New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy placed Brock Nelson between Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal in an effort to spark the offense.
The Islanders entered Sunday’s showdown with the Boston Bruins scoring just four total goals over their last three games.
The move worked, as the Islanders scored five goals in a 5-4 overtime win, with their new-look top line leading the charge.
While Nelson was unable to snap a 16-game goal drought, which now sits at 17 games, Lee scored twice, with Barzal pushing his point streak to three games (three assists).
Nelson went 7-for-12 in the face-off dot (58.3%).
Here are the advanced statistics of that line, which just dominated the Bruins:
Now, some of you may think that Nelson is playing on the top line to showcase him alongside the team’s leading scorer and the club’s best assistmen.
It’s quite possible.
But playing Nelson with both of those guys seemed more like an effort to get No. 29 off the shneid, which could only help the Islanders and his trade value.
Switching up the lines and having Nelson on the top line also allowed Jean-Gabriel Pageau to return to centering the third line.
That’s not to say Pageau didn’t play well on Barzal’s wing- quite the opposite as he was really good- but No. 44 is incredibly good as a defensive centerman.
Yes, his turnover led to David Pastrnak’s first of two goals to help Boston erase a 4-2 deficit in the third, but their line, overall, did a terrific job at shutting down the Bruins, allowing just two shots.
If the Islanders want to string a few wins together, they’ll need the offense to make the most of their chances on Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, who are 8-2-0 over their last 10 games.
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