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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Let’s put aside Sunday night’s game (burn the tape/ESPN broadcast), a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken, for a moment. How do you feel about this team’s outlook heading into the second half of the season?
Are they a better team this year in year one under Lane Lambert than they were when they battled all types of adversity last season with Barry Trotz? The answer, based solely on results, is yes, but not by as much as you’d think.
2022-23 21-15-2 for 44 points in 38 games
2021-22 16-16-6 for 38 points in 38 games
Six points. That’s the difference between this year's squad and last season’s 13-game road trip, COVID-ravaged roster, multiple pauses, and condensed schedule team. You can point to last year’s team’s inability to earn a second point in O.T. or a shootout because the point total isn’t closer.
REASONS TO FEEL GOOD
The team is scoring more - they’re 17th in the league with 3.16 GF/G after finishing last season at 2.79, and they’ve absolutely ‘activated’ their defense as they have an NHL-leading 25 goals, a number they didn’t reach until April 14th last year. Lambert has found a way to generate more scoring, albeit at the expense of some defensive structure.
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