First, the good news.
The Islanders have, at least for the moment, fixed the zone-entry problem that plagued them at five-on-four for the entire second half of last season.
Getting the puck in the offensive zone, however, does not mean much without shooting it.
And through 11 power-play chances so far, totaling 18:09, the Islanders have recorded just 16 shots on net and one goal.
That averages out to fewer than two shots per two-minute minor penalty.
Not good.
“Well, that’s just it,” coach Lane Lambert said prior to the Isles’ 3-1 loss in Buffalo on Saturday, in which they were an unceremonious 0-for-3 on the man-advantage. “I think there’s opportunities and lanes for us to shoot the puck. … Definitely room for improvement. We’ve had opportunities.”
The lone power-play goal the Islanders have scored this season came on a faceoff play just seconds into a man-advantage against Arizona on Tuesday.
When they have been required to work the puck around the zone to create chances, the Islanders have come up empty.
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Following the loss Saturday night, Lambert was asked about the team’s general scoring issues — they rarely threatened the Sabres’ net — and urged caution.
“Well, we’re four games into the season. So we’re certainly not gonna be [worried] right now about that,” he said. “We’ve had some good opportunities, some good looks. We’ll continue to move forward.
“Everybody just has to take a deep breath here and move on to our next game. They come every second day here for a bit. It’s very early in the season to make that kind of determination.”
Matt Martin moved into second place on the NHL’s all-time list in hits on Saturday with 3,716, behind only linemate Cal Clutterbuck, who has 3,767.
Record-keeping for the stat began in 2005-06.
The Avalanche, who visit UBS Arena on Tuesday, will be looking to set an NHL record with their 15th straight road victory.
Like the Islanders, they have two days without a game leading into Tuesday, following a 6-4 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday.
The Islanders did not practice Sunday following a back-to-back.
