Last season, which was Zach Parise’s first with the Islanders, the 38-year-old winger didn’t score his first goal with the team until the 23rd game of the season — the same amount he had until Game No. 33.
Luckily for him, the wait was much quicker in Year 2 with the Islanders as he recorded his first of the 2022-23 campaign in just the third game of the season during New York’s 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
“It’s nice. The first one is always good to get out of the way and not wait like last year,” Parise told amNewYork on Thursday prior to the Islanders’ clash with the New Jersey Devils. “I think more importantly the way we’re generating offensive opportunities, there’s going to be more opportunities for everybody.”
Parise is just one of the beneficiaries of the Islanders’ new system under Lane Lambert which has featured more offensive support from the defense to help open up more opportunities for the attack.
They scored seven against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday before posting five against San Jose. Last year, they scored five or more goals just 10 times in 82 games.
“It was nice,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said of seeing Parise get on the board. “Obviously, he’s a guy who’s always around the net and he got rewarded for it.”
Having played just 85 games in his Islanders career, he’s quickly earned the trust of the organization given his versatility and ability to contribute up and down the lineup.
While he has started the season playing on Mathew Barzal’s left wing on the Islanders’ first line, he’s always recorded time on the third line, the penalty kill, and the power play.
“You can put him out in any situation against anybody,” Lambert said. “That’s a nice thing to have.”
It’s also not the most common thing to see from a veteran player that was once a premier scoring forward in the NHL. He’s had 10 seasons of 25-plus goals, including 45 in 2008-09 with the New Jersey Devils.
Following his difficult start last season, he turned it on in the second half to finish the season with 15 goals. But it’s not about the bulk number of goals. It hasn’t necessarily been the case ever in his career.
“I’ve always been big on shooting percentage,” Parise said. “My career average is around 10% so I try to get to 200 shots and go from there. I’m a believer in that number and that stat.”
His career shooting percentage is actually 11.5%, so if you do the math, that would mean he’s looking to pot 20 this season.
