During their four seasons under former Head Coach Barry Trotz, the Islanders had a reputation for being a sound defensive hockey team with strong goaltending – and if the team somehow found a way to score three goals or more, they generally came away with two points.
But so far in 2022-23, under new Head Coach Lane Lambert, the Islanders have shown to have a little bit more offensive production than they have in previous seasons. As of Monday, they're tied for fourth in the NHL with 33 goals scored, an average of 3.7 goals scored per game.
So much for the theory that the Islanders don't have enough scoring.
"It's been pretty good," said forward Mat Barzal. "We've been putting the puck in the back of the net. In the past, we've had lots of chances but just never buried them. It's been a good start."
"It's definitely nice," added forward Casey Cizikas. "We're trying to be more creative. We're trying to play faster and create more chances in the offensive zone and guys are doing that. The confidence in our group is good right now. It's high. We believe in ourselves a lot."
A big reason for the increase in the Islanders' offensive productivity has been the contributions from the blue line. Nine of the Islanders' 33 goals have come from defensemen, including three each from Noah Dobson and Scott Mayfield.
When the chances are there, the defensemen are jumping into the play, and that's helping to create more offense.
"I think it depends on the situation," said Mayfield. "I think sometimes it feels like the right time to do it. You look over and you got support, we have pressure on them, their guys look tired…stuff like that."
While the Islanders are scoring a lot of goals, there's still some work to do from an offensive standpoint: the power play continues to struggle through nine games, at a success rate of just 10.7 percent.
And while the Islanders have found ways to score more goals, it doesn't take away from the fact they are still true to their identity as a good defensive team that plays a structured system.
"We pride ourselves on playing a team game and detailed by our system with our approach," said forward Josh Bailey. "If sometimes that takes away from a little offense, that's totally fine with all of us as long as we're finding a way to get wins and do the right things out there."
And the Islanders have been doing a lot of the right things over the course of their current three-game win streak, with all three wins coming over quality teams. Victories over the Rangers, Hurricanes, and defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche have vaulted the Islanders to 5-4 as they get set to embark on a three-game road trip.
The excursion begins Tuesday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks, continues Thursday night in St. Louis, and comes to an end on Saturday afternoon in Detroit.
"Every team is playing very well right now that we're going to play," said Lambert. "Each game is a little bit of a different entity and each opponent plays the game just a little bit differently. Every game is a challenge."
"It was a huge stretch for us," said Barzal. "We've got to turn the page. We've got three tough games coming up so they're crucial as well."
It's a tough three-game trip, but the Islanders are focused on the task at hand, and at the moment, with their three-straight big wins in the rear-view mirror, that focus is squarely on the Blackhawks.
"One game at a time," said Cizikas. "That's the way we have to approach it. We're going up against three really good teams that are playing well so just have to continue playing the way we play and make them play our game."
The Islanders are well-schooled in the art of going on road trips. They certainly bonded in the bubble during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, going all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, and last season, they opened with a 13-game road trip while they waited for UBS Arena to be completed.
This season, the Islanders are 1-2 away from Belmont Park, but they are embracing the opportunity they have this week to get away for a few days.
"It's a tough trip," said Bailey. "It's kind of our first one of the year. We'll get out together and it will good. We'll have some good dinners and hopefully find a way to get some wins."
You have to love the fact that Bailey mentioned dinner and winning in the same quote.
As the famous banner said in Nassau Coliseum during the glory years: "Eat 'em up Islanders!"
