The 2023-24 NHL season has officially hit the Christmas break. Teams won’t play again until Dec. 27, and the few days off will give everyone, from front offices to coaches to players to those who work in the arenas, some much-needed time off.
Now is the perfect time to take a step back and look at the New York Islanders’ season thus far. They’ve played 33 games, which should provide enough insight into how they’ve changed and how they’ll be successful down the stretch.
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At one point, the Islanders were a mess. The sky was falling when they lost their seventh game in a row on Nov. 16, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken to drop them to 5-6-5 on the season. Since then, they’ve gone 11-2-4 and have leaped into second place in the Metropolitan Division, indicating that the sky is the limit for this team. While the next few months will bring a lot of uncertainty, we’ve learned a lot of lessons so far, specifically about the roster.
1. The Barzal-Horvat Connection Was Worth Waiting For
When general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello acquired Bo Horvat during the 2023 All-Star Brea,k and it became clear that he would play on the top line with Mathew Barzal, there were questions about whether the connection would work. Barzal is a passer, and Horvat is a shooter, but how good could they be together for a full season?
Horvat struggled during the second half of the 2022-23 season, putting into question the decision to acquire and extend the star forward. After scoring 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games with the Vancouver Canucks, he scored only seven goals and nine assists in 30 games with the Islanders. Horvat’s struggles, while noticeable, were easy to dismiss since he played most of the season without Barzal, who missed the second half with an injury.
This season, the duo is one of the best in the NHL. Barzal and Horvat have combined for 24 goals and 44 assists to lead an Islanders’ offense that is averaging 3.12 goals per game. Barzal has rounded out his game, remaining the dynamic passer who can create scoring opportunities with speed and quick puck movement, but he’s started to shoot the puck on the net, resulting in 10 goals. Horvat remains the sharpshooter on the top line, finding open ice in the offensive zone and sniping the puck to the back of the net for 14 goals, but he has also facilitated the offense with 19 assists.
The versatility the connection has shown particularly stands out as it can help lead the Islanders to a deep playoff run. The playoffs demand stars to adapt and win in a variety of ways, something Barzal and Horvat have struggled to do in the past, but this season, they have proven capable of. It was an issue that hurt the Islanders in the playoffs last season, along with missing a two-way presence from the blue line, which the team now has, thanks to the next lesson on this list.
2. Dobson’s Elite Play Carries The Defense
Since he became a regular in 2020-21, the Islanders have been waiting for a season like this from Noah Dobson. He showed flashes, but the struggles of playing at the NHL level were noticeable, and it prompted the coaching staff to play their most experienced defenseman alongside him early on. At first, it was Andy Greene who mentored him and then it was Zdeno Chara for a season, and now, at 24 years old, Dobson has hit his stride as an elite defenseman.
He’s putting together a remarkable season and, more importantly, carrying the Islanders’ defensive unit, which has been decimated by injuries. Dobson has five goals and a team-leading 29 assists while contributing 2.7 defensive point shares and 78 blocked shots (both team-highs) on the defensive end of the ice. On top of that, he’s stood out as a skater, handling and moving the puck up the ice, and has done so without slowing down despite averaging 25:46 of ice time. Interestingly, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings is the only skater in the league averaging more ice time, speaking volumes about Dobson’s workload.
His play has put him in the Norris Trophy conversation. He has a tough road ahead and still ranks behind Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar, who won the award in 2022, and Quinn Hughes, who has helped turn the Canucks into of the best teams in the Western Conference. That said, Dobson has put himself on the map this season, and as he continues to improve, his Norris case keeps getting better.
Dobson’s two-way abilities have also been vital for the Islanders in the bigger picture, specifically for how they can succeed in the playoffs. They’ll need a defenseman who can open up the offense from the point and provide a spark when goals are hard to come by. Dobson can now be that defenseman, and it makes the Islanders look more like a Cup contender than they were a season ago.
