Just When You Think Things Are Going Bad...

WOW - the Isles have dropped 6 straight and didn't look good against Ottawa. They are having serious problems putting the puck in the net - especially when playing five-on-five. The last 6 games are endemic of the Isles lack of offensive firepower. They lack the go-to guy that can put a team on his shoulders and lift them out of a slump.

Hopefully - this 6-game stretch is just a slump, the kind that EVERY team goes through at some point during the season. Most teams don't string together 6 consecutive losses - and that makes this slump seem worse. To add to their offensive woes, it looks like they have not been getting consistent goaltending of late. Rollie did not look sharp against Ottawa.

Last 3 goals the team scored were by Moulson (against Ottawa) and Grabner & Parenteau (against Carolina). So at least the guys that Garth hoped would produce are producing. Moulson netted his 5th and Grabner & Parenteau each have 3. At this pace, after 12 games, Moulson is on a pace to score 30-35 goals and Grabner & Parenteau 25 each. That would probably exceed everyone's expectations and quite honestly is probably unrealistic. Where the Isles have been weak is in the secondary scoring. They need the other guys (Nielsen, Comeau, Weight, Bailey, Schremp and Hunter) to pick up their production.

It's too easy to pound on the team now. So I will give them the "slump" benefit of the doubt and hope that they figure a way out of this mess and get the team back on the road to a .500 record.