Ruslan Iskhakov's Second Preseason Goal The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] have not been a defensive team since the departure of former head coach Barry Trotz following the 2021-22 season. Lane Lambert’s teams struggled to play respectable hockey in their own zone, leading to his firing in late January, but the group showed signs of a turnaround when Patrick Roy took over on Jan. 21. According to MoneyPuck.com [https://moneypuck.com/], the Islanders finished 10th best in the league in 5-on-5 goals against but were ninth-worst in Expected goals against in 2023-24. Roy will have his hands full coming into training camp this season as he tries to establish his strategies from Jump Street. Fans have heard the line countless times: “With a full training camp, Roy will have the team playing stellar defense.” The biggest question, and something Roy has likely spent countless hours figuring out, is what type of system best suits his blueline personnel. A system that comes to mind is a “Strong Side Overload,” where the main concept is to keep everyone on whatever side the puck is on to create limited space for the opposing team. The strong side of the ice is whatever side the puck is on while the weak side is the side opposite the puck. Looking at the Islanders backend, Adam Pelech is 6’3, Ryan Pulock is 6’2, Scott Mayfield is 6’5, and Noah Dobson is 6’4. That's a decently tall defensive core. A defensive system that allows tall players to dominate and take up space using their long reach is certainly hard to play against, especially when the system is styled to force everyone to play on one side of the ice. Under this system, the forward's job is usually to have the strong-side winger on his point to deny the opposing defenseman that option and the center playing down low on the wall to deny a possible below-the-goal-line cycle play. Centers like Bo Horvat, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas all play a two-way game, which allows them to dominate defensively and cut down cycle games in the defensive zone. Opposing teams love to cycle pucks down low before crashing the net. The “Strong Side Overload” system creates a lot of congestion in the middle of the ice and in front of the net, which, if defended correctly, would cause teams to struggle to create chances, forcing them to take weaker, low-danger shots from the outside. Roy made it clear that the key to success is not forcing his goaltenders to be first stars of every game. “We don't want to rely on goaltending,” Roy said back on March 19 when discussing Sorokin’s struggles. “Goaltending could be the difference maker. But it's up to every one of us to play a certain way and play a good way, and the goalies will take care of themselves. I mean, we have two very good goaltenders.” The main concern has to be limiting shots and chances against. Rosner’s Response: Lachase makes a strong point for the Islanders implementing the “Strong Side Overload” system. For the last few years, the Islanders have allowed way too many high-danger chances and second and third opportunities from the hash marks to the top of the crease. Even if defended correctly, when the Islanders get caught defending the cycle, it has tended to lead to penalties, especially after failed zone-clearing attempts But if the Islanders can increase their communication as a collective backend unit and also rely on a few bounce-back seasons from players like Pelech, who can evade danger and start transitions, and Mayfield, who missed 41 games due to a broken ankle, they will be in solid shape defensively. Clogging up the slot is important, but screens have plagued Sorokin and many goaltenders around the NHL. Unless a defender or a forward gets a body or a stick on an incoming shot, they need to be conscious of how deep they get when trying to limit chances. Trotz's shell plan often worked because the defense blocked the shots, but it seemed to hurt the team’s goaltenders more than help under Lambert. Because Roy is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, he is more aware of the goalie's point of view with every drill he does, and that’s a weapon when building any system. Training camp begins in a few weeks, so we will get our systems answer shortly. TOP STORIES
