3 reasons for the Islanders’ disappointing start to the season – The Hockey Writers New York Islanders Latest news, analysis and more

The New York Islanders have a situation brewing, and it’s not a pleasant one. Scoring has been a problem for this organization for a few years, but the dismal start to the season has exposed new issues that underline the poor quality on the ice. While many look at the positives, there have already been several issues for the Islanders in the 2025-26 season, and the first week of the season has not been easy for head coach Patrick Roy and his team.

Scoring

It’s not new, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a problem. The Islanders are averaging 2.75 goals per game through four games. That’s not good enough. With eleven goals in four games, that figure puts them in the bottom half of the league in terms of scoring. It’s been a problem for a long time, but it underlines the 1-3-0 start the Islanders have endured in the 2025-2026 season.

Only eight attackers scored. That’s two attackers scoring per game. That means that on average, to be assured of a win, Ilya Sorokin would have to allow one goal or record a shutout. That’s a ridiculous question, even for a goaltender as good as Sorokin. It will sink the islanders if they cannot find a solution to the situation. You can argue that the Islanders have played three excellent teams in four games, so it’s not a fair reflection of their scoring prowess. With such a small sample size, this is a fair and valid point, but the history of these scoring problems does not favor a quick fix.

Related: Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer scores first NHL goal against Capitals

It can be argued that the Islanders are unlucky with the puck. They are shooting 8.3% through four games. The Islanders shot 9.6% last season, so that will increase. Shooting percentage likely reflects the quality of goaltenders the Islanders have faced, but it is not a statistic that absolves the organization of blame. The goal is to compete, and to do that the Islanders must score among the best goaltenders in the NHL.

Goals

I said Sorokin is a good goaltender, and that’s mostly true. However, the Russian shot-stopper was terrible. Twelve goals against on 82 shots gives him a save percentage of .854. Once again, three games isn’t big enough to say he’s going to have a bad season. We’ve seen him wake up in the past and remember that he can compete for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender, but a brutal start to the season means he’ll have to catch up quickly.

According to Money puckSorokin has an expected goals against (xGA) of 10.33. We will hear from the players ahead of him what that means, but it gives the Russian an above-expected goalscoring score (GSAx) of -1.7. When the team has offensive issues, that is a statistic that needs to change. Without delving into the details of his contract, the Islanders want him to improve. He is believed to be one of the elite netminders in the NHL. He has to steal games when the Islanders aren’t shooting.

Is it too early in the season to look at a goaltender’s average stats? Honestly, probably. So let’s look at the simple statistics. Twelve goals conceded on 82 shots is not good enough, but forget that for now. He averaged 4.00 goals conceded per match. If the Islanders need to score five to win, they will finish at the bottom of the standings. No team in the league can dig themselves out of a hole this deep.

Punishment killing battle

The Islanders have struggled defensively, but the penalty kill has been particularly difficult. Fatalities at only 71.4%that’s the bottom seven of the league. If you can’t score and kill penalties, winning becomes much more difficult. Especially when the Islanders have the 11th most penalty minutes of any team in the NHL despite having played fewer games than almost everyone else. It’s a sign of poor discipline, which is exactly what the islanders are trying to avoid.

With the way the team’s roster has changed over the summer, it will take some time for Patrick Roy to get used to his playing style. That’s not something that will fix itself overnight. These growing pains will continue in all forms of the game, but the flaw in a man loss comes back to bite the team. Traditionally, the Islanders’ strong defense makes them passable at worst on the kill, but the start of the season has put that to the test.

As for what comes next, the schedule doesn’t wait. The best deodorant wins. As the matches continue to flow, breaking the team’s goose egg in the points column will begin to cover the ax wound. It is still early enough to overcome the difficult start to the season. However, the turnaround must happen quickly. There are too many examples of teams whose seasons have failed because of a bad start. Those points matter in April, and for a team with playoff aspirations, it could cause a complete season write-off.