Did head coach of the NY Islanders Lane Lambert underperform in his debut season?
After serving as Barry Trotz’s devoted assistant and backup for many years, Lane Lambert spent his entire career waiting to be given the chance to lead an NHL team.
Ironically, the defense mounted against the man who hired Lambert is the strongest one in year one. Lou Lamoriello, the president of hockey operations and general manager of the New York Islanders, has come under fire for building a roster that is too slow, too old, and devoid of elite offensive players.
That was the story before the season, that was the story all season, and it persisted after Lamoriello traded for Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat, an All-Star. Despite all the hype that the Islanders would improve offensively this year, they only finished slightly better than the previous campaign. The Isles finished 23rd in the previous season with 2.79 goals per game, and this season they scored 2.95 goals per game, good for 22nd place in the league.
At even strength, they were a superior team, and their defense was making a lot more of a contribution than it had in prior years. The Islanders’ defense scored 41 goals overall, which is a record high since they scored 42 goals in 2003–04. They had the most points (173) in an 84-game season since 1993–94, when they scored 174 points.
