Following a confidence-boosting 6-1-0 road trip out west, the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] returned home, where they'd play the next seven games. The Islanders were looking to keep the good times rolling and show the fan base that their road success wasn't a fluke. On paper, they've had success. They've outshot all five opponents they've faced, with no team logging more than 22 shots on goal in a single game, with New York topping 30 shots in every home game. The only problem is that the Islanders have gone 1-3-1 during this stretch. The dominating, ice-tilting play hasn't mattered -- not when the Islanders themselves cannot score. Across the five games, the Islanders have scored just six goals, shooting at a 3.49% clip. In their lone win over the Seattle Kraken, they were shut out, winning 1-0 in a shootout. Still, confidence amongst the group remains high, as Roy likes the way they've played. It's hard not to. It's been a lack of scoring and simple mistakes that have deeply cost the Islanders during this stretch. Now, the schedule only gets tougher. Their next five games come against the only teams to win the Stanley Cup since 2020. To close out this stretch at home, the two top teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences head to UBS Arena, with the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] on Tuesday and Brock Nelson and the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] on Thursday. Come Saturday, the Islanders will be in Florida for a weekend back-to-back with the Bolts and the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers]. New York gets to return home after that for three more games, but it doesn't get any easier. The Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] are in town next Tuesday, Dec. 9. After that, the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks come to town, followed by a third game in 12 days against the Lightning. Suffice to say, the next seven days will go a long way to deciding just how this Islanders' season will continue to unfold. Injuries haven't helped, either. Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov are out for the season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of commission -- he is expected back by Christmas. This harsh run of games begs one question. What do the Islanders need to do better at to win games? Roy already gave away that answer after a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins]. "We were the better team on the ice," Roy said. "But, the quality of our shots is gonna have to improve, find ways to bear down on our chances [...] we're going to win more games than we're going to lose if we play that way." Against the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers], the Islanders immediately went down 3-0, but stormed back to tie the game, led by Matthew Schaefer. A late, four-minute power play came and went without a go-ahead goal, and the Islanders lost in the shootout. Against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals] on Sunday afternoon, again, they outplayed their opponent for most of the game. They couldn't score, while Ilya Sorokin's second-period gaffe cost them the game, with two empty netters bringing the final tally to 4-1. With the level of opposition increasing, the Islanders need more goals, and it can't all keep coming from the top. Anthony Duclair has one goal and five points in his last 17 games. He needs to score more, and he's had some chances. Duclair's shooting a career-low 10%, whereas his career averages usually pace him closer to 14%. That would give him at least two more goals for the year. He's one of the players Roy is signalling to when he says the team needs to take better shots and make more of their opportunities. Simon Holmstrom has gone nine straight games without a point, and has just one goal and two points across his last 14, a stretch in which he's played in the top nine throughout. He needs to produce a lot more, especially with how good his shot can be. During his nine-game pointless streak, Holmstrom has gone four straight games without a shot on goal, something that can't happen with his elite shot. In total, he's gotten just 24 shots on goal this entire season, where he's played 25 games. Holmstrom scored 20 goals last year, a year many considered a springboard for bigger things. This year, Holmstrom is on pace for just 13 goals. It's been a disappointing run for the 2019 first-rounder, but the opportunity is still there. They're not the only ones underproducing, but their droughts are a big reason why the depth scoring has dried up of late. For the Islanders to turn this around and beat the best teams in the league over the next two weeks, the depth scoring needs to return. The Islanders need to find a way to score and to fix the power play, another huge piece of the issue. As always, the schedule presents an opportunity. If the Islanders rattle off a run of 4-2-1 or better, everyone's going to feel good, and they'll remain in a playoff spot. If they go 2-4-1, there's every chance they'll sink to the bottom four of the conference with how compact the standings are.
