nhl 21

New York Islanders: 3 Key Players to Game 3’s Win

by
Adam Pelech, New York Islanders

Impressive is almost an insult to how the New York Islanders played in game 3. The Flyers maybe won all of 10 minutes out of a possible 60. This game was a swing game, meaning whoever won gets all the momentum in the series. The Islanders got all the momentum and then some. There were three key players to their win, and their play was sensational, to say the least.

Mat Barzal

Mat Barzal missed two golden scoring opportunities in 20 seconds. Barzal made up for this by collecting an assist on the Islanders’ first goal of the game. It’s not easy being double-teamed, especially in Hockey, but Barzal makes it look like it’s an average morning skate. Barzal has woken up since the Florida series. He used to be the turn over machine, but now he’s opening up the offense. Barzal is making smart plays, especially on the power-play, and when Barzal is on his “A” game, the whole team is.

Semyon Varlamov

Islander fans everywhere were frightened to see a repeat performance from game 2 out of their goalie. Varlamov was on his head the entire game. Nothing phased him, not one shot. Varlamov made it look very easy tonight, and that’s a relief to Islander fans. You can’t go far in the playoffs with bad goalie play, just ask the St. Louis Blues. Varlamov got the job done in game three and possibly may play again in game 4.

Adam Pelech

Who’s the most underrated player in all of Hockey right now? If you guessed anything other than Adam Pelech, you’ve guessed wrong. When the Islanders lost Pelech, the team suffered heavily and got away from Islanders Hockey. Now that he’s back, the Islanders are the most dangerous team remaining. Pelech has amazing stick skills, and he’s strong on the puck. Not only is Pelech solid defensively, but Pelech also creates a ton of offense from his neutral zone play. He did it last game on JG Pageau’s game-tying goal, and he did it this game as well. Adam Pelech continues to be one of the best-kept secrets in the NHL.

Honorable Mentions

The captain Anders Lee has arrived, and when your captain scores every game, you better believe the team follows. Lee has six goals now in the playoffs; for someone who disappears typically in the playoffs, Lee has been “captain clutch.” Derick Brassard played a great game as well. Set Leo Komarov up for his goal, when he kept the puck in the offensive zone with 10 seconds left. Glad to see the 3rd line wingers creating offense.

Conclusion

The Islanders have two more wins left to close out this series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. The Islanders are real contenders, and the NHL better start respecting them.

New York Islanders: How the Islanders can Sign Mike Hoffman

by
New York Islanders, Mike Hoffman

The New York Islanders are one good winger away from becoming Stanley Cup champions. Mike Hoffman recorded 29 goals and 30 assists this year; the best news is that he’s a free agent this year. The sad news is that the Islanders have minimal cap space and have to resign Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews. The Islanders need to dump off some salary before even re-signing said, key players. General manager Lou Lamoriello always has something up his sleeve, so this signing is possible. What could the Islanders do to sign Mike Hoffman?

Amnesty Buyout

“What’s an amnesty buyout?” says everyone, including me. An amnesty buyout permits NHL teams to cut players without their contracts counting against the salary cap. The catch is that those players have to be paid 2/3’s of their salary over twice the length of time left on their deal. With the salary cap not improving this year due to COVID-19, the Islanders will have to cut some of their players. The first person that comes to mind is Andrew Ladd. A total dud of a signing who never stayed healthy, and never produced enough. That’s $6 million off the books. Buyout Johnny Boychuk too – there’s no reason to keep him with Noah Dobson around. The Islanders have just cleared $11.5 million dollars to sign players. Assuming Barzal, Pulock, and Toews equal 18 million dollars total, the Islanders have $3 million left.

Trades

Andrew Ladd has no trade value; the same goes for Johnny Boychuk. But, you know what every contending team needs right now? A veteran who can play the penalty kill, who can also deliver the hits. Leo Komarov is the player I’m referring to. Komarov might not have immense value, but the Islanders can easily dump him off for a 6th round pick. That’s another $3 million to work with. Thomas Hickey is buried in the AHL right now, so the Islanders might be able to get a 3rd or 4th round pick for him. Another $2.5 million comes off the books giving the Islanders at least $8.5 million to work with.

