There is plenty of blame to go around for the Islanders’ struggles this season, but the star players’ struggles is a big reason for their poor play.

Okay, I know that headline is crazy. The New York Islanders (15-18-7), currently 15th in the Eastern Conference and 27th in the NHL do not look like a good bet to catch fire and make the playoffs.

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 New York Islanders (14-18-7) have sat in the NHL’s mushy middle for the last three seasons. That trend has continued into this year for a fourth straight season.

We're a game shy of the halfway mark of this Islanders season and it's not going well. Here are the ways in which the team and I messed up.

Korpisalo sports a 7-4-1 record in his first season as a Bruin, along with a 2.71 GAA and a .895 SV%. The Finnish netminder was between the pipes in the prior meeting with the Isles this season for a 6-3 victory for the Bruins.

The New York Islanders (14-18-7) arrive in Boston losers of three straight, with just two wins in their last eight games (2-6-0). They take on the Boston Bruins (20-17-4) in TD Garden tonight, with puck drop scheduled for just after 6 p.

Barzal provided an assist in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. Barzal now has three points and a plus-1 rating over seven contests since he returned from an upper-body injury. He hasn't gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive games this season,

Barzal notched an assist, five shots on goal, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Penguins. Barzal set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau's opening goal in the first period. The helper was Barzal's second point to go with 18 shots on net and a minus-2 rating over five games since he returned from an upper-body injury.

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Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has seen enough of the New York Islanders to know what they’re about. And he knows, even if they’ve largely struggled this season, the Islanders still present a stiff challenge to the Penguins.

THROUGH GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8, 2025