Islanders Set Sail in Stormy Seas
Having to open the season with 13 consecutive road games is a gargantuan task.
No one denies that.
But the first four games provide a curious little narrative nonetheless.
Ilya Sorokin started all four games. He has so far faced 141 total shots and yielded 14 (.901%) goals. In the opening game against Carolina, he allowed six goals and five in game two against Florida. Afterwhich, Sorokin allowed just three regulation goals over the next two games and one goal in overtime against Columbus. So, chalk that up to a bad start ...
... by Long Island's forwards! All those goals are not wholly on Sorokin. Oliver Wahlstrom leads the team with three goals after four games, which means something else isn't clicking. The Isles needed to work too hard to defeat Chicago, thanks to a pair of Wahlstrom goals.
Although scratched against the Blackhawks, Anders Lee is back after being limited to just 27 games last season. Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise return for a full season, and entering his 20th NHL season, Zdeno Chara dons an Islander jersey.
Otherwise, a turnaround is expected sooner than later.
On Saturday, the Islanders arrive in Arizona to face off against the 0-3-1 Coyotes, who have scored just eight goals through four games. The Islanders have netted ten over the same span.
So, therein lies their challenge: winning convincingly over a lesser opponent.
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