Patrick Roy Needs to Adjust for the Islanders to Overcome the Canes

The Islanders must try to win with offense, and they will give up scoring chances in the process, but it’s the price they must pay. The offense has the firepower to take over this series and with Mathew Barzal leading the top line with Bo Horvat, they can try it out in Game 2 with hopes of evening up the series.

Drop the Chip & Chase

The chip and chase is a staple and part of the Islanders’ identity. It allows them to create turnovers with the forecheck and set the tone in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, it only works when the opposition struggles to move the puck up the ice. The Hurricanes are not that type of team and certainly don’t struggle with their outlet passes with defensemen Brent Burns and Brady Skjei leading the way.

A lot of teams have great puck-moving defensemen and forwards capable of carrying the puck out of the defensive zone, but the Hurricanes do it at another level and it always leaves the Islanders a step behind. The Islanders play an outdated style of hockey and it plays right into the Hurricanes’ hands, allowing them to control the matchups.

The Islanders must carry the puck into the offensive zone and allow their skaters to maintain possession and establish an offensive zone presence. This is a series where possession and control of the puck in the offensive zone are key and it’s where having Barzal or defenseman Noah Dobson goes a long way.

Roy Must Rely on Consistency

One of the issues with Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s injury is that it moves everyone in the forward unit around. Pageau missed Game 1 and is day-to-day forcing Kyle MacLean to move up to the third-line center role while Simon Holmstrom, who normally plays on the wing, centers the fourth line. The bigger problem is when the lines then get subsequently put into a blender as they did in Game 1. Roy was desperate for a goal and kept moving everyone around but ultimately, the offense only worsened.

Roy must stick with the same four lines with the hope they can connect in a seven-game series. At first, the line combinations will struggle as they tend to do when they start out, but over time, it will leave the Islanders better off. Sure, Roy is focused on the upcoming game and winning one at a time but this is a seven-game series and this team must be prepared for a long matchup against a team that can win the war of attrition.

Roy’s Chessmatch With Brind’Amour

Right now, Rod Brind’Amour has the Hurricanes in a better position on the chessboard. At the same time, he doesn’t have Roy in checkmate or even check. This is a series of adjustments and tweaks from behind the bench and Roy was hired for this reason. The Islanders struggled to adapt last season and it became their downfall and having a coach who can pivot has helped them close the gap.

The first round is the biggest test thus far of Roy’s tenure with the Islanders and now, he must step up and deliver. He’s gotten the best out of the Islanders, allowing them to make the playoffs in the first place, and he can get this team over the hump. The Islanders can upset the Hurricanes with the right adjustments and from there, make a deep playoff run.