3 NY Islanders who have been pleasant surprises this season

3) Ryan Pulock

Schafer is not the only defenseman who has exceeded expectations this season. Ryan Pulock is currently in the middle of one of his best seasons point-wise. In 56 games, he has recorded three goals and 20 assists for 23 points. This matches their point total from last season. He's also on pace to get 34 points this season, his highest point total since the 2019-20 season. It's also three point shine of his career high.

Pulock has never been much of an offensive producer during his career. So the fact that he is in the middle of one of his best point seasons is a good sign. His advanced metrics have also taken a step in the right direction. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has a 46.44 CF%, a 47.86 FF%, and a 48.63 SF%. All of which are higher than they were last season, and closer to his career high numbers.

Now it's safe to assume that Pulock's offensive performances come from playing alongside Schafer. He has played around 570 minutes together this season, the most out of any Islanders defensive pairing. It's clear that this pairing plays well together. They have not only been affected but also seemed to bring out the best in each other. If they can keep us in this strong play, the Islanders should find a lot of success this season.