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The first quarter of the Dan Hampton Era has unfolded very similarly to the way in which the Islander’s GM/Head Coach rose to power- that is to say, quite turbulent. 20 games into the 2017-18 season, the Isles find themselves at 10-9-1, in a three-way tie for fifth in the Metropolitan Division.
The uneven campaign has much to do with the struggles in goal for the Islanders - both Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss have struggled mightily. Halak has come up on the winning side more often, going 7-4-1 with a 2.98 GAA and a .898 SV%. Greiss has similar numbers - 3.03 GAA and .896 SV% - but has struggled to a 3-6-0 record in his 9 starts. “Let’s be honest, one of these guys needs to start showing some consistency,” Hampton was quoted as saying after a 5-4 shootout win over Carolina on November 19th. “We’re happy to get a win, but I know both Jaro and Tommy want to be playing at a higher level.” It looks like the goalies will continue in a fairly even timeshare until one of them steps up their quality of play.
Offensively, the team finds itself in the lower third of the league in goal scoring. Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle lead the team with identical 5-8-13 lines, with John Tavares (4-8-12), Nick Leddy (1-11-12), and, surprisingly, Johnny Boychuk (3-9-12) right behind them. The biggest disappointment so far has been Mat Barzal - the rookie has struggled on the second line with only one goal and three assists in 20 games thus far.
DOWN ON THE FARM
Across the Long Island Sound in Bridgeport, the Sound Tigers have had similar fortunes, going 7-7-2 to start the year. Islanders fans hoping for help in goal will have to look elsewhere, as Chris Gibson (3-3-1/2.76/.894) and Kristers Gudlevskis (4-4-1/2.97/.891) haven’t had the most auspicious starts to their year. An unexpected bright spot has been tough guy Ross Johnston - in addition to his 5 fighting majors in his first 16 games, the 6’5” LW has also put up an admirable 2-7-9 scoring line. Late signee Viktor Crus Rydberg has shown some flashes in the ECHL, with 5 goals and 11 points in 14 games for Worcester. Overseas, Ilya Sorokin shows some hope for a future goalie, with a 1.78 GAA and .932 SV% in the KHL.
Around the NHL, the dominant storyline has been the Washington Capitals’ blistering 17-2-2 start. The Caps owe a lot of that record to Braden Holtby, with the 28 year old tender throwing up a 15-1-2 record with a 1.38 GAA, .940 SV%, and 5 shutouts in his first 18 games. Patrick Kane leads the league with 15 goals scored, while Sidney Crosby leads the league in overall scoring with 29 points (14 of them goals, putting him right behind Kane).
The trade wire has been quiet, as could be expected for this early on in the year. Only one deal of note has gone down - the Canadiens flipped Jordie Benn to the Penguins in exchange for pending UFA Ian Cole. Transactions are sure to start picking up as we head towards the midpoint of the year - Marian Gaborik’s name has been floated around, as the 35 year old is off to a very slow start in LA.
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