Islanders’ performance under Patrick Roy (already) criticized in New York

How are the Islanders doing since Patrick Roy was hired as head coach?

Well… But it’s not exceptional either.

The club lost 2-1 to the Seattle Kraken last night, playing in front of their home fans. Yesterday’s defeat means that the New York team has won three games (out of eight) since the arrival of the former Habs goaltender.

Patrick Roy wasn’t happy with his players’ game, obviously… Because at this morning’s training session, the guys sweated.

And when I say the guys sweated, I also mean they looked burnt out on the ice, so intense did the training look :

Lou Lamoriello, who doesn’t usually talk much, revealed in a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun that he “loves” the work Patrick Roy has done so far…

But in the New York media, there doesn’t seem to be much love for the Isles’ new driver.

Arthur Staple, a reporter for The Athletic who covers the Islanders and Rangers, argues after seeing Roy’s first few games at the helm that perhaps management should be thinking more about establishing a long-term plan, instead of focusing on the upcoming playoffs :

Maybe it’s time for Lou Lamoriello and his new coach to stop trying to figure out how to sneak into the playoff picture.

Maybe it’s time to find a way to make this team better in the long run. – Arthur Staple

Arthur Staple also argues in his piece that the Islanders haven’t been going the right way since Roy was hired:

It’s a bit harsh, because it’s only been eight games… And it’s also harsh from the perspective that the Islanders still have 29 games to play between now and the end of the schedule.

They’re currently three points behind the Red Wings for a playoff spot.

But they’ll have to do it quickly, before it’s too late.

I wonder if Lou Lamoriello will be aggressive between now and the trade deadline to allow Roy to pack a little more punch up front.

The Islanders are good defensively, because they play a tight style… But that’s not the problem.

The problem is that they can’t score. The club is 20th in the NHL for goals scored so far this season, which says a lot about their offense.

Mathew Barzal may be an excellent hockey player, as is Bo Horvat… But they can’t do it all alone either.

It’s going to be an interesting end to the season on Long Island.

In gusto

– Good news for the Rocket.

– Happy Birthday!

Happy 20th birthday to Lane Hutson pic.twitter.com/0XQ5MSvSq6

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 14, 2024

– Ouch.

– This is no surprise, we agree.

– He’s right.