Islanders Fall 4-3 To Canadiens MONTREAL -- Patrick Roy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/patrick-roy-new-york-islanders-montreal-canadiens-stan-fischler-4-3] was very direct after being hired by the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/patrick-roy-new-york-islanders-montreal-winning-team] last Saturday. "It's playoff hockey for the Islanders from here on out." Actions speak louder than words, and through three games with New York (1-2-0), Roy has coached every game as if it was an Islanders elimination game. In Sunday's 3-2 come-from-behind overtime victory against the Dallas Stars, he shortened the bench in the third period, removing the fourth line from the rotation while double-shifting his top players, which paid off. In Tuesday's loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Islanders entered the third period down 3-1. The fourth line sat for the final seven or so minutes while, again, his top dogs saw the ice rather often. Roy did get a clutch goal by Jean-Gabriel Pageau via a shorthanded snipe, but that was as close as the Islanders could get in a 3-2 defeat. On Thursday night, the Islanders found themselves in the same position, down 3-1 entering the third period. Roy gave his top players every chance to make something of the game -- which they did -- scoring two goals late in 1:36 before allowing the go-ahead goal with 2:12 to play in the third. Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Noah Dobson played the final two minutes of the game, with Horvat ringing the post with 10 seconds to play before the final buzzer sounded. Third-line winger Julien Gauthier [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/julien-gauthier-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-mathew-barzal] didn't play the final 14:52 of the third period and sat for Fourth-line center Kyle MacLean [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/kyle-maclean-new-york-islanders-bridgeport-islanders-recalled] sat for the final 16:37 of the third. Linemate Cal Clutterbuck [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/cal-clutterbuck-new-york-islanders-stan-fischler-dynasty-teams] watched the final 11:40. Losing defenseman Adam Pelech [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/adam-pelech-brendan-gallagher-new-york-islanders-montreal-canadiens] for the final 8:10 of the third after he was on the receiving end of one of the dirtier hits you will ever see complicated Roy's blue-line decisions. Still, as you saw, he relied heavily on Noah Dobson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/noah-dobson-new-york-islanders-11-points-11-games-defensive-play-1-on-1], deservingly so as he recorded assists on all three goals. Roy also lost forward Hudson Fasching [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/hudson-fasching-new-york-islanders-2022-23-zach-parise-extension] at 13:19 of the third period after he suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury after crashing into the boards following a breakaway chance. That loss led to more minutes for his top players, and given how Fasching had been playing in the game, with a few turnovers and a costly penalty, he likely would have joined Gauthier on the bench for a large portion of the third. But, with the number of mistakes the Islanders made in the game, which put them in a 3-0 hole early in the first, and the error that led to the back-breaking goal after mounting the comeback, Roy's coaching ultimately wasn't good enough to counteract the flaws. Looking at the roster, the Islanders have the talent to be a top team in the Metropolitan Division. But it's a multitude of mistakes like we saw under former head coach Lane Lambert [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-patrick-roy-firing], that is counteracting the club's ability to win games. On Sunday, the Islanders committed 17 turnovers. On Tuesday and Thursday, they committed 14 turnovers. Having the talent is one thing. But having that talent play to the best of their ability is another thing, and that's been the most significant issue this season. During the game, not enough of his depth forwards have been pulling their weight, giving him no choice but to shorten the bench and, quite frankly, overuse certain players. Even then, trustworthy players, in the most critical of moments, have failed. We have seen the group take strides and make extensive progress game in and game out under Roy. Looking no further than New York shutting the door for 29:53 of the game on Thursday, after allowing a goal at 12:19 of the first before Sean Monahan's game-winner at 17:48 of the third. Now, the Islanders did come out strong the first few shifts of the game before allowing three goals in a 5:13. But it seemed as if Roy's Stanley Cup playoff mentality wasn't shared until after the damage was done. "We need to work on some of our mistakes," Roy said. "I was very happy with the resiliency of our guys. We won that second period, and we won the third period." Resiliency is an incredible tool, especially in the playoffs, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, and a loss is a loss, and if the resilient effort isn't enough, then what does that say about the roster? Through these three games, Roy's only had one effective defense pairing in Alexander Romanov-Dobson. Pelech, Sebastian Aho, Scott Mayfield, and Samuel Bolduc have struggled to provide the defensive depth needed to play the defensive style he wants. Regarding the forward depth, the Islanders third line of Simon Holmstrom-Pageau and Gauthier, which should be a solid defensive line, has been incapable of slowing down the opposition. As mentioned already, the fourth line isn't playing in critical moments, a line that New York was notorious for throwing out there in the biggest of moments, given their aggressive, physical shutdown ability. That line is much different, personnel-wise, with Casey Cizikas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-kyle-maclean-casey-cizikas-pierre-engvall] out injured and Thursday night with Matt Martin out due to sickness. So, given the roster and the failures of a handful of players to play the roles they're being paid to play, Roy doesn’t have many options. The coach can only do so much out there. He can implement his system and hope his players, who have already bought in, can execute. But if certain players continue to fail to make the plays, the ball gets bounced into general manager Lou Lamoriello's court. It seems like Roy is here for the foreseeable future, and unlike Barry Trotz, who came in, looked at the roster, and then deemed that defense was the way to victory, the Hall of Fame goaltender is coming in with a defensive structure. Only three games into Roy's tenure, the players clearly need more time to perfect the system. But, if the Islanders get to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 and certain players continue to hold the team back from perfecting the system, Lamoriello will likely have to make moves. Those moves would not just be for the remainder of the 2023-24 season in an effort to make the playoffs. It would be decisions for the 2024-25 season, so that Roy has the pieces he thinks can play his game correctly. The talent is there. The effort is there. And the Islanders have done very well in a defensive system, and with more emphasis on puck possession for a team that can transition, there's no reason why the Islanders' roster can't be better over time. But time is of the essence as the Islanders sit four points back of the second wild-card spot with 34 games to go.
