Stefen Rosner on Morning Cuppa Hockey Talking Islanders The whole point of Patrick Roy's gauntlet of a training camp was for the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] to be ready to go when the puck dropped on the 2024-25 season. Through two games, that has not been the case. In their season-opening 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday, the Islanders seemed overmatched by the speed of the newest NHL franchise. Eventually, Roy's squad settled in and even found themselves with two third-period leads, but they failed to hold on, allowing the tying goal late before allowing a 3-on-1 rush in overtime to seal their fate. The Islanders played sloppy, but the positive news was that they found a way to get a point even when they were not at their best. While Utah is showing that they may be a dark horse for a playoff spot, now 3-0-0 on the young season after winning yet again in overtime 6-5 against the New York Rangers on Saturday night, the Dallas Stars were up next for the Islanders. There wasn't much ice throughout the game, but the Islanders created some for Dallas, making the same mistakes they did in Thursday's loss. Their breakouts were sloppy. They turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Dallas, who won but looked bad in their opening night 5-4 win to the Nashville Predators, made them pay. The Islanders had their chances to score throughout the game, but they missed wide-open opportunities, leading to a 3-0 loss. Roy understands the talent he has in the top six but knows that if they are going to win games, it will be because they can run all four lines and three defense pairings. In the season opener, the Islanders' top line led the charge. On Saturday night, the second and the third lines created chances while the top line struggled. Mathew Barzal only had one shot on goal in the entire game. The fourth line hasn't done much, and the three defense pairings have all had their issues breaking the puck out. Goalie Semyon Varlamov struggled in the season-opener but was better in his second straight start. He had no real chance on either of the two goals he allowed. The one positive through two games was the growth of the penalty kill. After an 0-for-2 start on opening night, the penalty kill rose to the occasion again Dallas, killing off both of their power plays while allowing three total shots. The power play, which went 1-for-6 in the opener, was 0-for-1 against Dallas, also failing to convert on a 6-on-5 situation late with Varlamov on the bench. Listen. The Islanders are only two games into the season and have a lot of time left to go before the panic button comes out of the drawer. That being said, things certainly don't get easier as the Islanders head to Colorado to face the Avalanche on Monday night at 9 PM. The Islanders have needed the entire NHL regular season to lock up a playoff spot, needing Game 81 in 2023-24 and Game 82 in 2022-23, because of their slow starts. This season, the Metropolitan Division is wide open, and a consistent regular season may be all it takes to earn a playoff spot. The New Jersey Devils are off to a fiery start, going 3-1-0 through their first four games. The Rangers are 1-0-1, the Philadelphia Flyers are 1-0-0, the Pittsburgh Penguins are 1-2-0, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are 1-1-0. The Islanders are one of three teams in the division without a win and the only one of the three to have played more than one game. The teams that make the playoffs out of the Metro will be the teams that find consistency. For the Islanders, consistency starts with getting their first win, which they'll try to do on Monday night in Patrick Roy's return to Colorado. TOP STORIES
