October 31, 2024 | 10:50am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

FRUSTRATION CONTINUES AS ISLANDERS STRUGGLE

 

Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy

 

The New York Islanders are off to a rocky start to the season, putting up a 3-5-2 record in their first 10 games of the 2024-25 campaign.

A recurring problem for the Islanders is their lack of goal-scoring, an almost annual issue that has plagued them in the past. This season, to date, the Islanders are last in the NHL scoring an average of 2.10 goals per game.

Following Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy admitted the team is frustrated, but feels as if the goals will eventually start to come.

“Are we frustrated? Yeah, we are. It’s normal,” Roy said. “We’re here to win hockey games.”

Earlier in the week, speculation started to arise over tensions between Roy and Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello. Multiple sources have told TFP the friction is legitimate, but that may be a result of each of their competitive natures.

Roy brushed aside concerns that there is animosity between the two when discussing the subject to local reporters this week.

“It’s funny when people make it sound like Lou and I are not on the same page. It’s totally false,” Roy said this week. “We are talking very day about the lineup. Lou has the final say upstairs, and I have the final say behind the bench. At the end of the day, we both care to win hockey games.

“Right now, I mean, I won’t lie. The spots number 11 and 12, we don’t feel comfortable yet with the guys, and we’re going to try until we find the guys that we are comfortable with.”

The Islanders lost Anthony Duclair for a considerable amount of time due to injury and are searching for depth options. With limited salary cap space, however, Lamoriello’s hands may be tied barring a major roster shakeup.

Lamoriello may try to free up cap space in order to facilitate another move to help the team's offence, but he has not yet been able to find a suitor for forward Pierre Engvall, who has three more years left on his contract, comes with a $3 million salary cap hit and owns a 16-team no-trade clause.