20 Games of Islanders Hockey! What does this say about the Islanders?

It's the 20 Game mark for the New york Islanders and a Majority of NHL Teams....However, This blog is Islanders Related so I'll stick to Islanders.

The New York Islanders are in 4th place in the Metro Division with 22 Points and with 10 wins, 8 losses and 2 Overtime Losses. Not a bad way to start the year with everyone and their Grandmother saying that the Islanders wouldn't be that competitive this year. 

OFFENSE:

The Islanders have surprised a lot of people in the Form of Offense, Defense AND Goaltending. The Offense has been fairly decent this season, nowhere near last year but it's been overall Good. Brock Nelson, a Player who caught a lot of heat leads the team in Goals. Josh Bailey is leading the Team in Points and is proving to everyone that he doesn't need John Tavares to be successful. Valtteri Filppula has been a pleasant Surprise for the Islanders in the form of his offense, Penalty Killing and his passing abilities. 

You can basically say that the team is sharing the glory in a way. What do I mean exactly? 

I mean that there isn't a player who is scoring a lot of goals and leads the team by a Huge margin. Barzal is 2nd on the Team in Points. Now is the Offense like last years? Absolutely not! But this was expected after Tavares left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs. The offense is nowhere near as lethal as last season, but they are getting the job done. Almost everyone on the Team has scored a Goal or more with the exception of a few Defensemen and a few Forwards.

Does the Offense sputter at times? Yes, but the team as a whole plays well and despite these last 3 games, they all contribute on the ice!

There are things I would Critique. For instance: The Power Play passes way too much! The Islanders power play had more playmakers than shooters on the ice for the Power Play and it was recently switched up to have more shooters than Playmakers. The issue of too much passing still comes up, but it has improved and the islanders do shoot more, Now Just need to get the puck on net!

DEFENSE:

Keep in mind, Last season the defense was the worst in the League and it let Jaro Halak, Thomas Greiss and Christopher Gibson out to dry to face a bevy of shots, but I'll get to Goaltending a little later.

The Islander defense is by far, Lightyears better than last year. It went from allowing 40+ shots a game to about 28 Shots a game! A Huge difference if you ask me. The way the defense plays is key as well, Actually sticking to assignments, Finishing Checks, Blocking shots and most Important of all (And I'll repeat myself): Allowing less shots! 

I can safely say that this Defense is reliable! The Defensive System is more simple rather than a complicated one. It's easy for the players to follow and some of the best Defensemen on this team are Thomas Hickey, Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech are some of the best Defensemen on the team.

The same can't be said for Ryan Pulock and Nick Leddy. Pulock, Last season was one of the better Defenseman for the Islanders under a Defensive System that didn't work out at all! Leddy on the other hand seems to be either losing a step or something may be wrong. Whether it's physical or Mental, something is definitely off with Nick Leddy.  Johnny Boychuk as been decent for the team same for Luca Sbisa, even though he barely plays. Overall, I like the Defensive Improvement that this team has endured.

Penalty Killing has been a Major improvement as well! The Islanders last year were dead last in Penalty kill with 73.2%. This season, their PK is at 79.2%, a Much better performance! They are sticking to their assignments, blocking shots and helping clear the zone!

GOALTENDING:

Last season, The Islanders goaltenders were left out to dry, facing 40 or more shots a game while allowing 3.57 Goals a game, The Most in the NHL. This season however, The Islanders are allowing much less! They are allowing an impressive 2.59 Goals a game. A Significant improvement compared to last season! 

Another reason may be that Piero Greco and Most notably, Mitch Korn have been involved with the 2 Goaltenders, Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss. 

Thomas Greiss, Who had a Career worst season with a 3.82 Goals against and an .892 Save percentage has been a Tremendous surprise! Under his new Coaches, He has a 2.49 Goals against and a .925 Save Percentage, a significant improvement! 

With Jaro Halak signing with the Boston Bruins, The Islanders signed Free Agent Goaltender, Robin Lehner to a 1 year "Show me" Contract. Even though Lehner was coming off a horrible season, His numbers last season do not tell the story. He was on a terrible Buffalo Sabres team and didn't have anything in front of him to preserve leads or even help win games and his numbers suffered because of it.

This season though, Robin Lehner looks like a different Goaltender. He looks more confident and even though he isn't having the best starts since he injured his lower back in the win against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, He still gives the Islanders a chance to win games. 

Overall, I think the Islanders have improved tremendously in Goal! Thomas Greiss is more reliable and Robin Lehner is working to better himself after making the announcement about what he was going through at the beginning of the season. Still some things for them to iron out, but I'm confident they'll work everything out!

OVERALL:

I think this Islanders team is on it's way to making this season interesting. Despite the last 3 games looking utterly disastrous and allowing 16 goals total, I don't think 3 games in November don't dictate the outcome of a season. It's the Highs and lows of an NHL season. The Best of teams go through Hot streaks and cold spells. 

EVALUATION:

My evaluation of this Islanders team is that there is a Strong possibility of making the Playoffs. Now will that be in the form of a Divisional Spot or Wild card spot? That remains to be seen, but I do believe this Islanders team has a strong chance. 

The Metro Division is Very tight and if the Islanders win some games, they are right back in the swing of things and if they go on another 5 game or more winning streak or even a Point streak, they can take First place in the Metro. 

Will it be Difficult? Absolutely! No one said playing the NHL was easy. Every team is tested by the Hot streaks and cold spells I mentioned earlier. It tests how a team will rebound from the Cold Spells and/or How they will stay on the Hot Streaks.

Injuries have been a little bit of an issue with Cizikas out for 2-3 Weeks, Martin Day-to-Day and Ladd out Indefinitely with what looked like a Lower Body Injury.  It's going to test the Islanders, the Coaches, Players, front office staff and players they call up from Bridgeport.

If the Islanders can overcome the injuries and fix up what had hindered their performances in the last 3 games, they can get right back into the swing of things and be the Gritty team they were! This team has the tools necessary to be a winning team!

Until the Next Blog my Friends,

LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!