Three takeaways from the Islanders' four-game point streak
Isaiah George of the Islanders skates against the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena on Nov. 9. Credit: Jim McIsaac
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It’s a mixed lot when it comes to the Islanders, who resume their five-game road trip against the Canucks on Thursday night at Rogers Arena after the trek opened with Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton.
The good? Well, the Islanders (6-6-4) are collecting points despite defensemen Adam Pelech, Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov as well as top-liners Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal being out of the lineup, bringing a 2-0-2 streak into Thursday’s match.
The bad? The Islanders still have just three regulation wins in 16 matches. Worse, for a team that constantly seems to play past regulation, they are just 1-4 in the extra, three-on-three period, though 2-0 in shootouts.
Here are three takeaways from a four-game point streak:
1. No lead is safe
The Oilers took a 3-1 lead midway through the third period before Anders Lee scored twice, including the Islanders’ first six-on-five goal of the season after four against. The Devils rallied for two goals in the final 4:27 to force overtime in their 4-3 win on Saturday at UBS Arena. The Islanders took a 3-0 lead early in the second period in Ottawa on Nov. 7 before needing Bo Horvat’s empty-netter to clinch a 4-2 win. The visiting Penguins had a two-goal lead in the third period before the Islanders rallied for a 4-3 shootout win on Nov. 5.
The Islanders’ ability to rally is admirable. Their inability to lock down games is troubling.
“Getting down a couple of goals midway through the third, to be able to come back and find a way to get a point is really big for this team,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said after Tuesday’s overtime loss.
2. Need to pick up the points pace
Four-game point streak aside, 16 points in 16 games is substandard in the NHL as an 82-point season would leave the Islanders far from a playoff spot. Last season, they qualified with 94 points and the cutoff in the Eastern Conference was 91 points. And given they entered Wednesday tied for last in the league in regulation wins — a playoff qualification tiebreaker — they likely won’t just be able to squeeze in at the cutoff.
A real win streak — with regulation victories — is a must.
3. Isaiah George must adjust to the adjustments
There is now more scouting tape on George, the 20-year-old rookie, who has been somewhat of a revelation stepping into the Islanders’ injury-depleted lineup. Thursday’s match will mean he’s played more games in the NHL (five) than the AHL (four). He’s drawing big matchups while skating on the top pair with Noah Dobson and he’s shown confidence transporting the puck and looking for his shot.
“The guys found me and I found some nice soft spots and got the puck,” George said.
But the Oilers double-teamed George several times and separated him from the puck. He’ll need to show he can adjust to that sort of physical attention before other teams make it a real habit.
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.
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