A New Day and We Play Tampa Bay

Tonight is the coaching debut of Jack Capuano. Before I talk about his debut -- just a few tidbits of info I picked up hanging around the press box. First, Roloson is in net again & I heard DP has a minor hand injury. So he isn't sitting on the bench solely based on his play (although the injury is convenient and avoids having to outright sit him). Second, despite what you read in the news, I heard a few people say that the veterans on the team were not unhappy to see Gordon replaced. I guess things were not as peachy in the locker room as originally thought. Last - Schremp is a healthy scratch. Word is his defensive play is a problem. It seems that the charm of last year has fallen off and Schremp is having problems getting on the ice.

So end of one and things do not look that much different - Isles don't score, they get out shot 18-11, and bad luck strikes as they give up a goal with 0.3 seconds left. I guess it's unreasonable to expect a dramatic change in the first game. I've been reading some other media/blogs/articles and the general consensus is that the Isles lack talent. While I agree in part - that they do have a talent issue - I think there are things you can do to get the most out of the talent you do have. They have some guys that can score - Tavares, Parenteau, Moulson, Bailey --- so they need to utilize a system (like the Devils teams of the 80's) that focuses on defense while waiting for a mistake to capitalize on. I know its not sexy or terribly interesting to watch - but it does work. The run & gun style that Gordon tried is just not effective with this team as presently constructed.

It's too easy to jump on the criticize the Isles bandwagon right now -- so I will try to remain positive. I think things will improve under Capuano --- not right away, but they should get better. And in the end, if they don't -- well, then hello great draft pick.

Gordon Replaced as Head Coach

This was taken from the Isles website -- it was just announced a little after 10:00 this morning:

Jack Capuano Named Interim Head Coach of the New York Islanders. Scott Gordon will remain with organization as adviser to the General Manager

UNIONDALE, NY, November 15, 2010 – The New York Islanders announced today that Jack Capuano has been named interim head coach, replacing Scott Gordon. Gordon will remain with the organization as an adviser to General Manager, Garth Snow.

Capuano has served as the head coach of the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers the past four seasons. He will make his National Hockey League head coaching debut on Wednesday, Nov. 17 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

“We believe we need a change in direction and, with the majority of the regular season still ahead of us, our goal remains to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Snow said. “Scott has made tremendous strides with our team the past three seasons and I look forward to continuing our relationship in an advisory capacity.”

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Can't say this was a surprise - but I feel bad for Gordon - he's a good guy and a good coach. As I said in earlier posts, his system would be more effective if they had more talent.

Well Isles fans.... a change has been made - so let's hope Jack Capuano is able to get more from these guys than Gordon could. Sometimes you just need to hear a different voice.

WOW is this UGLY

"The streak" as it has now become known - has been extended to 10 games. Ten long games without a win. It has been almost a month since the Isles won a game. But it is even worse than 10 games without a win. During those 10 games the Isles have scored a measly 14 goals -- for a 1.4 goals per game average. In 6 of the 10 games the Isles scored only 1 goal and in another they were shout out. In the 8th game they managed only 2 goals. The offense is anemic.

During that same 10 game stretch they have given up 38 goals - for an almost 4 goals per game average. So not only are they not scoring, they aren't playing defense either. Probably the only guy that can keep his head up at this point is Roloson.

While it is usually unfair to blame the coach for losses since they can't go out and play, and it seems unfair to get rid of one guy for the failures of the 20+ guys on the roster - you have to start questioning Gordon's approach. His "fast-paced" system has obviously not yielded results and while it may in theory be a great system, any system you employ is only as effective as the talent level will permit. Maybe this team just isn't talented enough to play this style of game. Not only that - but if the team is having trouble scoring, why is Schremp on the bench? I know he can be a "head case" and sometimes losses focus - but he also has more talent than half the guys they Isles are trotting out. I get it - you earn your ice time during practice, etc, etc, etc. However, when you are faced with a horrendous losing streak - and this is a horrendous streak -- then you have to put "normal" aside and take steps to try to improve the offensive output. Sure enough, Schremp returns to the line-up against LA and gets a goal.

I think it's fairly safe to assume that the clock has started ticking for Gordon. He doesn't have a contract beyond this season and Garth Snow was quoted as saying he'd have to earn an extension. If this trend continues, not only will that be unlikely, but he may be looking for a new job sooner rather than later.

Go West Young Man

Horace Greeley made this phrase popular back in the 1800's to spark the adventurous spirit in American pioneers. It was said to be an inspiration -- and boy do the Isles need inspiration as they attempt to put the brakes on their 7-game losing streak. The losing streak itself is bad enough, but when it is accompanied with uninspired play it can result in dire consequences. The rumblings about Scott Gordon's job security are already starting.

