It’s been an up-and-down season for a New York Islanders squad that’s fired their head coach and hired a Hall of Fame goaltender as his replacement. Since hiring Patrick Roy, the Islanders are 3-2-1, including back-to-back wins this week against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
A large part of any of their success is defenseman Noah Dobson, who is second on the team in scoring with 53 points (seven goals and 46 assists). Now in his fifth NHL season, the 2018 No. 12 overall pick has turned into one of the most reliable blueliners in the NHL, averaging 25:51 of ice time through 51 games and generating offense at the highest rate of his career.
Now with a record of 22-17-12 and 56 points, fourth in the Metropolitan Division, the Islanders are just two points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. For a team that had such an auspicious start to the 2023-24 campaign, there’s a chance the combination of a coaching bump and offensive contributions from their blue line could push the Islanders into the post-season.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the game’s most underrated players and give Dobson some much deserved love, highlighting what makes the workhorse special.
Frank Seravalli: As good as he’s been and as I look at these numbers, is anyone talking about Noah Dobson? He’s 22nd in the league in points — not just points for defenseman, but for the entire league — with 53 points in 51 games, as well as 26 minutes a night.
This guy has been an absolute horse on Long Island and a big reason why the team is still in it. Don’t look now, but New York is kind of looking like they’re putting it together.
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