Can Islanders get their power play up to speed to ignite a struggling offense?
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy looks on in the first period of an NHL game against the Utah Hockey Club at UBS Arena on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
NEWARK — The power play is a matter of concern for the Islanders because it always seems to be a matter of concern, thus attracting even more laser-focused attention to its ups and downs.
That the Islanders struggled to score in their first six games — three shutouts and 11 scoreless periods out of their first 18, not including overtimes — just heightened the awareness of a man advantage that started the season 2-for-19 (10.5%).
But the Islanders entered Friday night’s match against the Devils at Prudential Center — the start of a stretch of five games in eight days — with optimism the power play is ready to start producing consistently.
The game marked the second since coach Patrick Roy altered both units, notably separating top-line mates Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, moving Horvat from his usual spot in between the circles and inserting Simon Holmstrom into that bumper position.
The first result was an 0-for-3 outing with seven shots in Tuesday’s confounding 1-0 loss to the Red Wings at UBS Arena in which the Islanders dominated play and outshot the visitors 29-11 without earning a point. The first two power plays in the second period looked dangerous, including Brock Nelson’s shot off the crossbar. But their third try, late in the third period, was disjointed as it struggled to gain the offensive zone.
“Everybody I spoke to, they said the same to me that I thought: They move it fast,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We had a couple of tips in front. The Nellie/Barzy group, they also had good looks. We didn’t do a good job on the third one, especially on our breakouts. But we didn’t have a chance to work on it.”
Roy corrected that during Thursday’s up-tempo practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, spending ample time working on the two new units.
Defenseman Noah Dobson is quarterbacking one unit with Anders Lee as the net-front presence, Jean-Gabriel Pageau as the bumper and Horvat and Kyle Palmieri on the half-walls.
The other unit consists of defenseman Mike Reilly up top, with big-bodied Russian rookie Max Tsyplakov at the crease, Barzal and Nelson on the walls and Holmstrom between the circles.
“I thought we moved it quick,” Dobson said. “We generated. We set up some plays that we talked about, that we wanted to do. But, yeah, the power play is result driven. At times, you’ve got to find ways to get that one [goal]. But we can build upon things we did.”
Roy and John MacLean, the assistant coach who runs the power play, believe splitting up Barzal and Horvat can help.
“Bo is having one-timers from three of the four guys,” Roy said. “He can go to Pageau, he can go across to Palmieri, who is a great shooter, or he could go up top. On the other side, you have Barzy that could go to the pocket to Simon, or up top to Reilly or across to Nelson. You have one-timers from three of those spots.
“That was the idea of what we were trying to do. At the end of the day, you could put everybody at whatever place but we need to execute. We need to do a good job around the net to pick up those loose pucks. Sometimes, it might be ugly goals.”
Of course, this isn’t just a now problem.
The Islanders ranked 19th in the NHL last season at 20.4%. They were a dismal 30th in 2022-23 at 15.8%. In fact, the Islanders have finished in the top 12 on the power play just once in president/general manager Lou Lamoriello’s first six seasons running the club.
There’s definitely pressure to produce.
“I think we’re trying to be a little bit too cute sometimes,” Horvat said before the changes were made. “I think we’re doing a lot of good things. It’s just a matter of it going in.”
Notes & quotes: Ilya Sorokin started for the fourth time in five games with Semyon Varlamov expected to be in net against the visiting Panthers on Saturday night . . . Defenseman Dennis Cholowski remained the healthy scratch . . . Viam, a technology business specializing in AI, has agreed to a partnership with the Islanders and will have its logo on the team’s home and away helmets.
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.
