The Islanders may have liked the way they played during a three-game losing streak that led to Sunday's win over the Bruins, but one notable change in strategy contributed to their 5-4 overtime victory in Boston. There was one.
Their defense shot the puck. Early and often.
“That's what we want,” coach Patrick Roy said. “More than that, we want to put bodies in front of the net. Keep your eyes off them. Basically, keep the goalie from seeing the puck. And put it behind the net.” You know if you throw it to, you can get the puck. So I think we did a really good job in that regard.”
The Islanders did their best job of the year on live shot attempts, with 82 of them going 5-on-5, 14 more than their previous season high.
That was mainly due to the defense.
Of the top four, Alexander Romanov and Adam Pelech (two of the Isles' less aggressive defensemen) had season highs in shot attempts, eight and nine, respectively, against the Bruins.
Noah Dobson's eight total was the fourth-most this year.
Ryan Purock was the most offensively impactful defenseman of the night, scoring a goal and recording two assists, although he attempted more than pedestrian three shots.
Roy called it Pulock's best performance since taking over as head coach.
Most of the shot attempts were wasted, but 47 were blocked or went wide. But a shoot-first mentality created consistent possession and pressure that lasted for most of the game.
This has been a rarity for the Islanders this season, as they averaged 56.78 pedestrian shot attempts per 60.
“I thought our D team played a great game…passing the puck,” captain Anders Lee said. “Everyone. I thought Romy got a lot done. Dobber got a lot done. The pull at the blue line was great. I thought this was one of their better games. . When they're going the way they are, it makes a big difference in our offense.”
On Sunday, Bo Horvat became the first player to have both a shorthanded goal and an overtime goal in the same game since John Tavares against the Canadiens on Jan. 1, 2018, according to team statistician Eric Hornig. He was the first Islander to do so.
Chris Campoli (2008-2009), Michael Peca (2001-2002) and Brent Sutter (1990-1991) are the three other Islanders to have accomplished this feat.
The Islanders did not practice Monday after returning home from Boston.
