Islanders most to blame for series loss to Hurricanes

Roy’s decision to start goaltender Semyon Varlamov over Ilya Sorokin for the first two games against the Hurricanes raised quite a few eyebrows. Despite Sorokin’s reputation as one of the game’s more talented goaltenders, Roy opted for Varlamov, who had struggled with subpar numbers during the regular season.

However, the gamble didn’t pay off as expected. Varlamov allowed six goals on 63 shots across both losses. The most disheartening moment came late in Game 2 when the Hurricanes scored twice within nine seconds to snatch the lead.

Seeking a change, Roy turned to Sorokin for Game 3 at UBS Arena, but the move backfired. Sorokin conceded three goals on just 14 shots before being replaced by Varlamov. Although Varlamov helped the Islanders stave off a sweep with an overtime victory in Game 4, their hopes were dashed with a resounding loss in Game 5.

Despite the goaltending struggles, Roy refrained from singling out his netminders, emphasizing instead that victories and defeats were a collective effort for the team, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

“I’m going to say this: We win and we lose as a team. So I’m not going to go there. But what I’m going to say is sometimes we make changes as a coach because we feel we just want to change the momentum in the game. I’ll leave it at that,” said Roy after Game 3.

Varlamov finished the postseason with a record of 1-3 with a 2.70 goals against average, while Sorokin’s lone appearance netted him a ghastly 6.61 goals against average and .786 save percentage.

The New York offensive attack was lacking 

Just like he was last season, forward Matthew Barzal was limited to only a pair of goals in the five-game series loss to the Hurricanes. Additionally, they failed to get needed offense from the likes of Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Brock Nelson, all of whom only lit the lamp once. Jean-Gabriel Pageau managed only a goal and one assist, while 

Meanwhile, defenseman Noah Dobson was limited to only a single assist after racking up a total of 60 during the regular season. Additionally, veteran sparkplug forward Cal Clutterbuck didn’t register a single point.

There’s also the fact that the Hurricanes badly outshot the Islanders, enjoying an advantage of 407-290.

The Islanders were unable to hold the lead  

Unfortunately for New York, they held the lead on exactly two occasions during the series, the biggest of which was their three-goal advantage in Game 2 before disaster struck. Additionally, they failed to protect the lead in Game 4; the ultimate result of that game only served as a metaphorical brief stay of execution before their season ended the following game.

Additionally, the Islanders were also victimized by a pair of extremely costly goals in quick fashion, both in Game 3 and in the deciding Game 5.

Where do the Islanders go from here? 

Next year’s version of the Islanders will look different than the team that skated off the PNC Arena ice in defeat. There are several pending free agents on the current roster, including Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, Karson Kuhlman, Brian Pinho, Mike Reilly, Robert Bortuzzo, Sebastian Aho, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Simon Holmstrom.

As of now, it appears unlikely that the team will embark on an extended postseason journey reminiscent of their 2021 run anytime soon. However, with Roy having a full offseason to prepare for the upcoming campaign, the Islanders could aim for a more consistent performance next year.