Maybe in training camp, Islanders fans would have settled for mediocre coming from where the franchise was last season and reeling from a summer of management upheaval. As much success as coach Ted Nolan had in Buffalo, he had to go through a sub-.500 first season with the Sabres before winning a division title and the coach of the year award in 1996-97. Should fixing the Islanders be any less difficult? No.
But the way the Islanders recovered from their 0-3 start that looked downright inept to reach a point six games over .500 with the help of three wins over the Rangers inspired unbridled optimism. Six losses later, things look very different from 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
Sure, one good winning streak can shoot a team upward quickly in the tightly bunched East. But more importantly, the losing streak has revealed weaknesses that were there all along: the lack of secondary scoring, a poor power play, inconsistent penalty killing, periodic bouts with a loss of discipline in the defensive zone.
The decision by coach Ted Nolan to bench captain Alexei Yashin for a period at Carolina is troubling, too, because of its potential to blow up into something bigger. If Nolan had one primary mission when he took over, it was to motivate Yashin and put him in position to start getting the most of his elite-level talent.
As I wrote the day of the opener, if Yashin can’t get it done under Nolan and shed his reputation as an underachiever, then, there have been strong indications owner Charles Wang would consider buying out the remaining four years of his contract. That hasn’t changed.
What did change was Yashin’s wonderful performance and his work ethic in tandem with high-energy linemate Jason Blake to begin the season. Yashin doesn’t like to equate his scoring with his effectiveness, but the fact is that in the first 22 games before he suffered a sprained right knee, he had only five games without a point and never more than one at a time. Then, he scored in five straight after his return before going scoreless in his past six.
Nolan is right when he says your best players have to play like your best players consistently to win in the NHL, and it would be nice if Yashin could embrace the idea that his points and those produced by his line are a reflection of his effectiveness. Where he sees circumstances working against him – teammates not finishing plays he has created or goaltenders making big saves or a knee that isn’t 100 percent – Nolan sees a need for more mental and physical toughness and greater determination.
But it’s also a fact that the Islanders basically have been a team whose offense has been dominated by one line, the Yashin-Blake line. It’s no secret who opponents have to stop. Mike Sillinger has produced steadily, but Miroslav Satan is having an off year by his standards, and Viktor Kozlov’s burst of scoring mostly was confined to the eight-game stretch when Yashin was injured. Mike York’s play was so weak he got himself traded. Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert’s numbers could be better.
The point is the Islanders’ problems go beyond Yashin, and while he must be accountable as captain to lead, he shouldn’t be the scapegoat for everything that has gone wrong lately. For instance, how far would a 20-goal second half by Satan go toward producing a playoff berth? What would happen if Kozlov started putting the puck on net consistently? How many times have Hilbert and Richard Park failed to finish at the end of hustling plays? Where’s Randy Robitaille?
Here is a look at other key areas at the midpoint:
ACQUIRING ANOTHER SCORER: General manager Garth Snow did a good job clearing $5 million of cap space to position the Islanders to pick up some scoring at the trade deadline. Now, he has to finish the job. Does he go for a playmaker like Doug Weight (if he waives his no-trade clause) or a power forward like Bill Guerin who could stand in front of the net on the power play? Does he rent a player or get someone for the long term? What does he give up?
ROLE PLAYERS: Nolan’s style of rolling four lines has maximized the value of the Islanders’ role players and given them more of a stake in the team’s success. When the fourth line consisted of Arron Asham, Shawn Bates and Park, they made a consistent impact with their hustle and toughness to the point that all have earned bigger roles from time to time. Chris Simon obviously is slowing down but he still has a scoring touch and the will to hit and can be effective in a limited role.
DEFENSE: The loss of Radek Martinek for up to four weeks with a broken foot is a serious blow. Nolan said Martinek is as important to the defense as Yashin is to the offense, and he was particularly effective with tough guy Brendan Witt as his partner. Now, Witt is paired with Sean Hill, and while their speed is open to question, their toughness and leadership are invaluable. If Martinek were healthy, the Islanders wouldn’t miss the consistency of Alexei Zhitnik nearly as much as they have since his trade to Philadelphia. But Freddy Meyer, who came back in the trade and finally made his debut at Carolina showed some promise in his first game as an Islander.
