As the New York Islanders once again go deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Noah Dobson has emerged as an unexpected but important contributor to the team.

The forward group has been very productive, headlined by the second line scoring goals regularly. Mathew Barzal has also found his game, putting up points in six of his last seven games. The goaltending has also been strong, with Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin each having big moments in the first two rounds. However, the calling card of a Barry Trotz-coached team is defense. It has, once again, been a difference-maker.

The top unit of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech has played a huge part in shutting down top offenses in Pittsburgh and Boston. Nick Leddy and Scott Mayfield have also played well. However, the question mark of this season was the bottom pair of Noah Dobson and Andy Greene. The questions weren’t necessarily about Greene, rather if Dobson was ready to take the next step as a young defenseman. Noah Dobson showed mixed results in the regular season, but the playoffs haven’t necessarily gotten the better of him.

At the beginning of the playoffs, there were obvious growing pains. He had the tendency to be timid on the puck and forwards beat him on several board battles and races to pucks. Also, like several instances throughout the year, he hasn’t had the most ice time on the team. After playing over 17 minutes in the first three games against Pittsburgh, he never got above 15 minutes since. His lowest time on ice was 9:13 in Game 6 against Pittsburgh.

The ice time issue isn’t necessarily a major issue considering his age, but he has made the most of his opportunities lately. He had a three-game point streak, all assists, entering the Stanley Cup Semifinal against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he has seven assists in 13 playoff games. Despite struggling to find the back of the net, his shot has helped the Islanders in several situations.

In the opening game of Round 2 against the Bruins, with the Islanders on the power play, Dobson let a shot go from the left point, and Anthony Beauvillier tipped it in. Also, in Game 6 of the same series, a screened shot from the high slot generated a rebound for Travis Zajac, and that got the Islanders going in the elimination game.

Although Dobson didn’t have a tremendous opening round, his recent run has been impressive. From getting minutes of one of the team’s power play units to getting some greater experience in big situations, he is starting to earn Trotz’s trust. Noah Dobson will likely continue to have growing pains as the playoffs continue, but his development and contributions to the team are encouraging.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.