Six Numbers That Define The Islanders Season at the Halfway Point:

The New York Islanders (16-18-7) made a statement last night in Las Vegas, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights (28-10-3) 4-0. Vegas entered as the top team in the NHL, yet they found themselves completely outmatched and outplayed by the Islanders in their own building. Moreover, the Islanded handed the Knights their fifth loss at home all season (17-5-0).

Ilya Sorokin posted his second shutout of the season, denying all 30 shots. Brock Nelson broke his drought with his first goal after 17 games without one.

With the win, the Islanders kept pace with the wide-open Wild Card Race in the Eastern Conference- the Rangers, Penguins, and Blue Jackets all won yesterday.

Through 41 games, the Islanders have been underwhelming, but last night shows they still have great hockey in them. It’s just a matter of unlocking it consistently. Now, let’s take a look at some numbers that tell the story of the season:

32- Worst Special Teams in the League

The special teams issue has indisputably held down the Islanders the most this year. The Islanders hold the 32nd ranked power play (10.9%) and the 32nd-ranked penalty kill (64.4%).

This topic was beaten so much when I asked Head Coach Patrick Roy in Boston about the significance of special teams doing their jobs; Roy said pregame he’d have to cut his answer short; otherwise, he’d miss the start of the game.

Last night, the Islanders broadcast showed a statistic about the power play that says it all. In games where the power play scores even just one goal, the Islanders have gone 8-1-1. In games where they haven’t scored one, the Islanders are 8- 17- 6. Before this road trip, those numbers were even worse. They didn’t need the special teams to beat Boston or Vegas, but before those games, they entered 6-17-6 without a power-play goal.

6- Teams Ahead of Them in the Wild Card Race

On January 10, the New York Islanders have played exactly half of their games. They sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, yet they are just five points outside a playoff spot. 41 games and just 39 points.

While that alone isn’t insurmountable, perhaps the glut of teams in front of them may prove to be. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins hold the two wild card spots, with 44 and 45 points respectively. Boston’s played a conference-leading 44 games to Columbus’ 42.

Between the Islanders and Columbus are the following teams, in order, with points and games played in parenthesis: Pittsburgh Penguins (43 GP; 44 pts), Ottawa Senators (40 GP; 41 pts), Montreal Canadiens (40 GP; 41 pts), Detroit Red Wings (40 GP; 40 pts), New York Rangers (41 GP; 40 pts).

800 and 19- Anders Lee’s Renaissance Season

Captain Anders Lee entered this season following a downturn last year that left virtually every Islanders fan looking at the captain and deciding the 34-year-old had passed his prime and could no longer be relied upon for his scoring prowess.

Instead, as the captain celebrated his 800th career game last night, Lee scored his team-leading 19th of the season. He’s on pace to score 38 goals, which would be the second-most in his career.

For him to turn back the clock and so markedly improve his numbers and his skating speed and power would be impressive enough. That it comes after a torn ACL in 2021 that seemingly took it away from him is as impressive as it is vital to the Islanders staying afloat this season.

13 and 17- Goal Droughts for Horvat and Nelson

In a season where Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair missed large chunks due to injury, the Islanders needed their other top-six forwards to step up. Normally, they’ve been up for the challenge.

However, that didn’t come with some major dry spells. Last night, Brock Nelson scored his first goal since November 27 when he snapped his 17-game goalless drought.

For two weeks in that time, the Islanders didn’t get a goal from Nelson or Bo Horvat, who found himself bogged down in a 13-game goalless drought from Bo Horvat that lasted from November 7 until December 7.

Those two major droughts contributed to the Islanders finding themselves in the hole they’re currently in.

Very quietly, another dry spell has begun. Kyle Palmieri is in the midst of a season-long six-game goalless drought, dating back to the 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, where he had the lone marker.

10, 7- Forwards With Inconsistent First Halves:

Simon Holmstrom and Maxim Tsyplakov have shown some incredibly strong flashes throughout the first half but have also struggled to match it consistently.

Starting with Holmstrom, he began the year with a strong training camp that got people talking. Then, the games started, and he had two assists in the first 10 games and only five shots on goal. He called his own play “unacceptable” and vowed to be better.

In the next 27 games, Holmstrom recorded nine goals and 20 points, with a vital 16 points in 21 games, while guys like Barzal and Duclair sat on the shelf. Now, Holmstrom finds himself on the Injured Reserve, but Team President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said he hopes the forward rejoin the team at practice next week.

As for Tsyplakov, his campaign has had its fair share of ups and downs. Starting with the positives, he scored in his NHL debut. He’s absolutely an NHL player and has shown a lot of strength and skating ability.

However, he’s taken brutal offensive zone penalties on multiple occasions and leads the team with 13 minor penalties this year. Roy has implored him through the media to cut down on the turnovers.

After scoring in his debut, Tsyplakov has scored just six goals since. In the last 13 games, he has only two goals and one assist. The Islanders could use a lot more from their Russian rookie.

118- Games Missed Combined from Opening Night Lineup:

One of the biggest stories that’s flown a bit under the radar amidst the calls for change has been the amount of vital players who’ve been hurt and missed a significant amount of time.

Anthony Duclair got hurt in the fifth game of the season and missed the next 28. Barzal missed 21 games after an injury in Columbus. Adam Pelech missed 20 games after an injury in Buffalo. Alexander Romanov missed another 11. Mike Reilly has missed 30 games and still isn’t cleared for contact.

Nobody makes excuses, but the Islanders have gotten quite unlucky with the injury bug.

That number doesn’t even include Semyon Varlamov, who has been absent for over a month now. Sorokin’s had to play 16 of 17 with Marcus Hogberg serving as the backup.