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Trotz needs to make adjustments for Game 4 |
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There’s no denying that things look bleak for the New York Islanders. After the first two games of the series in which the Islanders could’ve came away with a 2-0 lead instead of a 2-0 deficit if a few bounces went the other way, New York came out with their worst performance thus far in Game 3. Winning four straight games to come back from being down 3-0 series is as close to a Herculean task as you’re going to get in hockey but if there’s any chance of it happening in this series, adjustments need to be made.
Barry Trotz is an excellent, respected coach and deserves every bit of praise he receives. But it’s time to realize that he needs to change things up.
First of all, Trotz can’t be afraid to shorten the bench. If players aren’t playing with urgency, they can’t be on the ice taking away minutes from others. The Islanders don’t have a ton of forward depth but if a top-six forward who eats up the bulk of the minutes is having an off game, they need to be on the bench in favour of others. This isn’t even to point out specific players who should be benched, it’s more so to say that Trotz should use that option if the situation arises in Game 4.
New York’s bottom-seven forwards all played between 10:50 and 12:16 at even strength in Game 3 as well. This only allowed Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson to each play between 13:13 and 15:42 at even strength respectively. If it comes down to it in Game 4, Trotz needs to keep the option open that if a few of his top forwards are playing well, take time away from bottom forwards in favour of them. On the defensive side of things, Thomas Hickey playing 19:31 in Game 3 was far too much ice time. He played the third-most minutes of all Islanders and this isn’t something that should repeat itself in Game 4.
In terms of the lines, it’s a good idea to make some changes, maybe moving Tom Kuhnhackl down the lineup in favour of someone else. It’s better to go out at least trying something new rather than losing the same way you’ve just lost the last few games and shaking up the lines in an elimination game could give the team a boost.
As a last area, some have suggested that the Islanders should turn to Thomas Greiss based on his track record against the Hurricanes. Greiss is 8-4-1 all-time against Carolina with a .923 save percentage, which is an impressive resume. To come back from a 3-0 deficit and win four straight games, you have to think of who is going to give you the best chance to do that but you also need to look at individual games. The focus right now is on Game 4 and if you’re betting on either Lehner or Greiss to go in and give you the best chance to win one game, you have to side with Lehner. Has he been excellent in the past two games? No, but he’s definitely been steady, apart from the third goal in Game 3. If you’re looking at the playoffs so far, Lehner has given the Islanders a chance to win in basically every game and as a whole he's shown he can put together a string of wins.
While Greiss was excellent this year and great in the 2015-16 playoffs, he also hasn’t played a playoff game since then. You can’t bet against a goalie with a .946 save percentage through seven playoff games then watch a cold Thomas Greiss come in and try to save a series. There absolutely needs to be a sense of desperation and urgency for making adjustments but these adjustments also need to be logical and not just a shot in the dark that your backup goalie will come in and be outstanding. Lehner gives the Islanders the best chance to win Game 4.
Barry Trotz needs to take a look at each player both before and during Game 4 and determine which players are going to give the team the best chance to win. Whether this means playing the top forwards throughout the majority of the third period, shortening the bench, shaking up lines or all of the above, Trotz has to do something to shake-up the team.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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