When Patrick Roy took over behind the Islanders’ bench and guided them into the 2024 playoffs, much of the reason was a dramatic improvement in the defensive zone.

Roy, at the time, overhauled the team’s systems, implementing a primarily man-to-man system that stressed what he calls “second quick” — adding another defender on the wall to force a turnover. It worked wonders, and the Islanders went from being one of the worst defensive teams in the league in the first half of the season to one of the best in the second.

Five games into Roy’s second full season as coach, he may need to take another look at his system, or at least how his team is executing it.

Head coach Patrick Roy of the New York Islanders speaks with the media prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at UBS Arena on O

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