Is it too soon for Islanders fans to panic?

The New York Islanders are off to an 0-3 start and sit in last place in the Metro Division. The Isles have been outscored 13-7 in the three contests, and, well, haven’t been really close to winning any of the three games.

So, is it time for Islanders fans to panic?

The short answer is no. The season is only three games old, and there’s still time for the Isles to settle in and turn things around.

The broader answer is that everyone should be headed for the fire escapes. The club hasn’t played well defensively, relying far too much on Ilya Sorokin. Plus, the offense just hasn’t been there.

Yes, we’ve seen some great moments from Mathew Barzal. We’ve also seen Maxim Shabanov and Matthew Schaefer look good as rookies. Jonathan Drouin, suspension notwithstanding, has also looked solid.

But that won’t be enough to get the Isles out of the funk they’re in to start the season. The problem isn’t necessarily the record or the numbers. The issue is that a slow start can quickly lead to the season getting away from the Islanders.

Before you know it, the Isles could be stuck in last place without out hope of even getting close to a wild card spot. That’s why the club must play like the house is on fire. After losing to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday afternoon, the Isles will get a couple of days off until their next game.

That game will be against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are about as tough as they come. So, it would be a real confidence boost to get the first W of the season against one of the league’s best.

Defensive lapses biggest culprits for Islanders' slow start

The Winnipeg Jets wasted little time in capitalizing on the Islanders’ defensive miscues. While the Isles didn’t make mind-boggling miscues, they did fail to play solid D. Let’s look at the Jets’ first goal.

The play began with the Islanders in the Jets’ zone. JG Pageau stumbled with the puck in front of the net, instantly leading a four-man Jets’ rush coming back the other way. The only defenseman caught behind the play was Alexander Romanov.

Romanov ended up caught on a 2-on-1, as Tony DeAngelo was caught without a stick on the ice. DeAngelo did little to negate the pass to Morgan Barron. Meanwhile, Romanov could not even tie up Barron’s stick, leading to the goal.

Now, let’s look at the Jets’ third goal:

The Jets came back the other way after recovering the puck in their own end. As the rush hit the blue line, Schaefer got tripped up with one of the Jets’ forecheckers. That effectively negated one of the two Isles’ defensemen on the play.

Then, the quick pass play led to Logan Stanley streaking up the left side. Scott Mayfield actually did the right thing by taking the pass away. He left the shooter to Sorokin with a very limited angle.

But Stanley fired the puck and hit the five-hole on Sorokin. The goal was particularly bad for the Islanders as the game was 2-1 at that point. Had Sorokin made that save, the game could have remained close.

The Islanders’ netminder, however, failed to make the save, and the Jets got a two-goal lead. Moving forward, the Islanders’ overall play has to get tighter and more focused on minimizing turnovers, among other lapses, all over the ice.

Otherwise, Isles’ fans could be staring at a very long season.