It may not have been the start the New York Islanders third line was looking for on opening night, but it was night and day when the puck dropped Tuesday. Here's what changed for that threesome and why they can be effective going forward.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders' top-six flourished against the Buffalo Sabres on opening night. The Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat duo combined for 11 shots, while Brock Nelson and his line produced two of the three goals. 

It may not have been a perfect night for the Islanders' fourth line, but their hard work late in the game led to Casey Cizikas' go-ahead tally for the win.

The Islanders' new-look third line was having issues doing their job as Anders Lee played his first game alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Hudson Fasching after years in a top-six role. 

In 9:25 minutes, this line was outshot 4-0 by the Sabres, allowed three scoring chances to offset their three, and owned a Corsi For of 29.41 percent, per NaturalStatrick.com. 

Corsi is determined by taking the number of shot attempts at even strength and dividing it by the number of shot attempts by the opponent (H/t The Sporting News).

They just seemed off as a line, but there wasn't an expectation that they were going to gel immediately despite Lee and Pageau skating with each other for most of training camp and preseason. 

They failed to win puck battles and, more importantly, get in on the forecheck, which was that line's bread and butter last season, with Zach Parise playing a vital role. 

Although Pageau being the Islanders' strongest face-off man means more defensive-zone draws for that line, they got caught in their own zone a few times, leading to seven defensive-zone draws Saturday night. 

After watching film, this line was significantly better Tuesday night in the Islanders' 1-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. 

Things started to click in 9:34 minutes as a line, especially in the second half of the game. The Islanders outshot their opponents 5-3 when that threesome was on the ice, with five scoring chances to Arizona's three. 

They got more pucks deep, got in on the forecheck, and won board battles at a significantly higher rate. 

They ended the game with a Corsi For of 56.25 percent, a drastic improvement, and were on the ice for just four defensive zone draws. 

"I thought that Pageau line was good," Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said following Tuesday's win. "I thought that Lee, he was really good. He was really strong down low. I thought Pageau was excellent tonight, excellent on face-offs, and I just thought their structure was good. 

"They were hard to contain down low. Lee and Fasching are big bodies, and I thought they did a good job of protecting the puck."

Lee shared why he thought his line was able to be more effective.

"We were on the same page a lot more," Lee said. "We hadn't played with each other as a line, the other night being the first time, so we were just working on some things, some communication things, and where each other is going to be. 

"And I think we did a good job of retrieving pucks on the forecheck. Saturday, we were in there but just were not able to get that puck stopped and controlled."

Following Thursday's practice, we caught up with Pageau and Fasching to get their thoughts. 

"I thought the first game was maybe not exactly what we wanted, but I thought last game we started really connecting," Pageau said. "And sometimes, that's how chemistry is built. Just keep playing together and starting to learn tendencies. 

"I've played with Fasching, but Anders never really played with him. So, the last game, we started really being there for each other, being close in the corners. And I think that's when we found our game, getting the puck deep, winning our battles, getting pucks up to the points, and crashing. I think that's what created our offense."

Fasching spoke on how Lee being on the line, compared to Parise, is just different and something he and Pageau need to get used to. 

"I think for us, it's just taken some time to gel," Fasching told THN. "Pagaeau and I played quite a bit together last year, and, I mean, Lee's a great player. We're not complaining about it by any means, but it's a different presence."

"Zach, he played a little bit of different game, so yeah, it's just taking a little time to adjust, and I think we're continuing to build, continuing to understand each other's reads, where each other are going to be on the ice."

Last season, Fasching was the player on the line who was ultra-effective along the boards, winning battles. 

With Lee now on his line, someone who uses their frame to do a similar job, how does that affect Fasching's role?

"I'm trying to get into a spot, trying to get open for him and try to support him out of those plays," Fasching said. "Board battles were something that I would do a lot last year, and it's something that we can both still do, and we're gonna win a lot of pucks in the corners this year if we continue to stay together.

"It's trying to get open for him and trying to find space. It's a different space, and maybe Zach would have looked for it, but it's still space."

We asked the same thing to Lambert about having two players on Pageau's wings that fill a similar role. 

"It gives you a good compliment on either side of the ice," Lambert said. "What I like about that line is, I thought they for checked really well the other night, and then they were around the net.

"Pageau goes to the net as well, so you got a couple of big wingers there that go to the net hard and make things difficult."

The biggest question mark for this line is how Lee would fit in. Not the fastest of skaters on a line that still has some legs, could he adjust his game to fit their needs?

Although Lee may be throwing the body a tad more on a defensive line, his game suits their style. 

In the first game of the season, albeit not his or his line's best, Lee had a shot, a takeaway, and three hits as he worked on finding the right areas of the ice. 

When on the ice, the Islanders were outshot 5-1. 

In the second game, Lee had two shots, two takeaways, and two hits in 12:51 minutes of five-on-five play, ringing a shot off the post. 

When on the ice, the Islanders outshot the Coyotes 7-4.

Lee did a strong job protecting the puck and kept things simple, getting pucks deep when he could, whether that was for line-changing purposes or establishing a forecheck.  

People look at Lee's contract with an average annual value of $7 million a year and think that is way too much for a bottom-six forward. But if Lee can be successful with Pageau and Fasching while the top-six flourish, the Islanders will have a stable, deep lineup, likely their strongest in quite some time. 

The ability for Lambert to truly run all four lines consistently will make it rather difficult for the opposition to handle, on top of the lockdown defense that this backend is capable of with the help of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov in goal. 

The Islanders' third line will get another chance to build their chemistry when the puck drops Friday night against the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena.