There is no question the Islanders are a much better team when Josh Bailey is productive. But with no goals and three assists in his previous seven games before Monday, coach Barry Trotz decided to move the lefty-shooting Bailey out of his traditional position on the right wing to the left, in hopes of finding a spark.
In the one game on the left, a 2-0 win over the Blue Jackets, Trotz liked what he saw from the veteran while he played next to Valtteri Filppula and Leo Komarov.
“One of the things I wanted to do was get [Bailey] moving his feet,” Trotz said after Wednesday’s practice, with the Canadiens coming to the Coliseum on Thursday night.