3. Islanders Goaltending Can Only Do So Much
At times, the Islanders don’t seem to be missing some of their top defensemen, especially when they keep winning. However, when they allow four or five goals or, even worse, multiple goals in the third period to blow their lead, the absence of Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield is noticeable.
The Islanders’ goaltending remains a strength, with Ilya Sorokin leading the way while Semyon Varlamov remains a reliable backup. The team’s .911 save percentage (SV%) is tied for fifth in the NHL, yet the Islanders allow 3.18 goals per game. It’s a direct cause of the defensive struggles as Sorokin and Varlamov will make a lot of saves and stop a surplus of shots but eventually will allow a few goals.
Sorokin, in particular, has been affected by the defensive struggles as he entered the season hoping to build off a Vezina Trophy-caliber season. Instead, he’s allowed four goals or more 11 times this season, often resulting in a loss. Considering he’s faced 766 shots, second-most in the league behind the Nashville Predators’ Juuse Saros, the season is still impressive for Sorokin, yet it doesn’t seem that way when he’s allowing a surplus of goals.
The bottom line is that the Islanders need help from their defensive unit. Lamoriello addressed this need with the additions of Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo, who have both filled in as depth skaters. The problem is that Reilly and Bortuzzo are still a significant drop-off from Pelech, Pulock, and Mayfield. The expectation is that all three veteran defensemen will return, and with all three back in the lineup, the unit will improve and help out the goaltending.
4. Islanders Have The Best Roster Depth in Years
The Islanders’ depth has been a staple of their success, yet this season’s roster is the deepest they’ve had in a long time. Just 33 games into the season, the third line is formidable, while the fourth line, which was starting to age, has found long-term replacements, notably with Julien Gauthier stepping up.
Simon Holmstrom had a miserable first season in the NHL, scoring only six goals and three assists in 50 games in 2022-23, but he’s found a unique role this season. He’s scored 10 goals, including five shorthanded, which not only leads the league but gives the Islanders a distinct advantage when they are killing penalties. His ability to skate up the ice off turnovers and fire the puck on the net forces opponents to step up defensively on the power play and avoid getting caught napping.
Hudson Fasching was a pleasant surprise last season, which allowed him to field a two-year contract in the offseason. This season has had some rough patches, but overall, he’s remained one of the team’s best defensive forwards who can occasionally help out the offense as well.
Then there are the veterans, who are either continuing to play at a high level or have turned back the clock and look like the prime versions of themselves. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck have scored 11 goals and 23 assists and have combined for 1.2 defensive point shares, 96 blocked shots, and 197 hits. The three skaters have rounded out the forward unit, and it’s helped the Islanders leap to the top of the conference, as they have star power in the top six and steady contributors on the later lines.
The surplus of injuries to the defense has also tested their depth on the blue line, and each skater has stepped up and taken on a greater role. Dobson and Alexander Romanov have formed the new top pair, while Sebastian Aho has become one of the best puck-handling defensemen on the team. With Reilly and Bortuzzo filling in recently, the unit and thus, the roster as a whole, doesn’t have a glaring weakness.
Other Lessons From The Islanders So Far
Behind the bench, there’s the good and the bad that comes with head coach Lane Lambert’s style. When the Islanders were losing, they looked like an undisciplined team that took costly penalties and allowed easy scoring chances with the defense breaking down. However, the team’s aggressive style has allowed the offense to thrive, and this season, the Islanders can go toe to toe with any team in the league. It used to be that a 2-0 or 3-1 deficit felt like too much to overcome, and now they have the offense to win those games.
Even when Sorokin and Varlamov aren’t at their best, the Islanders have better goaltending than a lot of teams around the league. This season, in a broader sense, has shown the value of good or even reliable goaltending, as great teams have fallen apart with liabilities in net. The Islanders’ goaltending isn’t a weakness, and that allows them to outplay teams within their division who have looked awful at the position.
What did you learn so far this season? Let us know in the comments section below.