When Lane Lambert [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-lane-lambert-break-up-day-playoffs] was elevated from associate coach of the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/anders-lee-new-york-islanders-king-clancy-jam-kancer-award] to head coach, there were questions surrounding his ability to get an aging veteran team back into the postseason. Studying under future Hall of Famer Barry Trotz for 11 years and being behind the Islanders bench for four years, the 58-year-old was getting his first shot to be a head coach, an opportunity he was likely getting that summer whether it be on Long Island or somewhere else. Even with the experience, Lambert would make rookie mistakes, as everyone does. During a season of ups and down, Lambert made those mistakes. There was room for growth, from lackluster starts to line combinations to in-game adjustments. Despite those mistakes -- as well as a handful of long-term injuries to key players -- the Islanders did get back into the postseason. Albeit a first-round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games, in which the experienced Rod Brind'Amour outcoached Lambert, UBS Arena got playoff hockey. Now we sit here on May 10 and have no idea if Lambert will be back with the Islanders, or general manager Lou Lamoriello for that matter. Did Lambert do enough in his first season to be brought back? READ MORE: There's Only So Many Ways the New York Islanders' Hold-Up Can Go [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/.preview/cn02bed0d2200024ac?auth=1683823090:b851051b8904d2678c4921fc0068b168d5992ca2&nonce=1683736690404] There's no question that his players -- specifically his star players -- underperformed, which is out of the coach's control. And at the end of the day, it's easier to fire a coach than fire a team. While Lambert did not get enough on-ice support from his players, he also failed to get enough support from his assistant coaches. Yes, Lambert oversees everything from five-on-five play to the power play to the penalty kill...everything. It's on him to make adjustments or at least point things out for his coaching staff to fix or implement. And there's no question that Lambert did not do that enough in year one. But his assistant coaches in place have specific roles, and unfortunately for Lambert, both assistant coaches, Doug Houda and Johnny MacLean, did not get results. Stefen Rosner discussed this on the latest episode of Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtQCYoR8CYg&t=4628s]. Stefen Rosner on Hockey Night in New York DOUG HOUDA & DEFENSE DROP-OFF It may have been Doug Houda's first season behind the Islanders bench, but it was his 17th year as an NHL assistant. The 15-year NHL defenseman's specialty lies in -- you guessed it -- the defensive side of the puck, working with defensemen and leading the penalty kill. He played a vital role in developing Red Wings' young defenseman Moritz Seider. Coming to Long Island, the hope was that he could help develop Noah Dobson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/noah-dobson-new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello] and other young backend members. The Islanders did have the ninth-best penalty kill in the NHL this past season at 82.2 percent. It was just a few ticks under their 84.2 percent in 2021-22, which ranked fourth. The penalty kill wasn't really an issue until the postseason, as they allowed the Hurricanes five power-play goals on 25 opportunities (84 percent). The Hurricanes' power play was nothing special during the regular season, operating at 19.8 percent, which ranked 20th. While you have to credit the Hurricanes, they tried the same back-door play numerous times, with Ilya Sorokin catching on and saving the day later in the series. As for the defense corps, they did play a part in allowing the fifth-fewest goals per game in the NHL, at 2.65. The more significant part of that equation is the play of Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. Due to defensive struggles, Sorokin faced the fifth most shots amongst goaltenders, 1,475, and the third most high-danger shot, 431, per NaturalStatrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20222023&thruseason=20222023&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=g&rate=n&team=ALL&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL]. So that says it all about how leaky the Islanders' defense was this season. We saw the 23-year-old Dobson regress defensively, as well as Adam Pelech, despite him finding his game after missing 21 games. The structure was off, and it didn't help that the Islanders started the season without a true No. 6 defenseman and had to throw a maybe not-so-ready Samuel Bolduc back into the fire in the second half of the season. Alexander Romanov took steps forward in the second half of the season to the point where that trade seems like it will benefit the Islanders greatly. Houda didn't struggle as much as John MacLean did. JOHN MACLEAN & PITIFUL POWER PLAY There's no question that if the New York Islanders had a respectful power play this season, they are clinching well before Game 82. They also very well would have advanced past the Carolina Hurricanes and beyond. Under John MacLean's tutelage, the Islanders finished with the third-worst power play in the NHL, at 15.8 percent. Remember, Brian Wiseman was actually hired, per Islanders, to run the power play, but something happened there. Wiseman said he never signed anything, but the Islanders announced the hiring. Around the time, an old article regarding Wiseman and a sexual assault allegation resurfaced, and, per a league source, that interfered with the hire. Lamoriello then hired friend MacLean, who previously coached the Sharks' power play to a 19-percent clip in 2021-22. When Mathew Barzal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/mathew-barzal-new-york-islanders-postseason-horvat-wahlstrom] went down, the Islanders' power play struggled to enter the zone too often, as again, no adjustments that were made were visible. Along with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders scored the fewest power-play goals in the NHL, with just 35. They also allowed seven short-handed goals, leading to the second-worst power play goal differential in the NHL (28). The Islanders made the playoffs, somehow, despite their lack of power play success, but we all knew that if they were going to go on another playoff run, the power play -- with Barzal back healthy -- would have to be an advantage. The Islanders went 1-for-18 on the man advantage in the playoffs. They decided to wait until Game Six to make a change to the top unit, as they took Dobson off the point in exchange for Sebastian Aho. If the Islanders' top unit was a beast during the regular season, one could understand sticking with them in the playoffs because they have a track record of being dangerous. The structure needed to change if the organization believed the personnel was correct. The Islanders' power play was not that, and while the blame does fall on the players because they did miss their chances, MacLean likely will lose his job over their failure.
