Islanders Have Dominated In Wins, Lost Closely This Year
This season, the New York Islanders have dominated in their wins, but have had difficulty in close games.
The Islanders have a record of 24-24-8 and currently are the 23rd best team in the NHL. However, most of the games the Islanders have won this season have been by multiple goals.
In 13 of their 24 wins (54.17%), the Islanders have won by three goals or more. In those games, the Islanders have scored 59 goals, while only giving up 14. Additionally, 25% of the Islanders’ wins have been shutouts. Islanders’ goaltender Ilya Sorokin is second in the NHL with six shutouts, behind only Calgary Flames’ goalie Jacob Markstrom.
What is the significance of these statistics? At the end of the day, the Islanders get two points for a win no matter the margin of victory. If the Isles win 2-1 in overtime, they will still get the same amount of points as winning 10-0. But these statistics show that the Islanders play well when they get the lead.
If the Islanders can dictate the game and play their defense-first style, winning is not an issue. However, when the Islanders cannot set the game’s pace and they play a more skilled team, the team’s weaknesses are exposed.
Additionally, in seven of the Islanders’ 24 regulation losses (29.17%), the Islanders lost by one goal. If the Islanders managed to send these seven games to overtime, they would have at least seven more points — and only be a minimum of 11 points out of a playoff spot with four games in hand over the Washington Capitals, who currently hold the final wild-card spot.
Therefore, ultimately, the conclusion can be made that the Islanders have struggled in close games this year.
Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.
