RALEIGH, N.C. — Although Frederik Andersen’s 33 saves in Game 1 against the Islanders are a great story after the goalie returned in March following a blood clotting problem, the idea that Andersen came up with robbed of a 3-1 victory is at least a little misleading.
Yes, the Islanders had an edge in shots — a rarity against a team like Carolina — but they weren’t exactly living in the offensive zone or getting consistent traffic around Andersen’s net.
They finished Game 1 with just eight high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, and according to HockeyViz tracking, had just 11 shots on goal at even strength under points.
Only five – including Kyle MacLean’s goal – were around the low slot or crease.
That’s what the Islanders focused on Sunday.
“We’re going to talk about him today,” coach Patrick Roy said of Andersen. “Maybe we should have talked about him more before, but we’re going to talk about him today and see what we can do, (have a) conversation with the guys. We need traffic in front of the net.
“If we do a good job going ahead – like, for example, the goal we scored, it was a nice wrist shot on net, it was deflected and we got the rebound – it’s tough for any goalkeeper. These are the type of goals we might have to aim for in this series. This is a team that played well defensively, so maybe these aren’t tic-tactoe kind of goals. It might be more like, “Hey, we need to get the puck to the net, jam it and work to get them.” » »
It’s unclear whether Andersen will score again in Game 2, as Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour declined to name a starter.
The Dane has been excellent since returning to the lineup, but has yet to start in back-to-back games.
Instead, the Canes split their net exactly 50/50 between Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, whose .911 save percentage looks a bit more vulnerable than Andersen’s .932 during the regular season.
No matter who they see on Monday night, the general principle remains true for the Islanders.
In addition to playing in their own zone and in the neutral zone, they must find ways to generate more sustained pressure and very dangerous looks.
“I think about speed, movement, hanging on to pucks. I have to be smart with puck placement,” Brock Nelson said. “I think they’re pushing a lot through the neutral zone and the O-zone to kind of disrupt the flow of possession trying to get into the O-zone. Once you get in there, it’s kind of the same thing. You have to have good results, good support from everyone. D, forward, good movement. A little bit of everyone participates.
The high-pressure defense played by Carolina meant the Islanders spent much of the first game settling for single looks off the run.
It also disrupted the Islanders’ penalty kill, who didn’t start generating good chances until it was too late in their second and final chance of the evening.
“On the last power play we had there, we definitely found some momentum and made some good plays,” Mathew Barzal said. “So we’ll definitely have to watch some video today or make some adjustments. That’s the beauty of a playoff series, it’s a game of chess right now. We have to find a way to be good on the power play, at least give ourselves some momentum.
It starts with hanging on to the puck and getting more traffic in the crease.
“I think trying to create turnovers and being able to attack a little more will probably be a focal point, for sure,” Nelson said. “I think you want to generate a little more pressure and zone time and then have that guy in front of the net to create chances, whether it’s from point shots or through a cycle. So I think this guy in front of the net is going to be a focal point.
New York Post
