Arthur Staple joins Sean and Stefen to cover the Islanders 2-1-1 week and the issues that continue to haunt them.
2:12 — Experience Points! presented by Main Street Board Game Café
Some injury updates. Alexander Romanov will be making the road-trip with the team while Mike Reilly will be out indefinitely after sustaining a devastating hit from Jordan Greenway in the Islanders’ 4-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
3:20 – Special teams was clearly the weakness against the Rangers where the Islanders lost 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
4:48 – 5 on 5, the Islanders played fantastic but the powerplay went 0/5 and gave up an empty net goal.
Sean Cuthbert on the Islanders struggles 6-on-5
6:22 – The boys discuss the 4-3 Shootout victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS arena. The Islanders needed a pesky win, a return to fundamental Islanders hockey, and they did after they were down 3-1.
7:21 – A sign of a good team is when depth players like Holmstrom and Pageau step up and take over when the stars are injured.
8:15 – The powerplay struggles continued throughout the week but the oddest phenomenon is a shootout winner against the Pens, Oliver Wahlstrom scoring a goal, and an empty-net goal against Ottawa.
9:25 – The victory against Ottawa was more important than it seemed as the Islanders stacked their points in the standings and collected much needed cushioning in the standings.
10:10 – The Islanders did it again, they blew a multi-goal lead. The Islanders lost 4-3 to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in a winnable game even with a depleted roster.
11:07 – Ilya Sorokin was brilliant against the Devils. Sorokin and Jack Hughes had a duel of a game, the Islander netminder cannot be blamed for the loss.
12:04 – The blown leads are a problem as they feed into the narrative that the Islanders are playing worse than they actually are.
13:04 – The Islanders have allowed 3 empty-net goals which is the second-most in the league.
13:43 – Stefen gives rookie Defenseman Isaiah George, who made his debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Tuesday, 3600 experience points for his brilliant play and Patrick Roy’s decision to put a substantial amount of faith in him.
13:59 – Sean gives Ilya Sorokin 15k experience points for his spectacular performance this week and his return to Vezina caliber form.
14:19 – Sean takes away 267 experience points from the team overall for the blown lead against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
14:29 – Sean additionally takes away 600 experience points from Noah Dobson for his lackluster performance this week that has the fanbase up in arms. Sean elaborates by citing the last play of overtime in Saturday night’s game where Dobson had a wide-open shooting lane and elected to force a pass to Simon Holmstrom leading to Jack Hughes game winner for the Devils.
“The Islanders are playing not to lose.”
-Arthur Staple on the Islanders not playing aggressive with the lead for a win
16:28 – On The Line: Arthur Staple, The Athletic
17:01– After the team was ravaged by injuries, the Islanders deployed Isaiah George from the AHL where he quickly gained Patrick Roy’s trust after three solid performances.
18:15 – George was not a top-15 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (98th overall), but has gone from an AHL defenseman to playing 24 minutes against the Ottawa Senators where he passed management’s trial by fire with flying colors.
18:34 – Dobson’s defensive play is a concern especially in his contract year. Arthur Staple points out that Dobson did carry a large amount of slack last year when Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock got injured, but he’s always had a steady partner in Alexander Romanov which he is currently lacking.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic on Noah Dobson
20:04 – Staple adds that Dobson still looks worn down like he was last year down the stretch as he is in a familiar situation again, being charged with carrying an injury-ridden defense.
20:28 – Sean asks Staple if this week is a win for a roster devastated by injuries after they went 2-1-1. Staple provides a mixed response, if the Islanders banked a few more points before everyone got injured they’d currently be talked about with more praise and still included in the playoff conversation even with the injuries.
21:18 – The Islanders’ defense has looked phenomenal 5-on-5 which shouldn’t be overlooked, many teams struggle 5-on-5 according to Staple.
21:34 – The goalie tandem has looked very solid, especially Semyon Varlamov’s performance against the Senators.
21:56 – Blowing leads are still unacceptable even with the injuries, especially against division rivals like the New Jersey Devils, who might be the shakiest opponent in the top end of the division.
22:47 – Stefen asked a hypothetical question whether the current top-line will remain Lee – Horvat – Pageau after Barzal returns. Staple gives a solid “No” as that would mean putting Barzal on the third line since Roy isn’t going to break up the second line.
23:26 – Anders Lee has looked phenomenal lately and carries his workload with his usual proud demeanor. Staple elaborates that the way Lee is playing could mean that he could remain on the top-line once Barzal returns as he demonstrated that he can keep up with Bo Horvat.
24:31 – The blown leads are discussed especially in the context of coaching. The blown leads are happening now under Patrick Roy as they did under Lane Lambert. Sean asks Arthur Staple what the source of those blown leads could be.
25:23 – Staple states that it definitely can be a mental and confidence issue. The Islanders are playing not to lose instead of playing aggressive for the win. The lack of aggressiveness and the fatigue was apparent during the Devils game.
27:48 – Staple proposes an interesting idea: since the Islanders are down many defensemen coupled with the confidence issues around the defense, they should try four forwards during an opponent’s at 6-on-5.
28:56 – Stefen asks Arthur Staple for his take on Maxim Tsyplakov’s play as he continues his first season in the league.
