5 Reasons Why the New York Islanders Have Struggled in 2021-22

This season the New York Islanders have sputtered, coughed (literally), and struggled to keep pace in the Metro Division and Eastern Conference. The Islanders have 46 points in 45 games and currently sit 17 points out of a wild-card spot.

5 Reasons the New York Islanders have struggled this season:

Could Not Recover From Playoff Run

After a 19-game postseason run, the Tampa Bay Lightning sent the New York Islanders home after seven games on Jun. 21. On Sept. 23, the New York Islanders were back on the ice for training camp.

With the Islanders already being one of the older teams in hockey, the long playoff run backed by injuries did not allow the team to recover.

And it’s not just the Islanders.

Four of the eight teams that made it to the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs have sputtered. Montreal, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final, sits 31st in the NHL. Winnipeg is sixth in the Western Conference Wild-Card race, and Boston has taken steps back despite holding down the second wild-card spot in the East.

Up to this point in the season, only a few New York Islanders have had strong performances.

Forward Mathew Barzal has done well for himself, even without a concrete right winger. Brock Nelson has taken it upon himself to provide secondary scoring, and defenseman Adam Pelech has been his usual lockdown self on the back end, the Islanders only All-Star this season.

The Islanders have allowed 2.70 goals per game, scoring 2.50 goals per game.

Forwards Kyle Palmieri, Anthony Beauvillier, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Josh Bailey have combined for 23 goals this season through 46 games. In 19 games during the 2021 postseason run, those four combined for 21 goals.

Injuries to Important Pieces 

Although the players and management had three months to reflect and relax before the start of the 2021-22 season, the Islanders had some injury issues.

Forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau had wrist surgery on Jun. 28, and despite being ready for training camp, it has been clear that the injury has affected his play this season. Pageau has just seven goals and eight assists in 44 games played.

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov had sustained a lower-body injury during the postseason run, a nagging injury that forced him to miss all of training camp and the start of the NHL season. Varlamov didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 7, the Islanders’ 10th game. He lost his first six games of the season, and although he has found his game as of late, Varlamov has a 2.57 GAA with a .916 SV% in 15 games.

Fourth line forward Matt Martin was not ready for the start of the 2021-22 season as his recovery from offseason ankle surgery had taken longer than initially expected. He missed the first two games of the season but has not been the same forward he has been in years past. Martin has two goals, and two assists in 38 games played this season, with 42 penalty minutes, the third-highest on the Islanders this season.

During the season, top-pairing defenseman Ryan Pulock missed 25 games due to a lower-body injury which severely impacted the play of the backend. Brock Nelson, the Islanders leading goal scorer at the time of his lower-body injury and their leading goal scorer (18), along with COVID-19, missed nine games this season.

Kyle Palmieri dealt with a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for 10 games and just now is starting to play to expectations.

No Clear Cut Right Winger For Barzal

Mathew Barzal, given his style, makes it challenging for players to play alongside him. New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz has tried six players on his right side in Kyle Palmieri, Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck, Zach Parise, Austin Czarnik (Seattle) and Kieffer Bellows.

Anders Lee and Josh Bailey have been Mathew Barzal’s linemates for most of the season, with the threesome having played 251:20 minutes together this season, with 13 goals.

But without Mathew Barzal on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick, Lee and Bailey have combined for just one goal.

The line of Lee, Barzal, and Palmieri have only played 67:10 minutes together and have just three goals for, with six goals against. In 30 minutes less with Cal Clutterbuck in the right-wing spot on the top line, those three have combined for three goals.

Oliver Wahlstrom, the clear-cut sniper on the New York Islanders, has not played alongside Mathew Barzal this season. Although a piece that should fit like a glove when given the opportunity, the 21-year old Wahlstrom needs to work on his puck management skills before being given a chance.

Trotz elected to put Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri on Barzal’s wing for Tuesday’s contest against the Seattle Kraken. Zach Parise had two goals (one ENG), and Palmieri had one as well, as that could be a line that plays again Thursday night against San Jose.

But we are now at the point where setting concrete lines may be a little too late to salvage the season.

Struggles on Defense

Although Nick Leddy had his flaws as a defenseman, his skating ability has been missed this season.

With 39-year old Andy Greene and 44-year old Zdeno Chara being everyday players, along with Scott Mayfield, the New York Islanders lack of speed has made it difficult for establishing a transition game.

The Islanders defense has taken a step back, having allowed 2.70 goals per game this season, after just 2.23 last season.

Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, one of the strongest defensive duos in hockey, were separated to spread out skill amongst three lines.

The defensive struggles have severely impacted the play of goaltenders Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.

Last season the Islanders had allowed 28.4 shots per game (10th fewest), but this season that number is at 31. Although that does not seem like a significant uptick, it is the location of shots that have been an issue. More shots from in-tight, more defensive zone breakdowns, more odd-man rushes against have put significantly more pressure on the two netminders this season.

And although soft goals have entered the back of the net more so this season, the Islanders goaltenders have been left out to dry often, which is never a recipe for success.

COVID-19 Issues Early in Season

Like every team in the NHL this season, COVID-19 has left its mark. When the Islanders had an outbreak the week of Nov. 15 leading up to their home-opener at UBS Arena, the NHL did not shut them down.

Given the circumstances, it had been a solid start for the Islanders in 2021-22 as they began their season with 13 consecutive road games (5-6-2). Their first homestand of the season, at their new state-of-the-art home in Belmont, would serve as a rather vital stretch to take steps forward and find their game in front of their home crowd.

Instead, the Islanders played short-handed. Players needed to be called up with from Bridgeport (AHL), with two defensemen in Grant Hutton and Robin Salo making their NHL debuts on Nov. 20, the Islanders first home game. It was clear that the Islanders were at a competitive disadvantage.

The NHL decided to shut them down, only after four straight losses.

Now, that is four games, eight potential points that the Islanders could not obtain. COVID-19 cannot be blamed for the Islanders position in the standings, but it did not help their cause.