Islanders’ special teams have been anything but special

In Barry Trotz’s mind, the Islanders’ success so far this season has not been based on rocket science.

“There’s not too many secrets to the formula,” the coach said. “I think our five-on-five, when we’re playing it the right way, teams don’t get a lot. If we can win the special teams event, then we’ll probably win.”

That formula played out Wednesday night like it has too often lately for the Islanders, who lost the special teams battle and the game, 3-2, to the Golden Knights at Barclays Center.

The Islanders gave up a power-play goal 34 seconds into play. Then they couldn’t convert on their only man-advantage of the night, extending their drought to just one power-play goal over their past 12 games, in which they have gone 1-for-28.

While their penalty kill has overall been serviceable, their power play has left them hanging. They are now 4-11-3 in games when they don’t score on the man-advantage and 10-1-1 in games in which they do. It hasn’t helped the offensive funk they have been in of late.

“We’ve got to get some more regular scoring throughout our lineup again,” Trotz said. “We got to get the power play to contribute on a more regular basis.”

The lack of offense on the power play has been tangible. In games in which the Islanders had converted at least once on the man-advantage, they were 10-1-1. When they didn’t score on the power play, they were 4-10-3.

“I think our goaltending has played really well of late, both goaltenders,” Trotz said of Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner, who was set to start his second straight game Wednesday. “We’ve got to give them a little more support offensively. That comes in different forms. … Every time we score a power-play goal we usually win.”

The Islanders do not believe the power play requires a massive overhaul, as they saw it work earlier in the year when they started the season 9-for-40 over their first 13 games — a clip that would put them just outside the top 10 in the NHL.

“Obviously early we had success, we scored quite a bit,” said winger Jordan Eberle, who was responsible for three of the 13 power-play goals while playing on the first unit. “We went through a stretch of a few games where we didn’t. We tried to switch a bunch of different things up, didn’t work — made it worse, actually. We struggled even more. We got back to what we were doing before.

“I like the way the last few games we’ve been moving the puck. I feel like we’re a threat out there. We just got to find the net now. Got to find a way to bear down when there’s a chance.”

Trotz tried to fix the power-play issue last month by bumping play-making Mathew Barzal from the first power-play unit to the second, but he has since returned to the top group. Part of the original move was geared toward encouraging Barzal to shoot more.

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While the reigning Calder Trophy winner has had no problem starting power plays — he has drawn 15 penalties this year, fifth-most in the NHL — Barzal is still without a power-play goal this season and has just three at even strength, though half of his team-high 20 assists have come on the man-advantage.

“Just like any player, I think Mathew prides himself on his ability to pass the puck and make plays with his skating ability and all that,” Trotz said. “But you still have to have the second pitch. If everybody knows that you’re passing, the goaltenders are so good that they already know you’re passing and they’re already setting up for the next play. What you want to do is make them bite on the first play that’s supposed to happen, via a shot and then you pass it over and then you really open up a goaltender. So just adding another thing to his toolbox, I think he recognizes that.”