New York Islanders Just Aren't a Possession Team
After the first period of play against the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders forward Shane Prince stated that Ottawa is a “possession team”. As though that was a taboo statement. Maybe for the Isles, it might be.
The New York Islanders were down 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes against the Ottawa Senators. Boo’ed by their own fans the boys in blue and orange left the ice. And then Shane Prince stepped up to the mic with Shannon Hogan.
Here’s the part of the Prince chat I want to focus on: “they’re a possession team, they like to sit back and wait out our mistakes.”
Just on the surface, I didn’t think Ottawa was a “possession” team. And then I looked at NHL.com’s shot attempt (SAT) percentages and found that the Islanders ranked 29th with 46.08% and the Senators were ranked 24th with 47.84%.
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Then, just to make sure I covered my bases I went to Corsica.Hockey to make sure the NHL’s network was one-and-the-same as Corsi-for percentages. And sure enough, it was.
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
I know Prince isn’t looking up Corsi-For percentages before every game to know how to approach the evening’s events. That’s the coaching staffs job.
A major indication of the quality of the Islanders coaching staff when Ottawa, with a sub-50 Corsi-For rating is considered a possession team. Sure, Guy Boucher might enjoy a style of play that lends itself to possessing the puck more frequently then not.
But a simple glance at the raw numbers will tell you that ol’ Guy ain’t getting what he wants out of this team, and thus not a possession team.
They, Not Us
I want to focus on a single word in what Prince said: “They’re”. It’s just a single word, but it carries a ton of weight. The Ottawa Senators are a possession team, while the Islanders are not, nor do they want to be. Is what I draw for that.
Hockey is a game of possession. The notion of winning without possession hasn’t been debated since at least 2008. Puck possession matters, unless you play in Brooklyn.
I understand trying to be counter-culture or trying to do something differently. But trying to win without possessing the puck isn’t something that’s contestable in today’s NHL. So if you’re looking for reasons to dislike this current coaching staff, add this one to your list.
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