Can The Islanders Brock Nelson And Anders Lee Be an 80-Goal Duo?

This season has been a total loss for the New York Islanders, but there have been positives. Barry Trotz was finally forced to make some line changes after nothing seemed to be clicking for the Islanders offense. The new first line of Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Anthony Beauvillier has been dynamic to say the least.

Brock Nelson and Anders Lee now have a combined 57 goals, with 17 games remaining on the season. Nelson has really come into his own this year, getting open and using that unbelievable shot to score from all angles. It's obvious at this point that Anders Lee needed more time to recover from his injury than we thought and has looked dominant in front of the net as of late.

Anthony Beauvillier is one of the Islanders most frustrating players. He is a streaky goal scorer, and often goes weeks without a goal. The less pressure on Beau to score has allowed him to really grow into a playmaker role, and some of his assists have been things of beauty the past couple of weeks.

Can The Islanders Brock Nelson And Anders Lee Be an 80-Goal Duo?

If the Islanders can roll with this first line next year and take some pressure off Mat Barzal, things could really click for them. There's no question in my mind that Brock Nelson and Anders Lee can light the lamp and score a combined 80 goals next season.

Let's not forget about Noah Dobson. The third-year d-man is on pace for 45 points and leads the team in blocked shots, fewest goals against while on ice, and d-man points. Give Robin Salo a full-time role as well and things are looking bright. If the Islanders can make a few tweaks in the offseason, I still have faith in this core.