Right off the bat, the New York Islanders’ defense will be tested

Yesterday afternoon, the New York Islanders’ fanbase was ecstatic to learn that their season will begin against their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers.

On the 14th and the 16th of January, the New York Islanders will be heading to the mecca of sports, Madison Square Garden, before heading home to host the Boston Bruins on the 18th at Nassau Coliseum.

Right off the bat, head coach Barry Trotz and his team will need to bring their “A” game if they want to start the season off on the right foot or skate rather.

In a postseason that ended two wins shy of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals, this defensive unit, including the men in the crease, allowed just 2.32 goals per game (ranked fourth in playoffs). During their mediocre regular season, the defense played a focal point in allowing the team to play meaningful games in the summer, owning a goals-against-average of 2.79. The difference in numbers was accredited to the absence of the team’s best defender in Adam Pelech, who went down with a “season-ending” injury, or so we thought back in January. He would return for the playoffs, following the halt in play due to COVID-19.

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However, the defense we saw in the postseason is not the same defense we will see when the puck drops on January 14. 26-year old Devon Toews will be missing, as he was shipped to Colorado on October 27 for a couple of second-round picks. Veteran Johnny Boychuk, a leader on the backend, was forced to hang up the skates due to a severe eye injury he sustained in early March. 14-year veteran Andy Greene, who was acquired by GM Lou Lamoriello in mid-February, has yet to be signed. That will most likely happen once the team and RFA Mat Barzal reach an agreement, which should be happening sooner than later with the season a couple of weeks away.

With those holes, we will see 20-year old Noah Dobson step into a significant role on the backend, in a top-four role for the first time in his young career. Last season saw growing pains for the youngster, but he seemed to get more comfortable as the season went on. It is worth mentioning that he played alongside Johnny Boychuk. I expect him to play alongside Nick Leddy this year on the second-pairing.

So what was a strength for this Islander team now has many questions. If Greene is not brought back, who will fill that hole? Could it be Thomas Hickey, who has not seen NHL ice since May of 2019, or 24-year old Sebastian Aho, who signed a two-year extension worth $1.25 M in October, a player that has not played in an NHL game since March of 2018?

Fortunately, the team’s best defenders are still ready to roll, in Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield (in that order).

This defensive unit will be tested right off the bat against, I believe, one of the best offenses in all of hockey.

A couple of months ago, the New York Rangers exited the Toronto bubble rather quickly, after being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes three games to none in the Qualifying Rounds. The team’s offense, their bread, and butter, was shut down, scoring a playoff worst 1.33 goals per game.

But do not get caught up on that number, as the Rangers scored 3.33 goals per game during the regular season, ranked fifth in the entire league.

And that offensive unit just got better. The first overall pick in the NHL Draft this past year, Alexis Lafreniere, is getting ready to take the league by storm.

https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1028457615288946691

With a healthy Chris Kreider, a content Ryan Strome (signed a two-year, $9 million deal), another year under the belt for Kaapo Kakko (the second overall pick in 2019), and Filip Chytil, this Ranger offense is going to wreak havoc in this East division.

The Rangers took the season series last year, going 3-1 against their rivals.

After the two games against the Blueshirts, the Islanders will face a Boston Bruins team that took home the President’s Trophy this past season, before unfortunate events hindered their ability to do significant damage in the playoffs. The best goaltender in the league statistically, Tuukka Rask, opted out due to personal matters. Despite that, the team made it to the Eastern Conference SemiFinals before losing to Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

While the offense went dry during the postseason (scoring 2.23 goals per game), the Bruins scored 3.24 goals per game during the regular season (ranked ninth). Superstar David Pastrnak netted 48 goals last season, tying him for the league lead with Alexander Ovechkin (both took home the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy).

David Pastrnak (@pastrnak96) is only just getting started. 🍝 pic.twitter.com/eeFOofig86
— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2020

But this Bruins team will be without Pastrnak until mid-February after undergoing a right hip arthroscopy on September 16. They could also be without their second-leading scorer Brad Marchand to start the year, who underwent a sports hernia repair back on September 14. He should only miss a few games at most and could be ready for opening night.

The Islanders will have to take full advantage of this and do what they can to shut down the remaining weapons.

The last time the Islanders welcomed the Bruins to Nassau Coliseum was the day that Butch Goring’s number 91 went up to the rafters. On what should have been a happy day, the Bruins made the most of it, winning 4-0.

Against the Bruins last season, the Islanders went 1-1-1.

This division is going to be the most difficult to win, let alone crack the top four. Each team has countless scorers, but the Islanders are the only team that has a defense-first strategy.

If this defense can show up like they did last season, and players can quickly become accustomed to new roles, there is no reason this New York Islander team should not have plenty of success.

But they have their work cut out for them in the first three games of this shortened season.