New York Islanders: Stanley Cup Playoffs Profile, Josh Bailey

There is perhaps no player on the Islanders more polarizing than forward Josh Bailey. Out of all the players on this team, he might the key to production in the playoffs. Here is Stanley Cup Playoff profile.

If you are active on New York Islanders Twitter, you already probably know how polarizing Josh Bailey is. Some appreciate his dedication, loyalty, and production to this franchise, I am one of those people. However, there are also people who see him as a liability and can often be frustrated watching him.

But no matter how you twist it – here is a fact- as the Islanders prepare to go to the playoffs for the fourth time in seven seasons, so does Josh Bailey. He has been here every step of the way and has never wavered. He has been an Islander longer than any player on this team right now. That includes the GM and the head coach. He has survived rebuilds, coaching changes, great seasons, bad seasons, a playoff series win and a playoff series losses, plenty of them. There are few Islander players who deserve this more.

In his Islanders career, well his overall NHL career, Josh Bailey is the guy to go-to. He has played in three playoff series’ in his career with the Islanders, the last three times the team has been there. In each of those series, he has played at least six games.

In his Stanley Cup Playoffs Career, he has played in 22 total games, scored four goals, has seven helpers, notched a power play goal, and has a -4 rating. Those numbers are pretty solid considering he has played in 22 games. Please note, he also missed two games of their semi-finals round against the Lightning, could have been more. Still, he averages half a point a game in the playoffs. That is only slightly under what he averages for his career to date, which if my math is correct is about .54 points a game, remember I am journalist, numbers are hard for me.

Anyway, it really does not seem as if that big stage of the playoffs will impact him. What I will say is I understand he no longer has a teammate like John Tavares, who also did well in the playoffs, but Bailey still has one of the larger playoff sample sizes on the team.

Right now, Bailey is not having the best run of his career, he has been moved down the second line, and also recently switched sides on the ice, and is now doing work with Brock Nelson and Michael Dal Colle, but perhaps a role with the young Dal Colle shows the Isles trust the veteran with the youngster, I don’t know, but it makes sense.

This season, Bailey has 56 points and has not missed a single game. Once Bailey skates on Saturday’s game vs the Capitals, he will have played in all 82 games for the second time in three years.

A healthy and productive Josh Bailey is going to be a major key to the Islanders these playoffs. This guy has been here before, already played in playoff games for this team in both home buildings, and has 56 points on 220 Islanders goals scored this season.

Josh Bailey is the anchor of the Islanders, he represents the kind of loyalty that when one has the opposite type of loyalty, we resent them. He and the Islanders need to go into the playoffs ready to score goals. They can’t win any playoffs games 0-0, whether you choose to believe it or not, Josh Bailey is important in them scoring.