Islanders' goal: Get off to fast start from opening whistle

The Islanders start their first full season under Patrick Roy on Thursday night, giving them their first chance to follow through on what their coach has been emphasizing all through training camp: the need to get off to a fast start.

The players know it would be a welcome change after two seasons of scrambling until the end of the season to qualify for the playoffs.

“I think the emphasis is on putting in the work in training camp to set yourself up to have a good start,” defenseman Noah Dobson said before the Islanders faced Utah, the NHL’s newest club, at UBS Arena.

“But also a lot of talk of sustaining that and having that consistency throughout the year. We’ve put ourselves kind of behind the 8-ball in the last couple of years. Everyone’s aware of that. It’s hard to grind your way the last two, three months of the season. We want to make sure we get to our game early, as fast as we can.”

Last season, the Islanders needed an 8-0-1 finish under Roy, who replaced Lane Lambert on Jan. 20, to finish third in the Metropolitan Division. The previous season, the Islanders qualified for a wild-card berth with a win over the Canadiens in their final game.

The Hurricanes eliminated them in the first round both years.

So, from Day 1 of training camp, Roy conducted what some players considered the toughest camp they’ve attended with the aim of having the Islanders primed to start the season at a high level.

“I think he means it in a few different ways,” defenseman Adam Pelech said of Roy’s emphasis on a fast start. “One thing is just collecting points because these points [Thursday] night matter as much as they do in February, March, April. So it’s getting off to a good start in terms of our record and winning hockey games.

“But also a big point of emphasis for us has been playing fast and playing aggressive in a lot of different ways.”

Roy was asked specifically whether his ideal fast start is all about collecting points in the standings or if it’s more of a big-picture look at how the Islanders are playing.

“Overall picture,” Roy said. “It’s a good question. It’s always the overall picture. The points, they’ll come if you play the right way. It’s playing the right way. And that’s what I said when I talk about training camp. It’s not about the wins and the losses [the Islanders went 4-2-0 in the preseason]. It was about how we wanted to approach every game. How we wanted to play every game. The mindset we put in every game. And I think we learned from all those games.

“That’s the season. You’re going to learn from game to game.”

The Islanders, unlike past seasons, enter this campaign in full health.

Defenseman Scott Mayfield is fully recovered from the ankle issue that ultimately ended his last season prematurely. Goalie Ilya Sorokin, starting an eight-year, $66 million extension, was able to back up Semyon Varlamov against Utah — the former Arizona Coyotes — after undergoing offseason back surgery and not playing in the preseason.

The ingredients should be in place for that desired fast start. Now, it’s about execution and staying healthy.

“Every year is an opportunity to do something special and ultimately achieve your goal that you’ve had since you were a kid,” said Casey Cizikas, entering his 14th season with the Islanders. “Everyone starts off with a clean slate and we’re ready to prove to people that we’re ready for what’s ahead of us.”

Notes & quotes: Forward Julien Gauthier and defenseman Dennis Cholowski are the healthy scratches . . . Bo Horvat, once the Canucks' captain, is the Islanders' new alternate captain with Cal Clutterbuck no longer on the team. “He’s a high-character person that does things the right way,” captain Anders Lee said. “He treats people with respect and has a competitive edge and a work ethic to match." . . . The Islanders follow their season opener with a three-game road trip starting Saturday night in Dallas . . . Fans wishing to stream Islanders’ broadcasts can now do so via the just-launched Gotham Sports App, which features content from both MSG Networks and YES Network.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.