While the rumor mill starts to churn, the Isles are heading west for a 3-game, five day trip to play the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and LA Kings. West coast trips are usually a test of a team's mettle and it can also provide an opportunity for a team that is struggling to bond and to get away from the media scrutiny that accompanies home games. Maybe a few days away from the NY microscope will give the team an opportunity to break out of its slump.

While the Ducks and Sharks are only playing .500 hockey, the Kings will offer a real test since they are leading the Pacific Division with 20 points and have given up the third fewest goals in the NHL. The Sharks are 4th in the league in goals against. So they will be facing two very stingy teams -- those are not great match-ups considering the Isles offensive woes.

As I've mentioned before, the Isles need to step-up their power-play production and some of the guys they are counting on (Weight, Bailey, Comeau, Hunter & Neilsen) need to increase their goal production if the Isles are ever going to be able to compete.

Last - I don't think it makes sense to get rid of Scott Gordon at this point. It is still early in the season and remember, he is working with a team with average talent at best. Some of these guys have the ability to be better than average - but most of the guys on this team would be 3rd and 4th liners on any other team.

So - "Go West Young Men" and try to climb your way back into respectability one game at a time.

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.

Sim Placed on Waivers

The Isles website posted the following at around noon:

The New York Islanders announced today that forward Jon Sim has been placed on waivers.

Sim has not produced much this season and it looks like a move to make room for Schremp who is due back any minute from Bridgeport. I wasn't sure why the Isles brought Sim back this season since they needed scoring help and he clearly was not going to provide that.

I never like to see anyone lose their job - even Sim. I hope he either hooks on with another team or is able to help Bridgeport.

Special Teams Power Outage

It is no secret that the Isles lack firepower - particularly at even strength. For the first four games of the season they were able to make up for this deficiency by putting up some impressive numbers when they had a man advantage. During this stretch, they scored 6 goals in 22 chances (a 27% rate). They had Weight setting up Wisniewski's cannon at the point, along with Tavares, Parenteau, and Moulson sniping from down low.

In fact - 13 of the teams 31 total goals this season have come with the man advantage. That is, almost one-third of the team's goals have been on the power play. The last two games they were 0-12 on the PP, and they've had only 5 goals in their last 26 chances over the past 5 games (19% rate) --- a period in which the team lost 4 straight. It's no surprise that their dip in PP production coincides with their current losing streak. They still remain 8th in the league with an overall 22.4% success-rate, but it has slipped over the past week.

During this same stretch, the Isles have been merely average on the penalty kill. Last week they killed off 10 of 13 penalties, which is a less-than-impressive 77% rate. For the season, they have killed off 42 of 51 penalties and they are only 17th in the league with an overall 82.7% success rate. This is NOT good enough, and the 77% rate for the past week would actually put them 26th out of 30 teams.

Special teams play is an important aspect of the game and is one of the keys to a team's ability to succeed. But it is even more important to a team like the Isles who struggle scoring at even strength. The Isles are going to have to improve these numbers if they are going to compete for a playoff spot. Successful teams need to be closer to 85% on the kill, and somewhere between 25-30% on the power play.

Last, put this in perspective: Four of Tavares' six goals have come on the PP. Seven of Wisniewski's, Parenteau's, Weight's and Bailey's combined nine goals have some with the man advantage. That means these five guys have a total of 4 even-strength goals. These guys are not getting it done even strength and if the special teams continues to sputter... ... well, I think you know where this is going.

For the Isles its a new week, a new month, and hopefully, better results.

Reality Sets In

Well..... it looks like the wheels are starting to come loose and may fall off the wagon. While the Isles certainly have been bitten by the injury bug - they have also been bitten by the "we may not be as talented as we first appeared" bug. Newest casualty - Jurcina. Looks like Schremp may be back soon and Hunter returned to the line-up, but I don't think this is enough.

When the season started, I stated that I did not believe the Isles acquired enough scoring during the off-season. It looks like I may be right. Here are some not-too-impressive stats:

• Isles have scored more than 3 goals in a game in only 3 of their 11 games.
• They only have 8 goals in their last 4 games -- you won't win averaging 2 goals a game.
• They have scored only 1 goal in a game 3 times this season and in 2 other games they only got 2 goals. So - in half their games, they have scored 2 goals or less.
• They have lost 4 in a row and are now under .500.
• Their top three point scorers actually only have 2 goals each.
• With the exception of Moulson, Comeau & Tavares, no one on the team has more than 2 goals.
• While he wasn't over-matched, it was obvious Niederreiter was not going to be a repeat of Tavares (or Bailey for that matter) and it was the right move to send him back to juniors.
• Hunter, Sim, and Weight have been mostly invisible and I really don't think Parenteau and Grabner are the solution.
• Bailey and Moulson have cooled off in the last half-dozen games.

