Islanders†Penalty Kill Turns A Corner Under Bob Boughner

Bob Boughner had his work cut out for him when the New York Islanders hired him to run the defense and penalty kill.

The Islanders allowed 3.13 goals per game in 2024-25, and while that wasn’t horrific, the offense was only providing 2.71 goals per game, making it difficult to overcome the defensive lapses.

The bigger concern was the penalty kill, which ended the season second-worst in the NHL, at 72.2 percent. There’s no question that if Tommy Albelin’s PK was 10 percent better last season, they likely would have found a way to sneak into the playoffs.

The penalty kill was led by Ryan Pulock (159:33), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (135:34), Alexander Romanov (122:30), Adam Pelech (115:34), Scott Mayfield (108:36), Simon Holmstrom (104:12), Bo Horvat (88:01) and Kyle Palmieri (85:56), with Casey Cizikas (69:05) and Brock Nelson (76:15) as the extra forwards.

This season, Boughner’s penalty kill cast hasn’t changed much — but the results certainly have.

After allowing at least on power-play goal in eight of the first nine games, Boughner’s guys have flipped a switch. Since Oct. 30 — seven games — the Islanders’ penalty kill has been executing at a 90 percent clip, killing off 18-of-20.

What’s changed?

Pelech and Pulock remain as the No. 1 PK pairing, with Pageau, Holmstrom, Horvat, and Palmieri leading the way amongst the forwards.

What you will notice is that Cizikas, who has struggled to find his game this season, has played sparingly on the kill, just 2:05 minutes this season.

The PK has been much more aggressive, keeping the opposition’s power play to the outside while also clearing the front of the net as much as they can.

Because of the stronger structure, we’ve seen Ilya Sorokin turn things around when his club is shorthanded.

Last season, Sorokin owned an .847 PK SV%. This season, it’s up to .852, but since Oct. 30, it’s at .923.

Your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer and he’s risen to the occassion as of late.

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Given the Islanders’ offense, which averages 3.31 goals per game, they can overcome a shaky PK. But if the PK is going to be a strength rather than an Achilles’ heel, the Islanders will be an even more dangerous team.

The Islanders next five opponents’ PP:

Vegas Golden Knights: 22.6% (11th)

Utah Hockey Club: 16.3% (27th)

Colorado Avalanche: 17.5% (24th)

Dallas Stars: 32.8% (2nd)

Detroit Red Wings: 18.9% (16th)

The Islander are 2-0-0 to kick off this road trip where the penalty kill is 5-for-6.

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