WASHINGTON — The following transcript is from Islanders coach Patrick Roy’s most recent pregame media availability: Reporter: “What has putting Palat on the wall done for the power-play unit?” Roy: “He’s not on the wall, he’s on the goal line. That’s what he did when he was in Tampa with Kucherov and Point. It’s a good role for him.” The point here is not to mock the reporter (OK, this reporter’s) hockey knowledge, even if, certainly, Roy has more of it. It’s to point out that, too often lately, it’s been very tough to tell who’s playing where on the Islanders’ power-play units because they just haven’t been able to set up before the puck is heading back down the ice toward their zone. The...
