Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, a young hockey team walks into the third period with at least a two-goal lead and…
If you’re an Islander fan you have heard this one before and the punch line is no joke. Four times thus far this season, and we’re only nine games in, the Isles have blown a late third period lead and in three of those instances went on to lose the game after regulation time.
The blown leads have the team out of the gate at 1-4-4 but the bigger issue is what the apparent inability to play from in front is doing to the team’s psyche.
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For one of the youngest teams in the NHL, the fact they’re getting third period leads has to be encouraging but the consistency with which they are coughing up those leads, even going back to last season, has to be alarming.
“It’s not going to be easy for us but we’ve go to develop a killer instinct,” was the latest comment from coach Scott Gordon after the loss at home on Saturday to the Capitals. For a team that is a bit offensively-challenged a killer instinct might be expecting a bit much but teaching them how to play more responsibly in their own end with that lead might be a more realistic approach.
Veteran defenseman Brendan Witt, who has not been a big fan of Gordon “overspeed” system the last two seasons, seemed to drill down a bit further when discussing the team’s early season third period jitters, “We’re not paying attention to details. It always happens around the 7-minute mark (of the third period). It’s a young team and you have to learn, you have to take your lumps before you succeed in that area. We have to keep harping on it and get guys relaxed. It’s a good effort but we should’ve gotten the two points.” He could have added, “yet again.”
One area on the roster the Islanders are not a “young team” is in goal and while both Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson have played adequately, neither one is coming up with the big save late in games and that is hurting the club as well.
Against Washington, while Roloson can’t necessarily be faulted on any of the three goals it’s also not reasonable to expect him to come up with a big stop on at least one of the three. Same story against Carolina earlier in the week for Roloson, though the team rebounded for their first win after blowing another late lead. The 40 year-old netminder has not looked good moving side-to-side thus far either.
Biron should have stopped the OT winner from Mike Fisher in Ottawa and simply was not sharp in overall bad efforts by the club in losses to San Jose (4-1) and at Montreal (5-1).
Both players have commented after games that their play could have been better.
And, not to pile on Gordon, but some of his post game comments lately have been head-scratchers at best. After a woeful effort against Montreal this week, Gordon also said, “Looked like we didn’t have our legs.”
Granted the game against the Canadiens was the second of back-to-back, but the way team played made it look as though they had played a game earlier that day.
In the 2-1 loss to the L.A. Kings two weeks ago he used the word “lazy” to describe their play in the second period. Again, a strange summation from the coach of a club whose average age is just a bit south of 27.
Bottom line, the Isles have been outscored 16-6 in third periods through the first nine games and it was by far their worst period last year as well.
The average age in Chicago is 26.6 making the Blackhawks the leagues’ youngest team and I don’t think Blackhawk coach Joel Quenneville is worried about laziness or the team’s conditioning for back-to-back games. Seems comments such a these are more suited to a club of veterans that a coach has simply lost, not a bunch of kids you’d hope are eager to buy into whatever the guy wearing the suit behind the bench says.
Perhaps the feeling thus far is things could be worse – after all, they could be the Maple Leafs.
Ice Chips:
Chris Chelios is back in hockey, though not quite at the NHL level…yet. The 47-year
has reportedly signed a 25-game tryout contract with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL – the Atlanta Thrashers’ affiliate. We’ll see how this one progresses.
Every year we keep hearing about how great Roberto Luongo is and it officially needs to stop. The 30 year-old goalie is 5-5 with a 2.85 GA and a very pedestrian .894 save percentage. After the Blackhawks simply blitzed the former Islander out of last year’s playoffs, it’s now time for all the accolades to seize.
Next up for the Isles, back to Montreal for a game with Les Habs tonight and then the Rangers come calling on Wednesday.
Doug Weight, who missed the last two games with the flu, should be back in the lineup in Montreal.
