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The New York Islanders are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 4-6-2. The main reason for their sputtering start is their lack of scoring punch. Their 2.25 goals-per-game average ranks 31st overall.
That lack of production has been an ongoing issue for the Islanders since Lou Lamoriello took over as general manager in 2018. Over the past six seasons, their 2.83 goals per game ranked 25th overall. Meanwhile, the Isles are on their third head coach after hiring Patrick Roy in January.
Under Lamoriello’s management, the Islanders emphasized goaltending and defense, sitting with the fourth-best goals against per game (2.68) over the last six seasons. That led to success early on, with back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021 while earning Lamoriello two straight Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Awards.
However, Lamoriello failed over time to find sufficient scoring punch to match his team’s defensive game. The Islanders missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and barely qualified over the last two seasons, getting eliminated from the opening round in both.
Lamoriello attempted to boost his offense by acquiring Bo Horvat in January 2023 and signing the recently sidelined Anthony Duclair on July 1. However, he hasn’t found the type of game-breaking scorer whom the Islanders have been missing since John Tavares left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs (Lamoriello’s previous team) in 2018.