I'm not saying adapt a no defense system. The Avs, Devils, Buffalo, Bolts don't play a no defense system but they do follow the adage the best defense is a good offense. I've said this so many times before the Trotz/Lambert system believes you can win a game simply by sitting back on a one goal lead. Don't take any unnecessary risks, collapse back on your goalie, and keep the shots to the perimeter. The system dares the other teams to take as many shots as you can at our goaltender because theoretically the shots are coming from the perimeter. Under Trotz we relied on this system good enough to beat the lesser teams just to get into the playoffs but once into the playoffs and we faced the more offensively gifted clubs this system was unreliable and we lost all our series to the more offensively gifted teams. Cooper recognized this flaw in Trotz system and he told his players in both series just keep attacking and minimize the mistakes and the Islanders won't launch a counter attack. It's not in their game plan. They only wait for you to make a mistake before they go on the offense. They only try to create offense on turnovers and not their talent. It was like a shooting gallery. The same thing happened last year. The Islanders sat back on a one goal lead collapsing in front of the goaltender trying to keep the shots to the perimeter and Carolina kept on plugging away while the Isles sat on a one goal lead and eventually were overwhelmed by a gifted offense. As Barzal lamented after the series, "You can't just sit back with a one goal lead".
The same exact scenario predictably happened last night. The Isles had a 3-2 lead and sat on it. What happened? On one play the team tried to hustle back to box out the high scoring areas in front of Sorokin, one player missed his assignment and the other team scored from a prime scoring area with Sorokin totally screened. Against a gifted team like the Avs you are just inviting trouble if you encourage them to shoot even if it is somewhat from the perimeter. Following that goal the Isles got flustered and immediately allowed another goal not able to regroup after that mistake. This the SAME story line we've been watching the past 5 years. The system is broke. It's too conservative. Takes no chances. Does not allow gifted players to show case their skills because it is risk averse. It is a system designed to play "not to lose" rather than to play "to win" such as the system the AVS, Bolts, Devils, Buffalo, and Detroit are now playing. The trap is dead, the NHL has enacted new rules that allow gifted players to enter the zone relatively unscathed. You can't sit back and allow your goaltender to be pelted with 40-50 shots against night after night- not with all these talented players entering the league.
The Isles need to reconfigure their system to a run and gun system once again and rely on their tall strong defenseman and elite goaltending to hold down the fort defensively just like every other team is doing in the league. The Isles have some offensive talent on this team but the system is one based on low scoring and taking minimal chances. I don't know if the Isles recent losses was a sign that they are opening up the game a little and Lambert is adopting a hybrid system where he has one foot on the dock and the other foot on the boat- a bad place to be. Either adopt Trotz system 100% or completely revamp it. You can't have it both ways because as the last few games have shown the results will be ugly. I think Lou and the entire coaching staff need to go. I thank Lou and Trotz/Lambert for the couple of good seasons, but lets face it guys- this is not working.
As for Barzal, it is clear to me that he attacked the net and did not play as a perimeter a game as people here are suggesting. Sure he did do the round the world skating much more his rookie year than he does now but that is what I expect him to do. No sane person should expect other wise with the skill set this guy brings. He skates around the offensive zone until he finds the player in a prime scoring position and takes the assist. I don't care who scores the goals so long as there are goals being scored and we only had one season to watch Barzal do his magic before Trotz came along and shut it all down. Watch his rookie season highlights and you can clearly see he was attacking the net much more than he does now because his game wasn't shackled. People like to criticize his game because they focus only on the FEW mistakes he made but ignore the fact that he was the only Islander on the ice making things happen on his way to the Calder. He was a puck hog with phenomenal puck possession time. He's going to make some mistakes folks but let's not harp on them. This is the way HE SHOULD be playing the game. Under Trotz and Lambert he's a shell of his former self. It's sad. It really is.
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