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New York Islanders

Trotz on Slow Starts, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Been That Much of a Problem’

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2 years ago

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New York Islanders

Despite playing a strong 55 minutes of hockey, the New York Islanders got off to another slow start, which put them behind the eight-ball against a tough Minnesota Wild team in their 4-3 loss on Sunday.

Brandon Duhaime’s opening tally less than four minutes into the game became the fourth consecutive game the Islanders allowed the first goal, the second in three games that the opponent’s opening tally came in the first four minutes of the first period.

You may want to re-read that, it’s a mouthful.

It was a simple play and a simple breakdown that led to the Wild’s first goal.

Defenseman Zdeno Chara was lackadaisical with his stick as Joel Eriksson Ek’s pass got through him with ease. Noah Dobson knocked the pass down in front of Ilya Sorokin, but Anthony Beauvillier could not tie up Duhaime effectively.

A minute and three seconds later it was 2-0 Minnesota. After an offensive-zone penalty by Kyle Palmieri, the Wild took a 2-0 lead on the power play.

It was the third consecutive game that the New York Islanders had gone down 2-0 (1-2-0), which played a vital role in another loss to a playoff team (2-14-2).

The Islanders have allowed the first goal in six of their nine contests so far in January (2-4-0). And when the opponent scores first this season, the Islanders are 3-13-2.

To take the stats a step further, the Islanders have played four playoff teams in January and have allowed the first goal in each game…having lost all four.

“I don’t think it’s been that much of a problem. The pucks have been ending up in the net,” Islanders head coach  Barry Trotz said regarding slow starts “If you look at last couple of games, goals from the corners, I mean, even the first goal, they throw it right from the corner.”

Trotz is not going to tell the media that there’s an issue.

Regardless of how the puck has gone in early, the slow starts have been the biggest problem for this New York team. Those bad bounces have resulted from poor plays and poor executions from the goaltenders, the defense, and the forwards. And for a team that is as offensively challenged as the Islanders, chasing a game is a death sentence.

In the Islanders contests against the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday, the Islanders did not allow a goal until just under three minutes to play in the first period. But the first tally of the contest by the Los Angeles Kings was coming, as the Islanders were outshot 7-2 before the goal, 9-3 when the first period came to a close.

The biggest reason for the slow starts has been mental mistakes.

Against the Philadelphia Flyers back on Jan. 25, the Islanders allowed a goal in the opening minute after a Sorokin gaffe followed by another goal against with just over eight minutes to play in the first.

The Islanders were able to come back against the weaker Flyers team and take that contest 4-3.

But against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 22, another early goal entered the back of the net as Mitch Marner scored shorthanded following a turnover by Mathew Barzal. Despite the Islanders ability to tie the game, Toronto scored yet again less than a second before the buzzer sounded.

A slow start? Not the slowest, but that one goal, a preventable goal, gave a strong opponent an extra goal to work with and altered the game in Toronto’s favor.

In the 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Jan. 15, the eventual game-winner came just over four minutes into the game following a defensive-zone breakdown.

It’s the same things over and over that have plagued this New York Islanders team.

How can the Islanders snap this streak of tough starts?

The biggest thing the Islanders need to focus on is simpling the game and slowing the game down. Whether it has been the pressure of the standings the pressure of needing to start strong, the Islanders have shot themselves in the foot more times than not due to failing to make simple plays.

It’s been their passing that has been a real issue. Breaking out has been rather tough, as three-foot passes are hitting their intended targets in the skates or forcing the receiver to slow up to make a play on the puck.

It has destroyed any chance of a transition game early. When the Islanders cannot establish their game, strong neutral zone play, hard forechecking, their opponents are able to set the tone and make the most of a mistake, with the result more often than not falling in their favor.

On the flip side, the Islanders have been able to score on opponent’s mistakes, but very rarely finish scoring chances of their own…a la Ross Johnston’s goal Sunday night which came off a Wild giveaway.

The New York Islanders have two final games before the 2022 NHL All-Star break against two weaker hockey teams in the Ottawa Senators and Seattle Kraken. Beating the weaker teams has not been a major issue, with a current seven-game win streak against teams out of a playoff spot.

That record does not mean the games have come easy.

If the Islanders are not going to put together solid starts and impressive efforts against the weaker teams, how will they be able to do so against the more formidable teams they need to pass in the standings?

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