Brock Nelson Islanders
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson one of few Isles’ forwards not having a disappointing campaign.

The New York Islanders needed a near-perfect Week 18, but had some disappointing results instead.

Their come-from- behind-win against the Boston Bruins was a dominant one, but the Islanders went winless in their other two games this week. They lost an ugly one in regulation to the inferior Buffalo Sabres, who were able to score a whopping six goals against what’s supposed to be one of the absolute best defensive teams in the game.

The Islanders did earn a point against the Montreal Canadiens but seeing as they’re the worst team in the league and one of the worst in NHL history, the Islanders needed more.

Because these unfortunate instances seem to be recurring, making the playoffs will be a miracle for the Islanders. Someone who’s going to be crucial in this race is Brock Nelson, who was the team’s best player in Week 18.

You can check out the Islanders’ Week 17 player of the week and honorable mentions here.

Player of the Week: C Brock Nelson

vs. BOS: 1 G, 1 A
vs. MTL: 1 G
Average Game Score: 1.64
Average defensive impact: 0.10

We’ve spent practically the entirety of the 2021-22 season discussing the fact that Nelson has been the team’s best forward, one of their best players, and and an MVP. He didn’t disappoint in Week 18.

Nelson was, by far, the Islanders’ best player this week. He was fine yet unremarkable against the Sabres, but followed that up with two fantastic games against the Bruins and Canadiens, in which he was the team’s best player.

Nelson was fine in his own zone, but particularly good offensively. He was also clutch. Nelson’s goal against the Canadiens tied the game with under three minutes to go in the third period.

Nelson had the points this week, but his stats and the underlying analytics this season don’t do him justice. His value to this team has been immense and thinking about what the team would look like without him is far from pleasant.

Honorable Mention #1: W Anthony Beauvillier

@ BUF: 1 A
Average Game Score: 0.93
Average defensive impact: 0.15

Honorable Mention #2: LW Anders Lee

@ BUF: 1 G, 1 A
Average Game Score: 0.92
Average defensive impact: -0.24

Leen has written about the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and international soccer. She is currently the primary NHL writer for ESNY. Leen's work has been featured on Bleacher Report and she was formerly a contributor for FanSided's New York Mets blog, Rising Apple. She is a co-host of the Yankees-Mets Express podcast.