Given where they are in the standings and how many games are left in the season, the New York Islanders need to earn points, which they did not last night against the Vegas Golden Knights. But man, they looked good. Like, really good, and against a good if battered team.
Patrick Roy is 1-1-0 as Islanders Head Coach, now saddled with his first loss, but he has already made great strides in turning around the defense. You can see it: They’re gapping up way better than they were before. They’re harder on pucks, and they’re breaking out of the zone more quickly and more cleanly.