What the New York Islanders Need to Do to Make the Playoffs

Everyone knows how wild the East is. We have the Wings, Habs, Sens, Bruins, and Pens, along with our Isles, all fighting over four spots. I have been telling people the Isles are locked in. My source says, no, they’re not.

I am hoping for the Isles to play to win, not to lose. There is a big difference. They were playing as if it were inevitable they would lose. I’m so tired of the Isles acting like they are afraid of their own shadow.  

What needs to happen for the New York Islanders to make the playoffs?

Ilya Sorokin

Ilya has to be a standout. They need the best from him. Clearly, he will have to steal a couple of games for the Isles to make it to the playoffs. He will have to play most of the games as Big Save Dave, since he hasn’t been Big Save Dave lately. The biggest concern here is wearing Ilya out. The Islanders have to step up and figure out how to lighten the load of shots fired at him on a per-night basis.

Here are a couple of suggestions to keep Sorokin from getting tired.

Defense

The biggest defensive problem is too many giveaways in the defensive zone. The Islanders have to be focused and responsible on defense. This means there has to be more communication and to stop being so fancy with the puck. Stop throwing the puck up the middle. Start using the boards to get it out of the zone.

Penalty Killing

First of all, the most obvious path is not to take the stupid penalties. But when they do take the penalty, the New York Islanders have to improve their penalty kill; they have been sloppy, leaving the man uncovered in the slot. The New York Islanders have to cover that middle zone. Too many teams are playing in the middle, and nobody is covering them, making it easy to score on the New York Islanders’ penalty kill.

The Final Word

I conclude by noting that the Isles need to score more goals. Specifically, the top line needs some support. Luke Schenn has to take the bull by the horns and take over the scoring support. Holmstrom is going to have to take it to another level.

If the Isles can achieve these goals, they will be able to take a run at the playoffs. 

Randy