Why Mayfield's Return Is Critical To Islanders Success Out Of 4 Nations Break

The New York Islanders needed this two-week break, maybe more than any team in the National Hockey League. 

Their blueline had been riddled with injuries, with some forwards desperately needing two weeks off their feet to get back to 100 percent. 

While there's no debate that Mathew Barzal's loss for likley for the rest of the regular season is the club's biggest absence, getting Scott Mayfield back in the lineup against the Dallas Stars is monumental.

It may be even more important than getting Ryan Pulock back in and here's why. 

With Pulock out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury, missing the last seven games before the break, general manager Lou Lamoriello brought in blue-line support.

The supporting cast of Scott Perunovich and Adam Boqvist -- Tony DeAngelo filled Noah Dobson's role--played a huge part in the Islanders' extending their winning streak to six games heading into their weekend back-to-back in Florida.

But, once Mayfield went down against the Tampa Bay Lightning, things got dicey for the backend. His role and the minutes he plays (17:33 ATOI) was not easily replaced. 

It got to the point where head coach Patrick Roy decided to run five defensemen for the final four games, essentially with Dennis Cholowski selling limited minutes. 

The team went 1-3-0 over that span and it was clear the blue line's uptick in minutes played a huge factor. A lot of the goals came off defensive-zone breakdowns and coverage miscommunications that we hadn't seen during their long win streak.

With Mayfield back in, that allows Roy to go back to running six defensemen and spreading out the minutes to ensure the blue line stays fresh. 

I'm not trying to say Pulock isn't an integral part of the team -- he sure is -- but the Islanders were winning with him out of the lineup, with the new guys raising their game to fill that hole.

But Mayfield's role with this team is unique, and the only one on the roster that can fill his role to a tee is...um...him.

Mayfield is second on the team in hits (71), third on the team in blocks (87), and leads the backend at +14.  

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