Islanders Mailbag: 'Can't Rely On Sorokin Every Game'

LAGUARDIA -- Good morning, everyone, and happy Saturday. The New York Islanders are off to a 3-2-1 start out of the gate, notching a 3-2 win Tuesday night over the Ottawa Senators to snap a three-game skid (0-2-1).

Later tonight, the Islanders battle the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, I'll have the latest following the Islanders' morning skate, which is coming around 11:30 a.m. 

But before all that, I answer your questions about the squad in our latest mailbag. Thanks to all for the questions and comments!

If Lane doesn't trust Bolduc enough for at least a semi-regular shift 6 games in, why won't they send him down and call up another D-Man- he's going to burn out Pelech-Pulock, etc, and there's a lot of seasons left. (@caruss18)

The 23-year-old Samuel Bolduc is averaging 8:09 minutes over his five games this season. It's beyond clear that he hasn't earned the trust of Lane Lambert just yet, while Sebastian Aho, his defense partner, is averaging 13:45 minutes.

There's no question Bolduc could benefit from playing top minutes in Bridgeport. However, Bolduc is not waiver-exempt, which means there's a strong chance he gets claimed. Do the Islanders, who are already slim on the backend, want to risk that?

But I agree that Lambert needs to find a way to balance out the minutes more if Scott Mayfield is going to remain out of the lineup because he's taxing his defense too much, and the lack of discipline is making things even more difficult. 

How do you explain the excessive penalties they've been taking? Is it more a lack of speed thing or more a lack of discipline? The latter can be corrected, but if it's speed, that could be a problem. (@Isles423)

One could argue that the abundance of penalties is due to a lack of speed and having to do illegal things to slow down the opposition.

However, what I'm seeing is just poor positioning and lazy sticks, with a ton of tripping penalties. It seems that the Islanders are putting themselves in vulnerable positions on the ice, and if players don't move their feet while playing defense, penalties arise.

The lack of focus during key points has been a huge problem in the last several games. Is there any indication that the coaching staff could be held accountable? I mean, you can't fire the team. (@triandfit)

The lack of focus could certainly be on the coach, especially the discipline factor, but this is not a young Islanders team. 

The players are smarter than what they are showing, and at some point, the leadership group needs to be held accountable. 

The good news for New York is that slow starts aren't happening at the alarming rate we saw a year ago. Each game brings momentum shifts, and the Islanders may not have been doing a fine job at handling the opponents when those shifts occur. 

But we have seen a certain level of desperation that should provide optimism. 

Should the Isles consider running with 5 D men and 13 forwards? Gauthier and Fasching watching every game while Bolduc plays 5 minutes. (If Mayfield is out long term, obviously) (@TheDobFather_)

This was something I was thinking when I looked at the defensive minute discrepancy. If Bolduc isn't going to play, why not run 13 forwards and get Hudson Fasching or Julien Gauthier in the lineup? 

The problem with this, as we mentioned, is the amount of pressure already being put on the defense with Bolduc just playing five minutes. Now, if he's not playing at all, the defense will get even more taxed, so it might not be in Lambert's best interest to do that.  

How long of a leash, realistically, does Lane Lambert or even John Mclean have with Lou? (@bill_fond)

One would think the leash isn't particularly long for Lambert, as if the Islanders look poor early, I could see Lou Lamoriello making a move. As for John MacLean, if he wasn't fired after the lackluster power play a year ago, there's no reason to think he will be out of a job before Lambert. 

However, you have to think about what the Islanders do if they fired Lambert. Who are they hiring? Would you feel comfortable having John MacLean serve as head coach?

Honestly, I'm not sure Lamoriello's leash is long, despite ownership's commitment to him. 

Has anyone installed webcams at every skating rink near Parise's house yet? (@sab31nyi)

Haha, this is a good one. The Islanders penalty kill had been struggling until killing off 7-of-8 Ottawa Senators' power plays the other night. That's an area where Zach Parise could certainly help them, besides the offense and grit he provides at five-on-five. 

We know Parise is skating back home in Minnesota, as it looks like he's got the itch back to continue playing. He did say at the end of last season that it was retirement or back with the Islanders, and Lamoriello said the door is open for a Parise return. 

