The New York Islanders are 1-1-0 without Bo Horvat over the last two games. Despite two different results, there's been a common theme.
In both games, the Islanders deviated from the style that's led to their success this season, reverting to Barry Trotz's style of securing points.
.@stefen_rosner Morning Minute on what he’s seen from #Isles over these last two games without Bo Horvat: pic.twitter.com/YhJTPy6qjf
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 17, 2025
On Saturday night, the Islanders went up 2-0 early and tried to play a more grindy style to get the two points.
Ultimately, they allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning to build momentum, come back, and recover for a 3-2 shootout win.
The Islanders were held to just one shot in the second period, allowing 17 before being outshot 8-6 in the third period.
When in doubt, it was flip into the neutral zone and out, which kept Tampa on the attack and the Islanders on their heels.
Sorokin's brilliancy is what allowed the Islanders two points.
The Islanders owned a Corsi For % of 47.22.
However, on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, the Islanders couldn't win playing that way and fell 3-2.
After going up 1-0 in the first period courtesy of Emil Heineman, the Islanders tried to get puck deeps and get the forecheck going -- but to no avail -- not consistently at least.
They weren't winning puck battles, and their struggles to take away time and space in the neutral zone let the Red Wings generate chances off the rush, which helped Detroit get on the board.
The Islanders allowed two power-play goals, only one at 5-on-5, but they just weren't generating enough when the puck was on their sticks. The latter of the two power-play goals came with 2:17 to play in the third.
The Islanders owned a Corsi For % of 44.66.
There's a reason the Islanders have been held to 18 or fewer shots this season, compared to the 29.3 shots per game they averaged over the previous 32 seasons.
The Islanders 939 shots are fifth in the NHL.
With Horvat's 200-foot game out of the lineup, it's understandable why the Islanders may be tweaking how they're playing. He's a huge loss.
It's a major test, but this group has overcome obstacles all season and found a way to get into rhythms. It's been a tough first two games.
It's been a season of players taking advantage of opportunities, so the question is, who will rise up and take advantage of their newfound minutes? Who will play the leading role in helping the team keep their foot on the gas when the light turns yellow, not slow down to play it safe?