"The penalty kill and power play for the Islanders were awful last season. Both ranked 31st in the league with the power play operating at a 12.6% success rate and the penalty kill killing off only 72.2% of the penalties. Overall they killed off 130 penalties last season which was most in the league. Under head coach Patrick Roy, they operated a more aggressive style of penalty kill which slightly raised their kill numbers. They have no place to go but up."
"Dobson is gone to Montreal. Brock Nelson is now with the Colorado Avalanche, Two big offensive weapons are not in New York anymore, leaving a big hole. Bo Horvat led the team last season with only 57 points, followed by Lee with 54 points. A bull season of Matt Barzal will help as he played only 30 games last season. Anthony Duclair, Ryan Pulock, Maxim Tsyplakov, and newcomer Heineman will need to step up for the offense to become average."
"The New York Islanders have struggled in all areas over the past few seasons. The offense is not there, the defense is average, and the goaltending is slightly better. GM Mathieu Darche did nothing to improve the team over the summer. In fact, they may be worse, With more questions than answers, the Islanders are hopeful they can squeak into the playoffs. However, with little offense aside from the top line, do they have a chance?"
New York Islanders have underperformed across offense, defense, and goaltending, with limited offseason improvement and uncertain playoff prospects. Special teams were league-worst last season: power play at 12.6% and penalty kill at 72.2%, although an aggressive system under Patrick Roy slightly improved kill numbers. Key contributors Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson are gone, reducing scoring depth, while Bo Horvat (57 points) and Anders Lee (54) lead a thin offense. Matt Barzal's health and production, plus increased scoring from Anthony Duclair, Ryan Pulock, Maxim Tsyplakov and newcomer Emil Heineman, are necessary for offensive rebound.
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