The New York Islanders were once a dynasty. During the 1980s they were unstoppable, winning four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-1983. During that time, they were a scoring machine hand had many future Hockey Hall of Famers suit up for them. In the late 1980s and into the 1990s the Islanders slowly transformed into a more defensive team. That style of play continues today, and they have found that winning does comes with it.
Islanders play a tough team game
The Islanders currently have a record of 26-17-5 and are 10th overall in the league. They are not in this position because of offense. They have scored 137 goals and are 29th in the league with a 15.6% success rate on the power play. Instead, they are playing a suffocating defense that allows them to win games without a potent offense.
They have allowed only 129 goals, have a 2.69 goals against average as a team, and have a solid 82.1% kill rate on the penalty kill, which ranks eighth in the league. Casey Cizikas, who has been with the team since 2011-12, has been a staple in the bottom six and has been a huge part of shutting down the opposition. He does not get enough credit for the player he is and what he has done for this team.
Who is responsible for the success this season?
Goaltenders Ilya Sorokin and newcomer David Rittich have shut the door as a goaltending duo. Sorokin is 15-11-2 with a .915 save percentage, a 2.57 goals against average, and a league-leading five shutouts. Rittich is 11-6-3 with a .906 save percentage, a 2.49 goals against average, and two shutouts. New York is third in the league in total goals against average, tied with the Minnesota Wild with seven shutouts. and are third in the league goals against with 129. Sorokin is first among goaltenders in high danger saves (254) and high danger save percentage (.876).
The Islanders of old played a defensive, tough, old-school style that got them success. The current edition of the Islanders are very similar but head coach Patrick Roy has implemented an aggressive man-to-man approach, which has led them into a playoff spot currently.
New York has proved teams do not need a 100-point scorer or elite players to win hockey games. They play as a unit. They feel comfortable winning games by one or two goals because of ferocious style of defensive play. Are they a favorite to win another Stanley Cup? No, but defense wins championships and, by that fact, they could surprise some people when the second season begins.