Roy Moves Islanders Away From Zone Defense; Players React

Roy has implemented a new structure.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders have a new defensive zone structure under Patrick Roy. 

The new bench boss has done away from the zone defense, and has his players playing more man-on-man. 

The Hockey News asked Roy following Wednesday's practice why he decided to go away from the old structure and why he's gone this route. 

"Because everybody watches the games. And when you play dice, everybody starts putting three to four guys high," Roy said. "The dice works well when you play down low, but when you start playing on top, the dice don't work anymore. 

Dice structure is when players all go to one spot in specific positions, like dots on a dice, but stay inside the play. It's part of the zone structure, and it's clear that Roy wants all of his players on the ice engaged in the play rather than sitting back and waiting for the play to come to them. 

"We want to protect our house (the front of the goal). We don't want anyone to be inside our house, so you call it a man-on-man. I call it more like a one-on-two. It's a bit hybrid," Roy said. "Down low, we want more pressure. I always believe that the first four or five seconds of the puck coming into our zone is the key moment. This is where you want to put your hand on that puck and break out. 

"Everything needs to flow. You always need to do something with a purpose. So the purpose of the neutral zone is to make sure we gap up well for them to puck the puck deep, and then we could break out. If we can break out, then we have our structure playing in the defensive zone. It's the same thing if you are gonna have a neutral zone fore-check, it needs to flow with the breakout because if you have a good neutral zone for a check, but you can't break out, your neutral zone fore-check sucks."

It makes complete sense, especially for this group. 

You look back at the structures under Barry Trotz and how he looked at the personnel and created a structure to fit strengths.

The Islanders, of that time, didn't have the offensive power to play an offensive system. They had strong defenders, a few with shutdown potential, and Trotz got the best out of them and the forwards. 

Despite Lane Lambert trying to be more offensive, it was that dice shell structure that they fell back into. 

Things are different under Roy because the offensive talent is here, and the defense has pieces, some remaining, that can help get the defense to being strong again.

But don't mistake Roy's defensive structure as him wanting the Islanders to be a defensive team.

"I don't want us to be a defensive team. I want our fans, when they come and see us play...they want to see a team that's playing well defensively," Roy said. "And I want our fans to look at our team and say, 'Wow. They're moving the puck. They're fun to watch. I want our fans to enjoy watching." 

Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov dove into detail about the new system.

"We play one against two," Romanov told THN. "You should pay attention to the puck, and at the same time, you should play your man. 

"In my opinion, it's better [than zone] because we can get it out of the zone faster. The center man, or the guy manning the center at the time, should be deeper and help our defense get it out of the zone. It's like a triangle for more support."

Now, playing more man-to-man doesn't mean that the Islander's defense is fixed. 

Communication lapses still can prove costly, like we saw a couple of times in the Islanders' 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs Monday due to players losing their man. 

"You still have your eye on the puck, and you are still ready to help your teammates," Matt Martin said. "Guys are gonna fall or make mistakes or get beat from time to time. We still have a layer of support. Guys need to be aware of those situations, but we're not as laid back, I guess. 

"Five on a dice, just playing in the house kind of allowed teams to play on the outside. We're trying to go engage and get the puck in and break up plays and have it on our stick more."

If you don't know already, Mathew Barzal is a big fan of Roy and his ideas. 

"I love our structure, personally, because it allows us to exit quicker and close plays and get down on the other end of the ice," Barzal said. "So that's what I love. We aren't accepting like a minute [shift] in our zone, regardless if they have anything or not. 

"It's closing quick. It's making the next play, and everything is joined together. Our breakouts are because of our neutral zone structure. Our defensive zone leads into our breakouts and that kind of stuff. So it all has a purpose, and that's the way it should be."

We spoke about that second quick when Roy first got hired, which is when possible, a second player makes an aggressive move toward the puck carrier to force a quicker decision, which in theory, will lead to more turnovers or just failed plays. 

With this newer system, Roy is looking for that man-to-man coverage and, when possible, secondary support to keep the opposition away from the front of the goal.

THN spoke with an NHL scout who watched their 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night, and here's what he noticed about the structural change and how it benefits New York's roster. 

“For this team, it’s brilliant because their defense seemed to get sleepy when settling into the defensive zone," the scout said. "One of the defensemen would typically situate in front of the net, regardless of where the opposition was camping out, leaving a forward unmarked often.

This type of defensive zone coverage also helps with team accountability. Everyone always has to move their feet and make sure their head is on a swivel so that no opposing skater is lost. It’s always important to stay 'within the play'.”

The Islanders will put the new structure to the test yet again when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at 8 PM ET. 

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 on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook.