It is no question that the New York Islanders have been struggling this season, but that might all change with the decision to fire head coach Lane Lambert. Lambert was made head coach back in May of 2022 when the previous coach, Barry Trotz, was fired. The firing of Lambert was long anticipated, especially for the fans. Many people felt as though he wasn’t getting the job done due to the number of unnecessary penalties taken, as well as, the team not being able to hold on to leads, and star players not performing how they should have been.

The Islanders were up against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday Jan. 19, who are currently last place in the central division. The Islanders were already on a 3-game losing streak before this matchup but were heavily favored to win. Yet again, the Islanders saw themselves entering overtime for the 16th time this season and fell short for the 11th time. It was because of this that Lane Lambert was fired the next day and Patrick Roy was named the new head coach.

Patrick Roy is formally known as a professional hockey player in the NHL and arguably one of the best goalies to play in the league. He has won four Stanley Cup titles and was named the Conn Smythe winner as a playoff MVP three times. He has won more than 200 games with two different teams and had his number retired by both teams as well. He also has coaching experience as he had previously coached the Colorado Avalanche for some time in his career.

With a former NHL player and coach now on the bench for the Islanders, their future has started to look a little brighter. On Sunday, Jan 21, the Islanders took on the Dallas Stars. Coming off a loss to the Blackhawks, this was a must win game for the Islanders. The Islanders went on to defeat the Stars 3-2 in overtime and Patrick Roy picked up his first win with the Islanders as well.