New York Islanders Are Their Own Worst Enemy The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/new-york-islanders-stan-fischler-pittsburgh-penguins-3-1-loss] enter 2024 holding down the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 17-10-9 record after falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on New Year's Eve. It's been a roller coaster of a season for New York, blowing leads like it was their job in the early going before showcasing more resiliency as we reached the New Year. The team's weakness a year ago, the power play, has become a strength, operating at 23 percent, which is 11th-best in the NHL. But their strength, the penalty kill, has struggled, operating at 73.4 percent, fourth-worst in the NHL. As we flip the calendar to 2024, here's a New Year's resolution for every player on the Islanders roster. FORWARDS Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzMzI2NTA0MzI5ODE1MjIy/usatsi_22101514.jpg] Anders Lee: To finish more chances in front of the net. After a slow start, Lee has found his game as of late and has done a stronger job of winning board battles and getting to the front of the net, but there have been chances to bury that have gone by the boards that he has proven to bury in recent past. Bo Horvat: To win more face-offs, as he's won just 48.5 percent of his draws, losing 44.9 percent of his defensive zone draws. He's a career 53.7 percent in the face-off dot. Mathew Barzal: Despite being on pace to set a career-high in shots, shooting more should always be in Barzal's game plan. He's got a lethal release, and Horvat, drawing attention, will continue to create more shooting lanes. Pierre Engvall: To be more aware in the defensive zone and make quicker plays rather than making the wrong reads, which has led to two healthy-scratch situations. Brock Nelson: To regain that scoring touch. Despite being on pace for a 36-goal campaign, he's been snake-bitten as of late, with just one goal in his last six games. He shouldn't have to carry the offense, but the Islanders would love for him to get hot on this road trip. Kyle Palmieri: To provide more support for Nelson. He's a strong player and has worked well in his spot, but it seems, especially lately, that he's struggled to make the tape-to-tape passes. He's also someone who has the ability to drive and crash the net, and that's something he may want to do more of going forward, especially with Nelson's shot. Simon Holmstrom: To have more confidence in his shot at 5-on-5. We know he has no issues letting pucks go on the penalty kill, but he has the fewest shots at 5-on-5 of any starter, and the Islanders could use more production from their bottom six. Jean-Gabriel Pageau: To be more of a consistent goal scorer. With just four goals on the season, two coming the other night against Washington, the Islanders need him to not just facilitate, especially alongside Holmstrom, who doesn't shoot much. Julien Gauthier: To continue to take advantage of his minutes. The opportunity for him to be the everyday third liner is right there, and he has to continue to use his speed when other areas of his game are lacking. Matt Martin: To provide a spark when he can. He isn't the fastest skater, and one could say the game has left him a few steps behind, but he can still provide that physicality and protection that the Islanders need. If he doesn't stay in the lineup, he has to continue to be the player that his teammates rave about off the ice and find ways to make an impact. Casey Cizikas: To be stronger on the penalty kill. The Islanders have allowed 29 power-play goals this season, and he's been on the ice for 14 of them, the most of any forward on the roster. While that makes sense, since he's on the top unit, they need him to lead the way in 2024, to help turn a weakness into a strength. Cal Clutterbuck: To stay healthy. While he may not be the fastest player, especially defending in his own zone, health has been the storyline over the last few years, but this year, he's stayed healthy and has been effective. Hudson Fasching: To be a spark plug every night. There's a clear trust from Lambert in Fasching, especially when he decided to move him to the second line on Sunday. He's shown the ability to adapt to whoever is around him, but what will keep him in the lineup is his grinding, go-to-work attitude. Oliver Wahlstrom: To find some confidence in his game even if ice time has been hard to come by. When Lambert calls his name, he needs to find his A-game faster. DEFENSEMEN Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzMzI2NDc3MjE3ODM0MTY2/usatsi_19325379.jpg] Adam Pelech: Getting closer to returning to the lineup, the Islanders need him to be the elite shutdown defenseman he's shown to be in years past. He's the glue that holds the Islanders' backend together when he's on his game. Ryan Pulock: To get healthy. He has been out of the lineup since Dec. 7 with a lower-body injury and has yet to start skating. As we saw in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pulock can be a force even if the offense isn't there and is still a top-pairing shutdown defenseman, which the Islanders could use. Alex Romanov: To get himself into stronger positions. He's been better in front of his crease than he was a year ago, but it seems that he often finds himself out of position and has to scramble to get back. Noah Dobson: To continue to not back down We've spoken often about his offensive output this season, which has him in the Norris Trophy conversation, and his defense has been stellar. We've seen him be physical in front of goal and even contribute to post-whistle scrums, showing off that fire and competitiveness. Scott Mayfield: To make smarter reads, especially on zone exits. Whether it's throwing a puck to the middle or missing an outlet pass, the Islanders just need some simplicity from Mayfield because that's when he is at his best. Mike Reilly: A waiver-wire savior, Reilly has to continue to be a reliable option. With how many defensemen are on the roster, there's little room for error, and his skating and board battle ability have allowed him to stay in the lineup. Sebastian Aho: To play a quicker brand of hockey in terms of decision-making. He's shown an ability to evade danger, but especially with pressure behind his net, there are times when the soft play along the boards or up the boards leads to turnovers. Samuel Bolduc: To play with more confidence and trust his instincts. The tools are there to be a strong middle-pairing defenseman, but when he overthinks, the mistakes arise. Robert Bortuzzo: To continue to be a source of knowledge for Bolduc and other members of the team. As the only player on the roster to hoist a Stanley Cup, there's value even if he's not playing every day. GOALTENDERS: Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzMzI2NDY0MzMyOTMyNjc1/usatsi_20451425-3.jpg] Ilya Sorokin: To be more aggressive in his crease. As the season has progressed, he has shown a more aggressive mindset at times, especially fighting through screens, but he gets himself into trouble when he stays back on his goal line. That makes him play small, which allows the opposition much more net to shoot at. Semyon Varlamov: To continue being a stable force between the pipes. Due to his positioning, his rebound control has been strong this season, which takes more pressure off the struggling defense in front of him. With Sorokin's up-and-down play this season, Varlamov's play becomes paramount in the second half while Sorokin tries to find his elite skill at a much higher rate. MANAGEMENT: Lou Lamoriello: To remain proactive if and when more injuries arise for a team that's been banged up the entire season. Every acquisition he's made thus far has panned out. Maybe he can convince Zach Parise to come aboard to strengthen what is already a deep forward group. Lane Lambert: To continue to hold players accountable who don't play the way they need to play to keep the train moving. He's set the bar sitting Pierre Engvall twice this season, and while Engvall may not have been playing well, there are other players that haven't been bringing their A-game lately as well. John MacLean: To bring even more creativity to the power play. It's been the biggest bright spot of the season with strong puck movement. Maybe, he can find a way to have Bo Horvat ripping more one-timers from the bumper position. Doug Houda: To get the Islanders' defensive structure, especially in front of goal, much stronger. Their struggles to box out, especially protect the weak side of the ice, and the backdoor plays have been a major issue this season, especially late in games with the leads. You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/@hockeynightny] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey] live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny [https://www.twitch.tv/hockeynightny].
