3 New Year’s resolutions for the New York Islanders in 2025

Stronger play on special teams

In the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 21, the Islanders pulled out a 6-3 win. What was so special about that game? In a rare occurrence, neither team took a penalty. The entire game was played 5-on-5. And guess what? The Islanders dominated the game.

That game proved that the Islanders’ bane this season has been special teams. On the power play, the New York Islanders are last in the league with an 11.3%. On the penalty kill, the Isles are dead last, too, with a 63.9%.

This situation means that the Islanders must pay closer attention to their special teams' play in 2025. If the Isles can turn things around, the team can transform a glaring weakness into a source of strength.

Now, the way to fix things is an entirely different story. “Fixing” the Islanders special teams begins with following a more structured approach that enables the team to move the puck better with the man advantage.

Moreover, a structured style would allow the Isles to better keep opponents away from the net during the penalty kill. However, the team seems complacent at times, knowing it has an elite goaltender playing behind.

But as we’ve seen many times before, there’s only so much Ilya Sorokin can do to keep the Islanders in the game. If the plan is to let Sorokin steal games, well, the outcome may not be precisely what fans expect.

Yes, it’s great to have an elite goalie playing. But the Isles must follow the example set by the Winnipeg Jets and not the New York Rangers. Rallying around an elite netminder like Connor Hellebuyck has allowed Winnipeg’s defense to let Hellebuyck shine. In contrast, the Rangers have left Igor Shesterkin out to dry.

The Isles must choose which side they’d like to be on.