3 changes the Islanders need to make ahead of Game 3

The New York Islanders need to make several changes if they want to win Game 3.

Yesterday’s defeat coming with 8.8 seconds left on the clock was a loss that surely stung for the New York Islanders fanbase. As a fan myself, I wrestled with the result and could not wrap my head around what I had just witnessed. The house was silent and all I could think about was how could this be.

The New York Islanders were proving minute by minute that they could hang with this Tampa Bay Lightning team, a juggernaut both offensively and defensively in the National Hockey League. When it came down to it, the Islanders made their key mistakes and Tampa capitalized. But on the reverse, the team from the island had plenty of opportunities due to boneheaded decision making by Lightning players. But they just could not execute and that is why they trail the Bolts 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Head coach of the Islanders, Barry Trotz, has seemingly made the right decisions thus far when deciding who should be in the lineup and where they should be located. But I am going to play the role of coach for Game Three, as I believe these are moves that should at least be talked about.

Jordan Eberle Needs to Be Moved Down

No question about it, Jordan Eberle is a strong hockey player. He seems to be in the right place at the right time, generating an abundance of opportunities night in and night out on the Islanders’ top-line.

Despite this, Eberle’s inability to finish has really been the Achilles heel of this Islander team as of late. In the Philadelphia Flyers series, the Islanders escaped after shutting the door in Game 7.

But throughout the grueling affair, Eberle registered 22 shots on net, with zero goals to his name. He also missed high and wide more times than I can count, which could have led to the team’s demise had they not advanced.

The biggest problem I have seen from Eberle is his decision-making. He believes that his quick forehand to backhand move is deceiving, but it is really is not, at least not anymore. Every defense is reading right through it, playing him perfectly to knock the puck off his stick. It is time for him to just shoot the puck or get rid of it.

Against a Tampa Bay Lightning team, these missed opportunities, whether it be missed shots or his inability to make the right play, has me questioning if he belongs on the first line.

So far in this series, Eberle has scored one goal, a lucky one but a goal nevertheless in Game One while on the powerplay. But besides that, we have not seen enough from him and it’s getting ridiculous.

One player that may not be deserving of first-line minutes right now, but deserves a shot in my book, is Anthony Beauvillier.  His line, consisting of himself, alongside Brock Nelson, and Josh Bailey, has performed quite well this postseason. But Beauviiler has not been himself since the Capitals series.

With Bailey seemingly picking up the primary assist on each of Nelson’s goals, those two cannot be touched. But Eberle could fit in nicely on that line, as Bailey may be able to help him figure some things out. Again, just an idea, because we need to start seeing results.

Beauvillier has one goal in his last seven games, that goal an empty-netter in Game Seven. His struggles, despite his line’s success, makes him a moveable piece. Alongside Barzal, he may be able to start generating more opportunities for himself, without a doubt burying pucks at a higher rate than Eberle. With his legs, as well as Barzal’s, they can serve as a major distraction to give Anders Lee even more of an opportunity to be successful.

Time For Toews to Take a Seat

There has been talks among the fanbase about who should come out for Johnny Boychuk if anyone for that matter. After wrestling with taking out either Mayfield or Toews, the last game assured me of my answer.

Devon Toews has struggled to be responsible with the puck at times, and last night that was magnified. With an opportunity to get a puck in deep, the 26-year old defenseman made a costly error, not getting to the red line, leading to an icing.

While you would like to see Barzal win the faceoff following the mistake, he does not, as Victor Hedman’s point shot ends up in the back of the net, tying the game at one.

While it as debatable whether Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk made contact with the dump in or not (based on which camera angle you watch), Toews did not get to the red line regardless, so still a foolish play.

To quote Mr. Taub, it seems clear as day. The Islanders were dominating the beginning of this game and this mistake late in the first period really changed the overall mood.

But this is not the first time he has made that mistake. Another icing mistake came back in Game Two against the Philadelphia Flyers, in which his icing in overtime led to a Scott Laughton game-winning deflection.

Yes, his stat sheet playing alongside Mayfield has been great, with eight points and 31 blocks in 17 games, even making a great pass to his partner early in Game Seven who scored what would be marked as the winning tally.

But it comes a time where that stat line does not make up for the mistakes.

Also, something to mention is that Toews had a wide-open chance to let a shot go late in the game, but he decided to pass it off instead, as my blood pressure skyrocketed. Here is the image before he made a pass to Mat Barzal, who was clearly covered.

Now would be a perfect time for veteran Boychuk to return to the lineup. Number 55 has been missing from the team since being injured in Game One of the Qualifying Series against the Florida Panthers. Even when he was ready to return later in the series, Barry Trotz liked what he saw from Andy Greene and Nick Leddy, as well as the rest of the defensive pairings.

Last night Boychuk was a part of warmups but did not play.

After seeing the physical side of the Lightning, particularly the two violent hits to Nelson, one coming from Alex Killorn (who is having a hearing today), the other a cheap-shot by Barclay Goodrow, this team needs a physical presence on the backend.

Yes, the team has the likes of their entire fourth line, Ross Johnston, and J-G Pageau (he knows how to throw the body), but they need someone on defense, someone with the ability to finish hits on the opposition forward groups.

Is Boychuk still a great NHL defenseman? No, he is clearly on his way out. But he knows what it takes to win, having won a Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins, and could provide a spark if he gets the opportunity.

Power Play Needs Fixing

The New York Islanders yesterday struggled mightily on the powerplay. But this is not a brand new issue, as their powerplay all playoff long has been consistently inconsistent, sitting at 16.2%. Well, when you think about it, that number is not that bad. But it comes down to having a gameplan that generates more scoring opportunities, as well as coming through with timely goals.

Following the Killorn ejection last night, the Islanders watched a 5:00 major penalty go by the boards, only registering five shots. That is unacceptable in a game that the Islanders had to win and were given a silver platter to get that done.

The scoreline for the Islanders read zero for four on the man advantage, but it felt like an eternity of nothingness.

The gameplan the Islanders have on the powerplay has not been getting it done. The strategy to get Ryan Pulock a one-time feed has been taken away. Now the Islanders are trying to make a perfect play to set up a beautiful goal. But in the playoffs, who cares how a puck crosses the goal line as long as it does.

Last night Andrei Vasilevskiy, for as good of a netminder as he is, struggled to control his rebounds. In seven minutes in total with the extra man, the team only registered 13 shots. When you see a goalie struggling to corral pucks, especially when that is usually a strength, you need to take advantage.

Another problem with the powerplay is not just the gameplan, but also who is on it. I spoke of Eberle’s issues with converting, so having him on with the extra man cannot be the case anymore.

The Islanders need a right-handed shot on the right side who can finish cross-ice feeds or feeds from the point with speed and precision. I would like to see Nelson hop on that top-line with his quick release.

While he rarely takes one-timers, his shot is one of the more lethal shots this team has, so why not use it? Filling in on the second-unit powerplay, I have no problem seeing Pageau moved to center, with Eberle, a righty, sliding in on the left side, as he has shown he can rack up assists, despite struggling to score goals.

These are the moves I would make. Luckily for the Islanders, there is still time left to make their mark on this series. I have the utmost faith in Trotz’s decisions making, as he knows what’s best.