29:12 – Staple likes what he is seeing from Tsyplakov. He mentions that he needs to stop taking careless penalties and that if the roster gets deeper throughout the year, he might see a decline in shifts. For the time being, however, Staple loves what he is seeing, especially Tsyplakov’s confidence in his transition from the KHL to the NHL.
30:44 – Sean asks Arthur about Ilya Sorokin’s bounceback start to the season after his return from back surgery. Staple states that he looks like he’s back to his Vezina-caliber form from two years ago and that the team will rely on him further especially as Varlamov has looked a bit shaky at the start of the season.
34:36 – What’s on Tap? presented by Centre Station Bar & Grill
35:33 – The Islanders will begin their western Canadian trip with a 9pm start against the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday. A not-so-fun fact, the Islanders were Kris Knoblauch’s first win after they fired Jay Woodcroft after a disastrous start to the 2023-2024 season. Stefen mentions that if Roy wants to continue Isaiah George’s trial-by-fire, expect to see him going up against Connor McDavid.
36:02 – Goaltending will be a huge factor against the Edmonton offensive juggernaut and expect Ilya Sorokin to play again, especially after his spectacular performance against the New Jersey Devils.
36:44 – The Islanders will be in Vancouver Thursday to play the Canucks for a late start of 10pm. Stefen mentioned the Islanders need to take advantage of Elias Petterson’s struggles and Brock Boeser being out for a while after taking a hit to the head from Tanner Jeannot. Additionally, they need to take advantage of goaltender Thatcher Demko being out long-term.
37:27 – The team had an awful series against the Canucks last year, losing both games as they continue to leave Vancouver’s stars wide-open positioning wise. On 11/15/2023, the team blew a 3-0 lead in Bo Horvat’s homecoming to Vancouver, contributing to the overarching blown-lead narrative.
38:00 – The Islanders will play the Seattle Kraken at 4pm Saturday, Hockey Night In New York will be hosting a viewing party at Center Station Bar & Grill in Rockville Centre with guest co-host Michael Carver of Sportsgrid.
38:26 – The Islanders need to capitalize against a struggling Kraken team. The Kraken are still figuring out their identity and have lackluster fire power for the time being.
40:15 – The Islanders will get a boost from the anticipated return of Alexander Romanov as he has joined the team on their trip out West.
Catch the latest episode of HNiNY featuring Arthur Staple of The Athletic
40:45 – Hero of the Week
Sean’s Pick: Isaiah George
40:55 – George has been spectacular and dependable so far. After the failed experiment in Samuel Bolduc, George has shown that he has the potential to be an NHL regular and has stepped up to stabilize an injury-riddled blueline. Sean additionally brings up that this call up reminds him of when the team called up Devon Toews when Thomas Hickey went down with an injury.
Stefen’s Pick: Patrick Roy
43:07 – Stefen notes the decisions behind George’s call-up and his deployment can be credited to Patrick Roy. Roy has not shied away from deploying a 20-year old rookie. He has thrown him against Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby, he played him in overtime, and has him logging over 20 minutes per night next to Dobson.
44:26 – Patrick Roy is Stefen’s pick for his fresh approach dealing with a rookie like Isaiah George compared to Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert. It has proven to be a resounding success in his first few games as George has clearly passed Patrick Roy’s test with flying colors.
46:34 – Welcome to the Snake Den! With Jake “The Snake” Radonis
47:10 – The blown leads have been a problem, but like Arthur Staple mentioned, it’s a mental and confidence issue. This roster is essentially the same that played lockdown hockey under Barry Trotz which is what makes this phenomenon so fascinating.
48:20 – The boys play a quote from Patrick Roy confirming Jake’s take that it is a confidence issue with his squad and that the clock has been the team’s worst enemy.
49:51 – The team’s western road trip is going to be essential for the season trajectory. If they find a way to string some victories, it could provide further cushioning in preparation for the return of their injured players.
51:55 – The Islanders need to return to the fundamentals, especially with their injuries, as they had trouble clearing the puck on 6-on-5. For example, Grant Hutton couldn’t clear the puck on Saturday night at the end of the third and Dobson didn’t cover Dawson Mercer on the game-tying goal.
54:24– Questions Brewin’!
54:58 – With Dobson seeming to be a liability in the defensive zone, why is he always on the ice during six on five situations? I guess the same question can be asked for the PK.
56:01 – Honestly, when was the last time this team had a superstar player? For a New York team it’s way overdue.
57:46 – Why so little faith in the fourth line? MacLean and Fasching aren’t liabilities.
59:51 – Why does it feel like they run into a roadblock every time they have the lead?
1:02:15 – I heard that the NHL is going to an 84 game schedule next season, is this true?
1:02:52 – With all the excitement around George, what do you think his ceiling is and do you have a comparable player?
1:05:06 – When the Islanders defense gets healthy, do you see George getting sent down or does he stay with the lineup?
1:06:32 – Stick taps to Donnie Bagels!
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Hockey Night in New York has returned to cover the New York Islanders all season long! Join hosts Sean Cuthbert and Stefen Rosner live from Floored Media in Rockville Centre Sundays at 8PM ET at your favorite streaming platforms! (available at YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook)