Veteran forward Josh Bailey embodies the New York Islanders as well as any player. When Bailey is on his game, the team is successful. If the Islanders are striving to lift the Stanley Cup, Bailey will have to be playing his best hockey. Here is why Bailey is the Islanders x-factor.

Performance In the Clutch

On March 23, 2019, the Islanders were in a bit of a slump as they looked to clinch the playoffs. They took on the Philadelphia Flyers, who had recently dominated the Islanders twice on home ice. The Islanders needed a key win to build their momentum. With under four minutes to go in a tie game, Bailey scored to put the Islanders up by one. Approximately 90 seconds later, Bailey scored again to win the game for the Islanders. They ended up clinching the playoffs three games later.

In their first playoff game, Bailey scored the overtime winner to give the Islanders a monumental momentum boost in the series. In Game 2, Bailey scored the insurance goal with around nine minutes remaining in the game.

In the final game of the series, Bailey recorded an assist on the game-winning goal. He then scored the empty net goal to clinch the series sweep for the Islanders.

Bailey has come through in the clutch in the past and will need to continue to do so for the Islanders to go on a run.

Outstanding Leadership

Bailey is the epitome of a leader. He might not be a superstar talent, but he makes the players around him better. With the absence of Islanders captain Anders Lee, the veterans on the team need to step up.

Bailey wears an “A” on his jersey for a reason; now, he needs to be the primary leader on this team. Bailey adds a spark to the team that is irreplaceable.

An Offensive Spark

Bailey adds a spark to the team that is so valuable. The issue is he goes into long slumps and then randomly scores to break it.

Those slumps cannot happen during key games, and Bailey has given the fan base confidence that they will not. In 2019, Bailey led the Islanders to a sweep. A similar performance is exactly what the Islanders need out of Bailey.

A True Islander

When most people think of the word “Islander,” legends such as Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier come to mind. Pertaining to the current team, the first name that could come to mind is Josh Bailey. The longest-tenured Islander, Bailey is still one of the biggest pieces to this team.

He is a calm, patient and reliable leader. And he is the x-factor for the Islanders this season.

John Smark