EAST RUTHERFORD | Patrick Roy's impact is becoming more apparent with the New York Islanders, but he's far from perfect.
• Also read: The NHL home run
Earlier this week, journalists assigned to cover the team and Islanders players told the Journal that Roy had done everything he could to restore the team's identity.
It was about getting back to a team that puts its work boots on every time, to be a team to “play hard against,” as we often hear in the industry.
Certainly things got complicated at the end of the game due to indiscipline, but the Islanders made life difficult for the Rangers and remained in control until the penalty shootout ruined everything, in a game that ended in overtime 6-5 in favor of the Blue Shirts who scored three unanswered goals at the end of the game.
Positive
Despite the result, Roy seemed pleased with his men's performance.
“As a coach, I am happy with this game because we performed very well before this penalty shootout. We had pace, were competitive and in my opinion it was a very positive game for us.”
On the positive side, the Islanders had 41 shots on goal against a team that allowed an average of 28.5 per game.
“I don’t care too much about the number of shots,” he said. What I liked more was the way the five of us behaved, which I liked.
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relentlessness
The first period clearly illustrated the changes that have taken place among the islanders since Roy's arrival.
The Rangers quickly took the lead with a goal from Erik Gustafsson after 88 seconds of play. However, that didn't slow down the team from Long Island.
Roy's men instead focused on constantly getting in their opponents' faces to disrupt them, create chances and force play.
Result of the races? They turned a one-goal deficit into a 3-1 lead before the end of the first period, scoring two goals in 26 seconds.
But that's not all: in the first 20 minutes of the game they took 18 shots and only allowed the Rangers 7. That's a small achievement.
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And it goes on
What Patrick Roy requires of his men is that they apply high pressure in forechecking and defending, even when they are in the attacking zone.
They did just that against one of the NHL's best teams, taking a 4-1 lead early in the second period.
Yes, the Rangers stayed in the game and got back to 4-3 before the end of the second period thanks to two goals from Vincent Trocheck, but Roy's gang made life complicated for them throughout the game's 60 minutes by constantly being in their game Face.
A few weeks ago, the Islanders might not have recovered from the Rangers' comeback. When we talked to them at halftime, our colleagues from Long Island were predicting a bad third period. Well, in the end they weren't wrong, but we have to look a little further.
The Islanders still came back strong and quickly gained a two-goal lead in the third period thanks to Alexander Romanov. The Rangers also had to wait almost 6 minutes and 30 seconds to get their first shot on goal in the final third. But they had the final say, tying the score with two power play goals.
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Construction work in progress
Clearly Roy is in a tough spot as he only has 28 games left to complete his project and lead his team to the playoffs and if he wins his bet his team will be interesting to watch.
Because Roy is in the process of implementing a style of play that is tailor-made for playoff hockey. Tight game, close observation of the opponent, a lot of pressure on the puck carrier. It's a recipe that works in the spring tournament.
In short, Roy advocates a style of play that allows a team with fewer stars than the Rangers to be just as effective by practicing tight, disciplined team play.
You will understand that the aspect of discipline is an issue that Roy will have to overcome in the next few games when he allows three goals less than a man.