Islanders new-look offense still trying to get untracked

The Islanders wouldn’t be wrong to say they ran into a pair of hot goalies in their two losses over a three-game road trip that finished in St.Louis on Thursday night.But being shut out twice in three games — while exploding for six goals in the lone victory of the trip — raises a potential issue nonetheless.This version of the Islanders, with Anthony Duclair completing the top line and Max Tsyplakov filling out the top six, is meant to have an easier time putting the puck in the net than prior seasons.

That wasn’t how it played out against the Blues, when the Isles squandered a fair number of third-period chances before losing 1-0 in overtime.And it wasn’t the case in Dallas last Saturday, either, when Jake Oettinger stymied them in a 3-0 Stars win.“Maybe [we need] a little more poise offensively,” coach Patrick Roy said Thursday night.“Hold on pucks.

We kind of move the puck a little faster than we should.We should look for options.

… That’s what maybe we could’ve done a bit better, but both teams played very well.Both teams played very well defensively.”That was as far as Roy was willing to go in terms of constructive criticism related to his team’s goal scoring and, in fairness to him, on the two nights the Islanders have avoided being shut out, they’ve combined to score 10 goals.So perhaps the issue is more one of inconsistency than an overall lack of production.“I think at times when we simplify, we get a little more done and I thought there were times throughout the game when we had some looks,” Ryan Pulock said.

“I think it’s something we need to be a little more consistent at, is generating some more sustained pressure offensively.”According to the advanced stats, the Islanders have generated sufficient pressure, recording 11 and 10 high-danger chances at five-on-five in their two shutout losses, respectively, by Natural Stat Trick’s count.The third period against St.

Louis, certainly, featured a number of grade-...