The Islanders second and third pairing on defense has played well but they need to pick it up against the Lightning to help the team continue their run in the playoffs

Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock played the entirety of the regular season and playoffs as the Islanders’ top pairing. They’ve been by far the best two defensemen on the team. Despite their lack of points, they’ve done a great job in shutting down some of the league’s top scorers. Their skills came in handy when they often faced the Penguins’ and Bruins’ top lines. By successfully limiting their production, the pair made a huge impact in the Islanders’ series victory over both teams.

Unfortunately, not the entire defense has been so effective. The defense overall has vastly improved during the playoffs, but could still be better. Defeating both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins were tough feats, but it’ll take a tremendous defensive performance to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

So, the second pair of Nick Leddy and Scott Mayfield, and the third pair of Noah Dobson and Andy Greene stepping up is a necessity.

Nick Leddy

Nick Leddy is the kind of player that can make a clutch play one shift, and a costly one the next. Leddy had 31 points this year, 29 of which were assists, leading to a career-high season in assists-per-game. He led Islanders’ defensemen in points by a large margin.

However, his play in his own end took a hit from previous years. Leddy is walked around by opponents leading to scoring opportunities far too often. A recent breakdown of Leddy’s was on Charlie Coyle’s early goal for the Bruins in Game 2, which the Islanders later came back and won. His expected defensive goals above replacements, or xDEF, was an alarming -1.2 this season, and his 0 xWAR makes him look ‘average.’ On the contrary, though, Leddy has come up with big takeaways as well. By simply limiting mistakes, and continuing to move the puck well, Leddy can play an integral role with the Islanders deeper into the playoffs.

Scott Mayfield

Leddy’s partner Scott Mayfield has had his ups and downs, too. Mayfield has had his own fair share of plays that leave fans scratching their heads. He also is the Islanders’ penalty minutes leader among defensemen by a longshot.

Mayfield’s xDEF was 3.6 this year, which is surprisingly good. He’s also blocked about three shots a game during the playoffs, which is very impressive. Mayfield has definitely taken a huge step forward in the last few months. He must continue his progression and play smart hockey in order to fulfill the top four role he has been asked to play.

Andy Greene

The Islanders have definitely felt Andy Greene’s veteran presence. Greene has made plenty of mature defensive plays you’d expect from a longtime NHLer and has helped progress his young partner, Noah Dobson. But offensively, Greene had just five points in 55 games this season, the lowest of any of the Islanders’ usual defensive six. He had no points in the first two playoff series.

Greene’s expected even-strength defensive goals above replacement or xEVD is -0.4, meaning he tends to struggle in 5-on-5. But, Greene’s penalty-killing has been solid. At 38-years-old, there’s not much improvement possible for Greene, but his playoff experience can help him excel at the right time.

Noah Dobson

This was Noah Dobson’s second season, and although it was overall a solid year, the 21-year-old still does not seem fully developed. The Islanders have made sure to play him almost exclusively with Andy Greene, who has taught him a few tricks.

Dobson’s xDEF fell to -0.9, which wasn’t pretty. Dobson needs to stick to a more mature game, and use his size to his advantage to be most effective moving forward.

The Bruins and Penguins have elite offenses, but the Islanders did just enough to shut them down and take both series in six games. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning are a different beast. Pelech and Pulock can’t do it themselves. The bottom-four defense has been great, but they need to keep it up. It will take strong play both offensively and defensively by all six defensemen to win this series.

All Islanders defense regular season and playoffs statistics are from Evolving-Hockey.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others