First, the good news.
The Islanders have, at least for the moment, fixed the zone-entry problem that plagued them at five-on-four for the entire second half of last season.
Getting the puck in the offensive zone, however, does not mean much without shooting it.
And through 11 power-play chances so far, totaling 18:09, the Islanders have recorded just 16 shots on net and one goal.
That averages out to fewer than two shots per two-minute minor penalty.
Not good.
“Well, that’s just it,” coach Lane Lambert said prior to the Isles’ 3-1 loss in Buffalo on Saturday, in which they were an unceremonious 0-for-3 on the man-advantage. “I think there’s opportunities and lanes for us to shoot the puck. … Definitely room for improvement. We’ve had opportunities.”
The lone power-play goal the Islanders have scored this season came on a faceoff play just seconds into a man-advantage against Arizona on Tuesday.
When they have been required to work the puck around the zone to create chances, the Islanders have come up empty.
Following the loss Saturday night, Lambert was asked about the team’s general scoring issues — they rarely threatened the Sabres’ net — and urged caution.
“Well, we’re four games into the season. So we’re certainly not gonna be [worried] right now about that,” he said. “We’ve had some good opportunities, some good looks. We’ll continue to move forward.
“Everybody just has to take a deep breath here and move on to our next game. They come every second day here for a bit. It’s very early in the season to make that kind of determination.”
Matt Martin moved into second place on the NHL’s all-time list in hits on Saturday with 3,716, behind only linemate Cal Clutterbuck, who has 3,767.
Record-keeping for the stat began in 2005-06.
The Avalanche, who visit UBS Arena on Tuesday, will be looking to set an NHL record with their 15th straight road victory.
Like the Islanders, they have two days without a game leading into Tuesday, following a 6-4 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday.
The Islanders did not practice Sunday following a back-to-back.