New York Islanders Power Play Setup Options

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 16: Ryan Pulock #6 of the New York Islanders celebrates his power-play goal at 3:02 of the second period against the Edmonton Oilers at the Barclays Center on February 16, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Power Play Unit 1

Forward: Mathew Barzal-Anders Lee-Brock Nelson
Defence: Ryan Pulock-Devon Toews

There should be no issue in concentrating most of your quality in a single unit on the power play. You’re only given two minutes to generate a goal. The Islanders need to take that opportunity to stack their unit with as much quality as possible.

Think the Tampa Bay Lightning don’t concentrate their star power on the power play? They hold the leagues best power play with a 29.7 percent efficiency, but their first power play units has Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman.

The Islanders should do the same. We’ve seen what Pulock and Toews can do, now pair them with Barzal, Lee, and Nelson.

Barzal can still be playmaker in chief on the line, having Pulock in Toews just gives him another outlet to get shots to the net, or a big one-timer from the left side.

Lee can continue to be the net from presence we know he is and Brock Nelson can continue playing from the right side and act as a puck retriever for when Pulock’s shot inevitably misses the net. Nelson can also serve as a good cross-ice one-timer for Mathew Barzal.

That’s a dangerous power play, and one that should be able to convert at a league average 20 percent.

PS To our Patrons: I mentioned having Jordan Eberle also on this line. That’s clearly way too many players. The Isles wouldn’t be successful if they’d immediately get called for too many men on the ice.