Trick or Treat! Spooky Stats Concerning the Scary Islanders’ Start

Happy Halloween, Islanders fans. Through 10 games, the Islanders season has been downright spooky. It’s a long season, but imagining a worse start is tough. In the spirit of Halloween, NYI Hockey Now has compiled some particularly spooky stats that tell the season’s story so far.

One Regulation Win:

That’s right. Through 10 games, the New York Islanders have only won one game inside of 60 minutes. That game came against the Colorado Avalanche in the season’s third game, in which the Islanders scored six goals and defeated the Avs 6-2.

They’ve had golden opportunities to win more in regulation, including leads in the final five minutes against the Utah Hockey Club, Montreal Canadiens, and the New Jersey Devils. All three of those games saw the Islanders have a lead late and cough it up. Against the Devils and Canadiens, they found a way to win in the extra time.

That list of blown leads doesn’t include the 3-0 collapse against the Florida Panthers from this past weekend.

Through 10 games, the Islanders are on pace for just eight regulation wins all year.

21 Goals Scored in 10 games:

The New York Islanders have scored the fewest goals in the entire NHL this season, with just 21 goals through 10 games. That’s 2.1 per game. What’s worse, if you take out the six from the romp in Colorado, the Islanders have scored just 15 goals in those 9 games.

They’ve also been shut out four times this season already. Nothing has been more futile for the team than the goal-scoring through the first 10 games.

Pierre Engvall is Signed Through 2030:

Pierre Engvall has the worst contract the Islanders have signed since the Andrew Ladd deal was inked in 2016. Engvall arrived before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and made an immediate impact. He scored five goals and nine points in 18 games. The Islanders rewarded him with a monster seven-year extension.

Since then, Engvall has been healthy scratched by both coaches the Islanders have had and even got waived and sent to the AHL to start this season.

After Anthony Duclair was injured, Engvall had an opportunity to return and make an impact. He rewarded the faith placed in him by taking two penalties against the Anaheim Ducks, who scored on both ensuing power plays.

Engvall finds himself a healthy scratch yet again, and neither side seems happy or comfortable with this situation.

Mat Barzal Has 0 5v5 Points:

Through 10 games, perhaps no Islander has had a more frustrating start than Mat Barzal. Barzal piled up 80 points last season in his best statical showing since his rookie campaign in 2017-18. Through 10 games, Barzal is on pace for 41 points.

The entire Islanders offense has sputtered, starting right from the top of their lineup. Last night, Head Coach Patrick Roy split up Barzal and Bo Horvat in the hopes of sparking more offense out of the team.

They got shut out by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins had one shutout since January 2022, a span of well over 100 appearances for the netminder.

The Worst Special Teams in the NHL:

The New York Islanders power play currently sits at 12.9%, good for 29th in the NHL. The penalty kill is 62.5%, good for 31st in the NHL.

That’s two bottom-five units in the league. No other team in the NHL can claim to have two bottom-five units. It’s just another telling figure for a team with quite possibly the lowest confidence in the NHL, consistently waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It’s an ailment that also affects their ability to hold a lead.  The special teams get outplayed every single night they’re out there, and it’s lost them multiple games already this season.