The question is, when does Parise come back, and if the Islanders are struggling, does he decide to?

Can't rely on Sorokin every game to make over 40 saves (@ThomasB74456064)

It seems like the Islanders are falling into the same pattern we saw last season. Sorokin would never admit to being overworked, but the eye test showed at the end of the last season and in the playoffs that he needed more support. 

Through five starts, Sorokin has faced, on average, 33 shots per game, stopping 45 of 47 back on Tuesday. He's been brilliant despite allowing five goals twice in five games, owning a .915 SV% with a 2.80 GAA and one shutout. 

He's faced 121 shots at five-on-five, 27 of which were considered high-danger shots per NaturalStatrick.com. He's allowed just seven goals, which is good for a .943 SV%. 

Lambert said after Tuesday's win that his team needs to play much better in front of Sorokin. The Islanders also may want to use Semyon Varlamov more often than once every five starts, as he's more than capable of winning games, and it will allow Sorokin to stay fresh.

We are playing pretty poorly, but we are two points off the top of the Metro with a game in hand. Cut out the penalties, and we will be rollin' (@RoweKJ6)

It's way too early to be looking at the division in terms of placement, just six games in. I wouldn't go as far as to say the Islanders are playing poorly. They've certainly had their moments in games, but I think you have to like their five-on-five play, allowing the ninth-fewest goals against (9). Even with the breakdowns, they've allowed the 12th fewest shots. 

But yes, if the Islanders can cut the penalties, not only would that give fewer opportunities to their opponents, but it will also save this backend, which is already short a significant key to their penalty kill. 

Less penalty killing also should allow for a sharper Sorokin, who has been ultra-sharp, despite seemingly being on the kill eight times a game. 

Aho seems to clearly be more effective on the power play, so why won't they give him a shot or at least put him with Dobson on the other point? Is this about draft status? It's not like they're lighting it up - try something, at least. (@caruss18)

You would have to be crazy to take Noah Dobson off the power play right now.

After a shaky opening night, Dobson has been flourishing, currently on a five-game point streak with one goal and five assists. He scored the game-winning goal Tuesday night, a howitzer from the high slot, while logging a career-high 27:42 minutes.

The Islanders' power play has moved the puck much better as of late, with Dobson playing a significant role in that, as the point man. 

Sure, Sebastian Aho keeps things simpler at the point of the power play, using his wrist shot to get pucks on goal for deflections or through screens. But with Dobson's confidence high right now, he needs to just be allowed to cook, as the kids say.  

With Dobson and Romanov both starting great, could we see them paired again before the season's end? (@RyanJackNYY)

Honestly, this is a great question. It's something that I thought about, too, as Adam Pelech has struggled mightily, and maybe being paired back with Ryan Pulock would allow him to get back to his shutdown self.

However, as mentioned in the last question, Dobson is flourishing, and the last thing the Islanders should do at this very moment is change his defense partner.

Alexander Romanov may be the Islanders' strongest defenseman in the Islanders zone through six games, but he also looks extremely comfortable alongside Pulock.

I think this is a situation where Lambert needs to let Pelech work out his issues and trust that he will, given his track record.'

I'd love to see Wahlstrom get a crack at RW1. I like 27 on the 3rd line at this stage of his career to balance the lines, and Ollie probably is the only other guy on the roster right now with 20+ goal potential in that spot. (@SidFalcoReturns)

Oliver Wahlstrom is in a weird spot. He's not been given many minutes since making his season debut against the Buffalo Sabres a week ago. He did skate on the top line for that game but was quickly taken off of it and placed on Pageau's wing. 

We have also seen him skate on the fourth line in back-to-back games with minute cuts, and he hasn't really taken advantage of his minutes. 

Anders Lee may have had a shaky start to his season, but he looks more like himself in the last few games, and it seems that Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal are finding chemistry with him. 

The only way Wahlstrom will get a chance to be a top-six player for the Islanders is if he takes advantage of his bottom-six minutes. That's how this league works, and so far, this season and through the years, he's struggled to do that.