Barry Trotz doesn’t like to talk about himself, so everyone else did the talking for him.
The Islanders coach was announced Friday as one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the league’s best coach, along with the Lightning’s Jon Cooper and the Blues’ Craig Berube, as voted on by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association at the end of the regular season.
In his first year behind the Islanders’ bench following his Stanley Cup victory with the Capitals just a year ago, Trotz has joined with first-year team president Lou Lamoriello to lead a massive organizational turnaround.
The club went from last in the league in goals-against to first, the only team to do that since the original Senators from 100 years ago. They finished with 103 points, the most for the club since 1984, and their fifth-overall finish in the league earned them home-ice advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 1988.
They also happened to win that series, sweeping the Penguins, the franchise’s second postseason-series victory since 1993.
Yet before he had the Islanders preparing for their second-round matchup with the Hurricanes, eventually a difficult 1-0 overtime loss in Game 1 on Friday night at Barclays Center, the 56-year-old Trotz was asked about his possible nomination — not yet announced.
The winner of the award in 2015-16 with the Capitals, Trotz balked at the chance to pump his own tires.
“No,” he said when it was brought up. “No, no. You’re right, I don’t like to talk about myself.”
Winger Anthony Beauvillier, 21, didn’t hesitate to laud his coach.
“He’s done an unbelievable job this year, teaching us how to win,” Beauvillier said. “His game plan, just the way he’s handling situations. He’s got a lot of experience, obviously a Stanley Cup winner last year, it’s just been big for us. Every little moment, his message has been clear, and I think everyone is listening.”
The Islanders’ struggling power play went 0-for-4 over 7:43 of man-advantage time Friday, dropping to 2-for-17 this postseason, including 0-for-9 on home ice.
Islanders goalie Robin Lehner didn’t play the Hurricanes in any of the four regular-season games and Thomas Greiss excelled while the Islanders went 3-1-0.
In Lehner’s career, he has never beaten the Hurricanes, previously 0-4-0 with a 4.25 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.
It wasn’t being totally ruled out that defenseman Johnny Boychuk could return late in this series as he recovers from his lower-body injury suffered blocking a shot in Game 4 against the Penguins on April 16. The projected timeline was three-to-four weeks, and three weeks would be May 7, which is a possible Game 6 in Raleigh.
“I would say probably not, unless it goes the distance maybe,” Trotz said of his availability. “But he’s making great progress, and hopefully he’ll be back on the ice shortly.”
