Islanders believe that the pucks finally will go in the net after goal drought
New York Islanders' Kyle MacLean, left, checks Calgary Flames' Connor Zary during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Calgary, Alberta. Credit: AP/Jeff McIntosh
Patrick Roy has a strong belief that hockey ultimately is a fair game, that scoring chances eventually will be rewarded with goals. Lane Lambert and Barry Trotz, his predecessors as the Islanders’ coach, used to tell the players the same thing.
But as they began a three-game homestand on Saturday night against the Blues at UBS Arena and a stretch of eight of 11 at home that could prove critical to their playoff chances, the Islanders knew things needed to start breaking their way.
“At the end of the day, I think we played good hockey,” Matt Martin said of the just-completed 1-2-2 road trip that ended with a 2-1 loss in Detroit on Thursday night as the Islanders failed to hold a third-period lead for the third straight game.
“Some third periods of games, I think we can manage it better. But overall, I think we’re getting a ton of opportunities offensively. We’ve gone dry. But we believe it will turn. Patty talks a lot about the game being fair and it will turn. Trotzy talked the same way, and Laner.”
The Islanders scored only four goals in losing the last three games on the trip (0-2-1) while averaging 25.3 shots.
Roy also talked about turning UBS Arena into a home-ice advantage. The Islanders entered Saturday’s game with a 2-3-2 mark in their building and on a 1-3-1 skid dating to Oct. 22.
“I want us to be homers, that’s it,” Roy said. “We want to try to win as many games as possible. It’s time for us to win some home games and play well in front of our fans.”
“We have three games at home and it’s very important points on the line,” fourth-line center Kyle MacLean said. “It’s good to be back home and we need to definitely start putting some wins together and take advantage of this home stretch.”
Roy kept his forward lines intact for the eighth straight game even after losing three straight.
“If you don’t have chances, you try to change a lot of things,” Roy said. “But if you have chances, you just believe the game eventually will be fair.”
That meant Martin stayed on MacLean’s left wing along with Oliver Wahlstrom. The fourth line has generated only one five-on-five goal, as Martin and MacLean set up Wahlstrom’s tally in a 4-2 win in Ottawa on Nov. 7.
But Roy said he’s been pleased with the trio’s defensive work, particularly the previous two games, as they generated five more shots than they allowed.
That does not mean Roy isn’t looking for scoring from his fourth line.
“They’ve had chances,” he said. “There are no bonuses. I want them to score goals. I want the four lines scoring goals, including the six defensemen. We’re a team that wants to play well defensively, but we want to be an offensive team.”
MacLean, though, said he knows the fourth line’s primary focus is limiting the other team’s chances. Roy often will match up the trio against the opposition’s top line.
“We need to definitely limit the chances against and make sure we’re creating energy,” MacLean said. “I think everybody wants to score. But we have a job to do that’s outside of that. Our primary focus needs to be on making sure that we’re reliable defensively and creating energy. The goals, I think they will come, but they’re going to be a bonus on top.”
“We’ve just got to focus on what you know your role is,” Martin said. “It can be challenging at times because you want to contribute offensively, especially when the whole team is not scoring. But you have to stay focused on what you have to do every night and not necessarily on the points because they won’t come if you start focusing on them, and other parts of your game will slip as well.”
Notes & quotes: Ilya Sorokin started for the second straight game after making 29 saves against the Red Wings. It snapped a string of five straight games in which Roy alternated Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin . . . Defenseman Grant Hutton and Hudson Fasching remained the healthy scratches . . . Former Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy remained out of the Blues’ lineup with a lower-body injury. He has not played since Oct. 15.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
