Islanders are starting to figure out Peter DeBoer’s system

Two games into the season, and it’s already been a tale of two teams for the New York Islanders.

The season-opening defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs was certainly disappointing. The Isles managed very little offense, despite a good all-around defensive effort.

Then, there was the six-goal explosion against the New Jersey Devils. The shutout for Ilya Sorokin was a much-deserved one, with the entire team capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes.

The two games, as disparate as they were, are an indication that the Islanders are beginning to figure out Peter DeBoer’s system.

DeBoer is known as an elite defense-first coach. While he doesn’t play the stifling pattern that other so-called defensive coaches do, his overall structured approach to the game is what has helped his teams succeed over the years.

That seems to be the case in Long Island. The fact that the Islanders have surrendered just two goals in two games is a great sign. And that’s something that should continue as the season goes along.

The big change should come in terms of the Islanders being able to maintain their scoring. That will be a significant challenge as they take on the rival New York Rangers at MSG on Tuesday night.

The Rangers, for their part, have been off to a better-than-expected start. And that’s why Tuesday night’s game will be a good indication of just how well the club has imbibed DeBoer’s overall system.

Which team is the real Islanders?

So, we’ve seen two completely different sides of the Islanders so far this season. One side played a tough one-goal game, while the other looked like a juggernaut ready to steamroll the NHL.

But which team is which?

The latter is clearly unsustainable. As much as we’d like to see the Isles win every game 6-0, the bottom line is that such a performance is unsustainable. There will come a point when scoring will dry up, much like in the Toronto game. That was certainly the case on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers.

It’s at that point where DeBoer’s system should bear the most fruit. The Islanders won’t need to have three or four 100-point scorers in the lineup. But as long as the team can keep goals against down, it will always have a chance to win.

That’s where a goaltender like Sorokin can become the deciding factor between winning and losing.

No, it won’t necessarily mean Sorokin stealing games. While he should give the Islanders a chance to win a couple of games they shouldn’t, just having Sorokin do his thing will be enough to push the Islanders past opponents they might not have otherwise been able to.

Let’s see what happens in the coming games. The next batch of contests should reveal if we’re looking at a low-scoring, tight-checking team or an offensive juggernaut that very few saw coming.

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