If you stepped outside this morning and got a whiff of that unmistakably pungent odor in the air it was one of two things. Either you live down by the shore and the tide had rolled out or you’ve been watching the Islanders stumble to an 0-3-3 start that is beginning to develop a very similar odor—the stench of losing.
In short, the Isles stink right now—and lately it’s been worse than low tide.
While coach Scott Gordon’s high pressure, “overspeed” system certainly makes sense for today’s NHL, the Isles often make it look like a Chinese fire drill. While the team usually comes out firing, their lack of attention to detail in the defensive zone is almost criminal.
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The crease area in front of their goal has turned into a gathering spot for opposing forwards—a coffee klatch of sorts. It’s been so accommodating in fact, perhaps Islanders’ owner Charles Wang and Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray should schedule their next Lighthouse Project meeting there. No one in an Islander jersey will bother them.
Offensively, it’s been the Kyle Okposo, John Tavares, Matt Moulson show as that remains the only line that produces any consistent threats in the offensive zone every night. Moving Doug Weight to wing from his natural center position, “To allow the teams’ other young centers to develop” was a head scratcher at best. With Weight at center the Isles had a second line every night that at least put on some pressure. It’s been lights out after the Tavares line lately—despite Okposo’s remarkable efforts every night.
Despite all the above, the team’s biggest problem seems to their delicate psyche. There is a point in every game where the Isles are significantly outplaying their opponent but then give up a goal. During the subsequent 10-15 minutes directly after this the team wilts badly and the game is often decided right here. The last three losses are prefect examples.
After outplaying the L.A. Kings last Monday for the first period-and-a-half, a late second period goal by Anze Kopitar spelled doom and the club’s play wilted badly thereafter til deep into the third period in a 2-1 loss.
Against San Jose this past Saturday a 19-8 shot advantage in the first period resulted in a 1-0 lead. However, as soon as the Sharks tied the score half-way through the second, the Isles stopped skating and the Sharks completely took over the game on their way to an eventual 4-1 win.
Plainly put, this team seems to fold at the remotest hint of —and what is truly troubling is the fact this was true last season as well. It has to make you wonder what level of confidence this club is showing in Gordon’s system and perhaps what level of confidence Gordon has that this team can handle it.
“The hard part is realizing we’re not going to be an explosive offensive team. If we think it’s going to be easy, that’s just not the makeup of our team. We can’t be the reason the opposition turns things around, and that’s pretty much been the case,” was how Gordon explained away the San Jose debacle. The explanation against the Kings was “They got lazy.”
From a fan’s perspective they often look confused and it appears that happens at the most critical junctures. One thing they don’t look is overmatched—and if that were the case the rest of this moot. They’ve competed and often times outplayed the opposition in all six of their games but have a penchant for letting teams off the hook and subsequently flushing points down the drain.
“(After the first) we allowed them to dictate play,” said goaltender Martin Biron after the loss to San Jose. “It’s the same thing every game. At some point we have to respond.”
It has all added up to the worst start to a season for the franchise since a 0-4-3 start in 1973, on their way to a 19-41-18 record. At least that season can be looked back upon as the beginning of something big. Not exactly sure what this is the beginning of. Locked in an embarrassing battle with the dysfunctional Maple Leafs for which of the two teams removes the zero from under the win column first, the Isles are at least looking bad with a much younger roster.
The mountain is getting steeper for Gordon and you wonder how long this grace period will last before Wang will want to see some positive results. After all , he’s been big on deadlines with his other business ventures. Perhaps he and Gordon can meet in the crease in front of the Isles’ goal to talk it over—again, it’s a place they certainly won’t be disturbed.
