Islanders News: They’re really good at blowing the lead

4 weeks ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

What a night. | Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images


It’s arguably the only consistent part of the Isles’ game. Did you know the New York Islanders have held onto exactly one (1) lead this season? It was the game against Colorado—remember how optimistic we were way back then? I mean not overly optimistic because Islanders but still some optimism. And it was only because they were able to pile goals on top of one another against an extremely brutal goalie in Alexandar Georgiev.
Here is a list of every other lead they have held and then blown this season:

1-0 vs. Utah
3-2 vs. Utah
4-3 vs. Utah
2-0 vs. Montreal
3-2 vs. Montreal
1-0 vs. New Jersey
2-1 vs. New Jersey
3-2 vs. New Jersey
3-0 vs. Florida

At least they went on to win a couple of those games. But the Islanders have had the lead ten times this season and coughed it up nine times. Nine (9) times! [insert Ferris Bueller reference GIF here]. In the other three games not listed, they were shut out, and the Islanders therefore did not have a lead to cough up.
That’s bleak, man.
And now, it appears that just nine months into his new job, Patrick Roy is already frustrated with his boss. First, Roy didn’t speak to the media before the game, which is apparently against league rules and led to some consternation from the Islanders’ associated media (and then all the outsiders who like to dump on them). Other than the rules violation, I didn’t see it as too big of a deal; Lou Lamoriello spoke instead, which made sense given the roster moves as described below.
But then Roy spoke post-game, and it made me wonder if Lou intentionally prevented him from speaking:


The way Roy responded to the question on the new additions was interesting. "I think Lou thinks it's [the physicality] important for us," he said about Martin, and "I guess Lou thought it was a good moment for him" about Engvall #Isles— (@IslesFix) October 27, 2024






#Isles HC Patrick Roy was asked about Pierre Engvall postgame:"We know what he did for this team the past two years, and I guess Lou thought it was a good moment for him to be back and play."— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 27, 2024




I think it’s safe to say that Lou and Roy aren’t exactly on the same page. I don’t know how much friction there is exactly, but you don’t often see coaches have nothing to say about a new player other than speculating what the GM sees in him.
It will certainly be interesting to monitor—probably more interesting than watching the on-ice product of the Islanders taking and promptly blowing a lead. Attendance was low again last night, although I imagine a New York team playing a World Series game at the same time, even if they were on the road, had a lot to do with it. But as I walked out of UBS Arena once again furious with this team, I had to ponder whether going to see this team in person was still worth the money. And it’s only October.
Islanders News
Pre-game roster moves that dropped right after I dropped my very late article yesterday, almost as though they were waiting for me to post:

As part of a little roster “shakeup,” the Isles signed Matt Martin off his PTO. [Islanders]
They also sent Liam Foudy back to Bridgeport and called up Pierre Engvall and Hudson Fasching. The more things change, the more they stay the same. To make all these moves possible, they put Anthony Duclair on LTIR retroactive to last week. [Islanders]

About last night:

The Islanders are consistently good at one thing: blowing the lead. [LHH]
Alex Romanov missed the game, although Lou says he’ll be back next game. But that allowed Dennis Cholowski to make his season debut, and he scored a minute into the game. That was a nice feeling, if fleeting. Also, Matt Martin and Pierre Engvall made their season debuts. [Islanders]
Roy was a little more willing to excuse the blown lead because it wasn’t in the third period. Interesting. Also, he says Semyon Varlamov knows he needs to be better, too. [Newsday]
Another way to phrase the blown lead identity: “The Isles have led in all five games that they have scored, but have allowed a tying goal in four of them.” [NYI Skinny]
It doesn’t matter that the Islanders had played the night before or that the latest lead they’d blown was to the defending champs: When you open the game with a 3-0 lead, you need to finish the job. [NY Post] They seldom do anymore—the killer instinct they had during the Conference Final runs went out the door with Barry Trotz.
The icing on the cake, though, is this sorry display: On the Panthers’ second goal, Matthew Tkachuk first bumped Varlamov and removed the goalie stick from his hands. Then, he cross-checked Varlamov in the crease and finally, largely untouched, batted the puck through Varlamov’s legs while punching him in the head.



Where there's a will, there's a Matthew Tkachuk in front of the net pic.twitter.com/Zpa1Mi1Zza— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 27, 2024




Roy for some reason did not challenge the play; I think he could’ve been successful given the cross-check and batting the puck in Varlamov’s pads. But more concerning is that despite bringing back Martin and having Mayfield on the ice at that moment, no one went after Tkachuk. Soft. [THN]
Elsewhere
Yesterday’s NHL scores include the Sabres taking down the Red Wings and the Penguins getting whacked by the Canucks, watching their two-goal lead evaporate and become a 3-2 deficit in a span of 1:05.

The Penguins had previously sent Tristan Jarry, clearly third on the goalie depth chart despite having the biggest contract of the three, back to Pittsburgh for individual work while they finish their road trip. [Sportsnet] Then, they sent him to the AHL on a conditioning stint. Woof. [The Athletic]
Garnet Hathaway got fined for elbowing. Water is wet. [NHL]
The NHL unveiled the jerseys that will be worn by the four nations participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off. They’re okay; at least the Canadian one is the ugliest. [Sportsnet]
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