Releasing Players

Andy Greene, Thomas Greiss, Derick Brassard, Matt Martin, and Thomas Kuhnhackl are notable UFA’s this year. I’m assuming that none of them get re-signed. This isn’t due to their play, Greene has been sensational as of late. Martin, Kuhnhackl, Brassard, and Greiss are all great rotational players too. But, there just isn’t enough room for them on the roster anymore. Noah Dobson, Ilya Sorokin, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, and Oliver Wahlstrom are all ready to play. This would take approximately $11 million off the books.

Future Lineup

If all of this does happen, here are my 2020-2021 lineups:

Mike Hoffman-Mat Barzal-Anthony Beauvillier

Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Jordan Eberle

Josh Bailey-JG Pageau-Kieffer Bellows

Ross Johnston-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock

Devon Toews-Scott Mayfield

Nick Leddy-Noah Dobson

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin

New York Islanders: Simon Holmstrom on Loan

by
New York Islanders, Simon Holmstrom

The New York Islanders selected forward, Simon Holmstrom, with the 23rd pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. It was a controversial pick, as most thought he’d fall to the second round. But, he was injured for most of 2018 with hip surgery, a broken thumb, and a concussion. Holmstrom recorded decent stats in the SuperElit Hockey league. Most recently, Holmstrom scored seven goals and had 13 assists in 21 games for HV71 in 2018. Holmstrom would play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this year and record eight goals and seven assists in 46 games. As of today, Holmstrom has been put on loan to Vita Hasten in the Swedish league.

Loaned off

Simon Holmstrom was by far the youngest player on the Sound Tigers at just 18 years of age. Due to COVID-19, the AHL season wasn’t supposed to start until December 4th. Loaning off Holmstrom to Sweden, whose season starts September 11th, gives Holmstrom more of a chance to develop quicker. Head coach Barry Trotz calls Holmstrom “a really intelligent kid.” Barry Trotz also gave Holmstrom an extended look during training camp earlier this year. And AHL head coach Brent Thompson talks about how excited he is to coach Holmstrom in the future. Holmstrom is on loan for now, but the Islanders can choose to recall him soon.

Learning Curve

Simon Holmstrom has a long way to go before he cracks the NHL roster, but he’s on the right track right now. Not too many players come in as a late first-round draft pick and play immediately. There’s a learning curve for all NHL players, and Holmstrom is experiencing this curve right now. The AHL is not some league for only developers; the AHL is a league full of veterans, young, good prospects, and up-and-down NHL players. Holmstrom will have to find his footing in the Swedish league on more time before coming back over.

The Future

The future is very bright for the first-round pick. The Islanders have the best coach in Hockey, and really good assistant coaches like Lane Lambert. If Holmstrom listens to his coaches and follows the system, he will be a mainstay in the NHL for a long time. I predict 18 goals and 12 assists for Holmstrom in the Swedish league. Although he’s not a tremendous goal scorer, he makes a ton of smart decisions in the neutral zone. Holmstrom won’t score 30 goals, but he’ll create good offense for the rest of his line. Heads up Islanders fans, the winger you’ve all been clamoring for may be coming soon.

New York Islanders: Reviewing heartbreaking Game 2 Loss

by
New York Islanders

The New York Islanders recently lost to the Philidelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime to tie the series up at 1. That game was easily the most exciting game of the entire playoffs. Both sides, at one point, felt frustration and jubilation. The Islanders just weren’t awake early enough in the game, and it ultimately cost them their lead in this series. The Islanders won 40 minutes tonight, but that wasn’t enough. Why wasn’t it enough, and what did they do during the four periods?

