Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal vie for the puck during the first period in Buffalo on Feb. 15, 2022. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus
At this point, there certainly seems to be too many holes in the Islanders’ game to suggest plugging one or two will prevent the season from sinking further.
The recently completed 1-3-0 road trip further exposed a myriad of issues, including a continued inability to defeat the NHL’s elite, trouble finishing scoring chances, constantly playing without the lead, allowing costly goals late in periods, struggles transporting the puck in order to play quick hockey and, in general, not keeping a consistent level of performance over 60 minutes.