Our New York Islanders did a few good things
this year. They opened the season at the
Barclays Center and really gave their new and existing fans something to cheer
about. Amidst the growing number of sellouts and 25-11-5 home record, the
Islanders compiled the most points (55) since the 03’ season. Everyone even seemed to look past the
off-center scoreboard, amended seating chart, bad ice conditions, awkward
commute and on and off site Brooklyn practice schedules. I asked a few fans about their experiences at
the Barc. Stuart Oppenheimer felt the team
started feeling at home and fans started to fill the arena with some of the
same passions from the old barn. 329,
now 229, Paul Cartier and Sparky are back and some of the little things made it
seem familiar again. But the atmosphere
and community is always about the fans.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect & applause for the way our
fans supported us this year. It was a magical environment." -Garth Snow
The Barclays center and the Isles faithful
had some growing pains at the start, but soon learned how to exist
together. The venue needed to understand
the ins and outs of a hockey fan and the Isles fans learned to adjust to their
new home. A few of my friends at Real
Islander Fans had some things to say. Rob
Meagher noticed, “The ushers went from "What is this noise" to
"Let’s go Islanders!" A few
concerns still remain and without the ability to return to Nassau and the NVMC,
thanks to political B.S., many say it’s starting to feel like home. And finally, George Davies thinks the modern
day Isles reminds him of 75-76 team, ”getting there but still needs some fine
tuning.”
They made the playoffs for the second consecutive
year (1st time since ’04), won a series to reach the second round, a feat not
accomplished since 1993 as a member of the final 8. They attained the 100 point mark (45-27-10) for
the second consecutive year (1st time since ’82) and finished 5th in a
competitive eastern conference. They swept
the New York Rangers, driving Henrik Lundqvist nuts, while seeing what Thomas
Greiss - their backup goaltender - could offer when it mattered most, and were
reminded yet again of what kind of player they have in John Tavares. But most importantly, the Islanders looked as
if they started to believe they could win.
Most of the time, anyway.
I had some observations and also noted a few
stats provided by the mighty Eric Hornick.
There were similarities from the last two seasons. Offensively, The
Islanders were close in scoring at a +22 to a +16 differential. They showed some strengths in coming from behind,
but found themselves there far too often for my liking. And their third period misfires played a role
in their end of season positioning.
John Tavares had a slow start, but found his
groove later in the season (33 & 37 for 70pts) to lead New York to the
playoff pool once again. His leadership
and chippiness was infectious and helped the Isles elevate their game behind
his example. Tavares had the memorable
game 6, series O.T. winner, against Florida and scored 6 big goals in the post
season. Anders Lee struggled a bit on
the score sheet (15 & 21 for 36 pts), but the value of his net-front
presence and the impact of his contributions on ice was evident after a broken
leg into the post season. Matt Martin,
Casey Cizikas & Cal Clutterbuck (71pts) were big, yet again, this year. They do anything and everything for this team
and can change the complexion of a game with a big hit or timely goal.
Ryan Strome was 8 & 29 for 28pts and a -9
rating on the season and seemed to find the dog house a couple of times with a
drop in his productivity. Last year, he
was 17 & 33 for 50pts in 14-15 with a +23 rating. Brock Nelson struggled at times and was also questioned
on his work ethic. The curious
performance of Josh Bailey (12 & 20 for 32pts) has taken him in and out of
the Isles top lines. And although he has been a decent two-way player, he’s
fallen short of his 1st round, 9th overall expectations
to many fans. Mikhail Grabovski showed
flashes of rebounding from last year’s concussion set back. Unfortunately, it
didn’t last. And then there was Nikolay Kulemin (31pts in 14-15 and 22pts this
season) who struggled to play his consistent two-way game at times.
The defense and goaltending helped the team
rank 13th in goals against (211).
Nick Leddy finished strong and has game changing potential with his puck
control and speed. The Travis Hamonic
distraction has come to an end. Even
within the threat of an impending trade, Hamonic delivered for the Islanders
defensively while scoring a career high 5 goals (& 16 for 21pts). Johnny Boychuk went from 9 & 16 for 25pts
and a team leading +17 rating in the regular season, to no points and a -7 in
11 playoff games. Some speculated that
he might be hurt towards the end of the playoff run, but Boychuk denied
it. I’m not worried. Calvin de Haan had a good year with just a
few mistakes in the playoffs. I think he
is turning into a good defensemen.
Thomas Hickey has been good for several years
now. The undersized Isles D has made
some serious contributions to the team since being claimed on waivers from the
Kings in ‘13. The 2007, 4th
overall, first round pick has developed in the Isles system and become a
reliable blue liner who chips in on big moments. Most notably the game 3, round
1 GWG against the Panthers. Brian Strait
had a few good games again, but seems to really be on the decline. The frustrations of seeing him in the lineup
over Pulock or Mayfield can get to even the most patient fan.
Special teams were a wild ride for the
Islanders this year. Their up and down
PP finished 14th (18.3%) in the regular season, but stalled out in the playoffs
leaving the team with several missed opportunities and was probably a contributing
factor (4 of 18) to the series loss in round 2.
Their PK was an asset and one of the best in the NHL, finishing 4th
(84.5%) in the regular season.
Part 2 will focus on goaltending, prospects, free agency and the organization. Coming soon.
KoC Notes:
It looks like my 6th year as an
Isles blogger has come and gone. I love
writing about this team despite the challenges I face to do it. I could not have done it without the support
of my family, friends and the key supporters on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google and Isles Reddit
help me reach a much wider audience and for that, I thank you all.
You know who you are and you have my sincere
thanks.
Isles
Notes:
Per
Arthur Staple, “Isles have placed Sebastian Collberg on uncondtional waivers.
Forward acquired in Vanek-MTL deal didn't pan out. Off to Europe.”
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