1st Period

The Islanders dominated the first couple of minutes after the puck dropped. Semyon Varlamov even set a franchise record for the longest time without allowing a goal (previously held by Billy Smith). This wouldn’t matter though, as Kevin Hayes would bury one past Varlamov just minutes in. Before Isles fans could even process what happened, Kevin Hayes buries another goal short side. And just a couple minutes later, Travis Konecny scores to make it 3-0. Varlamov would get pulled and incomes Thomas Greiss. The rest of this period was just back and forth, and nothing happened.

2nd Period

The Islanders finally get on the board with a power-play goal from captain Anders Lee. This was very surprising considering the Islanders have a terrible power-play. Great pass from Mat Barzal and good use of the body from Lee. The rest of this period went back and forth yet again. There was a play where Ross Johnston got decked, but Brock Nelson made up for it.

3rd Period

This was possibly the most exciting 9 minutes in Islanders Hockey within the last ten years. Anthony Beauvillier had an insane goal, slipped right through the crack in Carter Hart’s stick side. Beauvillier continues to impress the entire NHL, and brings the Isles withing one from tying. The Flyers would continue to chip and chase while playing trap defense. The Flyers did not get any offense at all in the 3rd period. The Islanders continued to forecheck with that amazing “B” line, and it paid off for them. Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech hold the line, JG Pageau gets the puck… waits, fires, goal. Right over Carter Hart’s glove. Alan Vigneault challenges it for offsides, inconclusive evidence, can’t turn it over. Islanders get a power-play that, of course, does nothing, to overtime they go.

Overtime

The Islanders had no chances in overtime to score. The Flyers kept pounding and got lucky. Philippe Myers fires one from the blue line, tips off of Anders Lee, and the game ends. The Islanders clawed back, but it ultimately didn’t change the outcome of this game.

New York Islanders: Who Should be the 3rd Line Left-Winger?

by
ross johnston, New York Islanders

The current 3rd line left winger for the New York Islanders is Michael Dal Colle. The Islanders drafted OHL star Michael Dal Colle with the 5th overall pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft. There was no reason to not draft Dal Colle that high. His stats were amazing; Dal Colle recorded 90+ points two years in a row. Somewhere along the road, Dal Colle lost his way. It took him five years to actually make the team and six years to have a real spot. Dal Colle doesn’t provide offense, which is the thing the Isles drafted him for, he just forechecks. Most of the time, it feels like Dal Colle is just skating around out there and not doing anything. There are many other options for the 3rd line left-wingers spot whose names aren’t Michael Dal Colle.

Tom Kuhnhackl

Tom Kuhnhackl was fantastic for the Islanders during their play-in matchup against the Florida Panthers. His forechecking was magnificent, and due to this, Kuhnhackl created countless high scoring chances. JG Pageau’s goal in the first game wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Kuhnhackl pressuring the defenseman. Kuhnhackl’s passing was on full display during this series too. No Islander fan could forget Kuhnhackl’s through the legs pass to a Matt Martin tap in goal. Kuhnhackl deserves the spot more than anyone else on the team right now. His current play, mixed with his 2 Stanley Cup wins, gives him a leg up on the competition.

Ross Johnston

Who doesn’t love the enforcer, Ross Johnston? Probably not Tom Wilson, but that’s a different story. Johnston does his job, and he does it with maximum effort. He knows he’s there to backcheck, hip-check, forecheck, and then he gets to pick up the paycheck. Johnston is also not a bad skater for a big man. While he doesn’t have amazing speed, Johnston can hop up on the 3v2 rush. If Barry Trotz wants the hits to start coming against the Flyers, Johnston is your man for sure.

Derick Brassard

I don’t believe Brassard did anything wrong vs the Capitals. He isn’t the same player he once was, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a solid winger. He can also win the faceoff when Pageau gets kicked from the center position. Brassard just doesn’t give as much offense as Kuhnhackl or Johnston, but he gives a lot more than Dal Colle.

Conclusion

There are a plethora of wingers that should take Dal Colle’s spot, and for good reason. The Isles are real contenders for the first time in decades, and cannot put people like Dal Colle out there. There’s only so much room for error, and the Isles cannot make mistakes.