It has been a topsy-turvy season for the New York Islanders as we head into the middle of December.
At the start of the season, the Islanders struggled to win games, blew a lot of leads, were careless with the puck, had trouble scoring goals, and even had trouble keeping the puck out of their net. Simply put, they were a mess.
Fast forward to now (Tuesday night, December 12th) and it appears that the Islanders have settled down in a big way. As of this writing, the team is second in the Metropolitan Division and 11th in the league with a record of 13-7-7 for 33 points.
There are a few reasons why the Islanders have been able to turn things around. For starters, they are getting production from players that are supposed to do just that.
Leading the way for this team is Mathew Barzal. Barzal, 26, currently has 29 points in 26 games on nine goals and 20 assists and is also a key contributor on the power play (two power-play goals) and is first on the team with two game-winning goals.
Right behind Barzal in scoring are Noah Dobson (27 points on five goals and 22 assists), Bo Horvat (25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists), and Brock Nelson (22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists). In looking at Barzal and the players mentioned in this paragraph, this team has four players with at least 20 points, which is impressive.
Another reason why this team is starting to find their stride is because of their power play. The Islanders currently have the league’s eighth-best power play as they have converted on close to 25 percent (24.3 percent) of their opportunities so far this season.
Players who have done a great job for the Islanders in terms of contributing to the power play are Kyle Palmieri (four goals), Nelson (three goals), Horvat (three goals), Anders Lee (two goals), and Barzal (two goals). Considering that this team is 21st in the league in terms of goals scored this season (82 in 27 games), it is great that they can put the puck in the net with the man advantage.
Lastly, the Islanders are also getting solid goaltending from both All-Star Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. Going into the season, they were looked at as one of the best goaltending tandems in the league and it is a good thing that that is the case as the Islanders give up 36 shots per game, which is 31st in the league.
Sorokin, 28, is currently 8-4-0-6 with a 3.11 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and two shutouts. Yes, his goals-against average is not what we are used to seeing from Sorokin, but he is still a goaltender who stops a lot of pucks, makes a lot of big saves, and keeps his team in every game he starts.
Varlamov, 35, has been his usual steady self when in between the pipes for this hockey club. He is currently 5-3-0-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage, and two shutouts.
With the Metropolitan Division being so competitive this season, the Islanders need to keep up their strong play because they can just as easily fall out of a playoff spot. It will be interesting to see if they can stay the course moving forward.
