), and 33 of 60 defensive-zone draws (55%).
They have only dropped below 50 percent in the neutral zone, where they've won 18 of 39 (46.15%).
What adds insult to injury is that the goaltending, especially Ilya Sorokin, has been strong.
The Islanders goaltenders have allowed a total of four goals in three games, with Varlamov stopping 24 of 26 (.923 SV%) in the Dallas loss.
Sorokin has stopped 39 of 41 (.951 SV%).
"You want to score every night. Am I worried? No, because I think that eventually the puck will bounce our way," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "That's how I look at it. I mean, I'm a positive person, so I rather think that eventually, things will turn our way. If you look at the analytics, they're saying that we're probably one of the team who has the most chances.
"Would I be worried if we had no chances? Yes. But we have chances, so I do believe that eventually, they'll turn our way."
The Islanders, who are 2-2-2 on the young season, head to New Jersey to face the Devils on Friday before hosting the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
It's not time to sound the alarms just yet because, in all three of these shutout losses, the Islanders have played well enough to win games.
But if another shutout happens in one of these upcoming two, especially with forward Anthony Duclair no longer part of the equation, then there's reason for concern.