Maybe things improve when Schremp & Okposo come back. But in reality, I don't think you can expect Schremp to make a huge impact and Okposo, when he returns, will be coming off shoulder surgery and will need some time to get his timing and legs back.

What does this all mean? I think it means Isles fans need to be prepared for more of what we've seen in the last 4 games and less of what we saw in the first 5. It's going to be a long season.

M*A*S*H

Another injury hits the Isles - this time Andrew MacDonald goes down for 4-6 weeks with a hand injury that required surgery. Going into the season the Isles had 9 defensemen on the roster and only enough playing time for 6. Since then, Streit was lost to a shoulder injury and won't be returning until sometime in January or February at best. Wisniewski had to sit a pair for his lewd gesture in the Ranger game. And now A-Mac is lost for more than a month.

It's a good thing Garth stockpiled the defense going into the season. Now Hillen and Gervais get a chance - well, at least Hillen does. Reports from Isles veteran blogger extraordinaire Dee Karl was that Gervais was seen skating in practice as a forward. He's had a few games at forward in the last few years and it just might give a chance to get out of Gordon's doghouse and onto the ice. Bruno had a rough go of it in a number of games last season and didn't seem to make the progress the team had hoped for.

Isles lost a tough one to the Panthers and wasted a nice game by Tavares who netted his first career hat trick. I saw some media-types report that they thought DP over-handled the puck and also coughed up a fat rebound for the 4th goal. Some have gone on to suggest that Roloson should be the number one goalie. I strongly disagree for a few reasons.

First - I watched the Florida game and Ricky did not cough up a rebound leading to Florida's go-ahead goal. It was a shot from the point that was deflected on its way to the net and Ricky just got a piece of it with the bottom of his pads and it took a lucky trip onto Dvorak's stick. Not Ricky's fault, in fact -- who was responsible for picking up Dvorak? Why is he sitting wide open, alone behind the defense? Second, while Rollie has certainly played well and has earned the "starting goalie" tag - let's not lose site of the fact that he is 41 years old and has a limited future. Moreover, this team is not likely to be making a run at the cup (especially with Streit & Okposo out for half the season). Like it or not, DP is only 29 and can play another 10 years ---- if course, if he stays healthy. I know he's not been spectacular - but don't lose site of the fact he's played less than a dozen games in the last 2 years. He needs some time to knock the rust off. The Isles will need DP to be their number one for the next few years until one of the guys in the system is ready to step into the crease. Until then, it is in the Isles best interest to get DP back into his old form (or as close to old form as he can get) and to help build his confidence.

Last - I think some people got a little delirious over the past 2 weeks with the Isles being in first place and playing well. They've played 10% of their games -- they are doing better than anyone predicted - but at some point they will come back to Earth a little. Until then, let's just hope they can get through the next game without having someone leave the ice with an injury.

Isles Continue to Look Good - Bailey Hurt

Isles dominated the Av's on Saturday night. I had predicted a 4-3 Isles win... I was close, it was 5-2 Isles. Then tonight they took on the 4-0 Leafs and played them even for 60 minutes until Tavares blasted home the game-winner in OT with a one-timer from the right circle a little over a minute into the extra session. The Isles played another good game and according to Butch Goring who was interviewed by Kris King at the morning skate - all the GM's and coaches he spoke to have declared the Isles to be the hardest working team in the league right now. That's a pretty big compliment.

Mixed into all this good news is the continuing pile-up of injuries. Josh Bailey left the game in the middle of the first period with a hip flexor. No word yet on how serious it is or if Bailey will miss any games. The good news is that the Isles are off until Thursday when they square off against the 4-1 Lightening in Tampa so Josh has a few days to recover. However, the game against the Lightening will be a big test because Tampa Bay is clearly a better team than the Leafs. They bring in big guns like Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Malone, big defensemen Hedman. It will also be our first look at ex-Isle Sean Bergenheim in a new uniform - I am sure he will be up for this game, trying to prove the Isles were wrong to let him go.

You have to worry that, despite the team's early success, the injuries will eventually catch up and take its toll on this team. It's remarkable that the 4 players that have been injured so far are probably the Isles top 4 players (Streit, Okposo, Tavares, and Bailey). and while we won't see Streit or Okposo until probably after the New Year, thankfully JT doesn't seem to have any lingering effects from the concussion as he has scored in 2 straight games and has a total of 3 points in the two games. Let's see what happens with Bailey.

But for right now, there is a lot to smile about for Islander fans.