NY Islanders Power Play Struggles Claim Another Assistant as Ray Bennett Departs

Ray Bennett will not return to the New York Islanders coaching staff for the 2026-27 season. The Islanders announced his departure, and the Washington Capitals later confirmed he joined their staff as an assistant. The move is described as mutual, but it follows another season of ineffective power-play performance. The Islanders finished with the third-worst power play in the NHL at 16.5 percent, improving from 12.5 percent the previous year. Late in the season, the power play produced only five goals on 34 chances over the final 12 games and went 2-for-18 over the final six games. The team’s power-play scoring also declined after early contributions from Matthew Schaefer and Bo Horvat.

"Ray Bennett will not return to Peter DeBoer's staff for the 2026-27 season. The Islanders announced Bennett's departure, and the Washington Capitals later confirmed he had joined their staff as an assistant. According to The Post's Ethan Sears, the decision was mutual. Still, it is hard to separate the move from the Islanders' ongoing power-play misery."

"Instead, the Islanders finished with the third-worst power play in the NHL at 16.5 percent. And yes, somehow, that was actually an improvement from the 12.5 percent disaster the year before. Down the stretch, with the team trying to hang around the playoff race, the power play went ice cold again."

"Over the final 12 games, the Islanders converted just five of 34 chances. In the final six games, they went 2-for-18. That is not exactly the kind of late-season surge that saves jobs. Matthew Schaefer led the team with eight power-play goals during his Calder-winning rookie season, while Bo Horvat added seven."

"After that, nobody had more than five. For a team with enough offensive pieces to be better than bottom-three, that is a problem DeBoer cannot ignore. Bennett's exit is the second notable coaching change of the offseason, following Rocky Thompson's promotion from the AHL staff after one season running Bridgeport. Now, DeBoer gets a chance to reshape the bench and,"

Read at Eyes On Isles