Almost overlooked has been Tom Poti. He has the occasional bad game, where a glaring error winds up in the net, but he’s sixth in the NHL in blocked shots and leads the Islanders in ice time while playing a variety of roles and partnering young Bruno Gervais. It will be interesting to follow the fortunes of Gervais, a Nolan favorite who’s increasing boldness on offense sometimes leaves him out of position, and Chris Campoli, who is fighting for his future with the Islanders. He has looked good paired at the points with Poti on the power play, but he has a ways to go to gain Nolan’s trust in his own end despite solid numbers so far.
GOALTENDER FOR LIFE: As much as Rick DiPietro might argue otherwise, it appeared to take some time for him to get used to the attention generated by his 15-year contract. Two of his three starts were rough on the opening road trip as he tried to play through a groin injury, and he was booed at home for a series of giveaways in a home loss to Atlanta. But he has gotten better and better, and for the most part, the communication between DiPietro and the defense has improved. His back-to-back shutouts against Columbus and the Rangers around Christmas were the high point, and he pretty much got robbed in the shutout losses that followed at Ottawa and home against the Devils.
When DiPietro minimizes the distractions – that is to say, when he doesn’t get caught fighting for the puck behind the net, doesn’t get caught up arguing with the referees and doesn’t get upset with the defensive breakdowns in front of him – he’s tough to beat. If his emotions sometimes get the best of him, they also are the source of the resilience he’s shown on a number of occasions this season.
But just as backup goaltender Mike Dunham stole two points at Anaheim on that opening trip and steadied the ship until DiPietro recovered from his injury, the Islanders need DiPietro to steady them now and maybe steal a game or two until they start finding the net again. If DiPietro maintains the same consistency he’s achieved lately and Snow can add a little more scoring to the lineup, they may yet finish this season in surprising fashion.
Comments (29)
Actually they're in 13th place right now and have been for two days, not 12th place. Doesn't matter though, this team is not making the playoffs. What happened to the emotion that used to fill the Coliseum? It was guys like Scatchard and Peca and Webb and Wiemer and even Snow who provided it. Snow, I loved you as a goalie, but look at this pansy team you've put together. We have none of those types of players anymore. Just a bunch of sissys. This is why I don't go to games at all anymore. That's what happens when you build your team around a Russian and make him the captain. This guy's been here what, six years now and he's now had five different coaches. And Mr. Logan, why is it that you and every other person in the media (isles broadcasters) that follows this team keep giving Ricky boy a pass? It's never DiPietro's fault with you guys, is it? He's never to be blamed, not ever! It's only you guys though who give him the pass, anyone not affiliated with the team tells it like it is that he's been a complete bust and underachiever who's done nothing in the league to warrant all the attention.
I am so sick of fair weather fans!!! We are in solid contention for the playoffs right now. We have a losing streak and everyone jumps ship yet again. These are the same fans that boo "their team" after a loss. Its a shame that more people dont still show Islander pride even when they go through a rough period.
Charles Wang should move the Isles out of NY so the likes of "fans" like chris have nothing to complain about. Do it Mr Wang, do it now!!!!
Greg:
You’re dead-on about yashin. Nolan has the right approach with him and it’s up to alexi to show what he’s really made of. It’s put up or shove out. So far he’s done more of the former but the jury is still out. BUT – the ultimate success of this team doesn’t rest with yashin. He’ll likely get his 30 or so goals. The secondary scoring of satan and Kozlov is the key. Those guys score and this is a different team that must be played much more cautiously by the rest of the league. That in turn opens the door of opportunity to the rest of the role players to step up at any given moment.
On acquiring another scorer: I’m disappointed in you for not even mentioning the neglected scoring talent and overall skill that’s being wasted in Bridgeport. Are we better with Robitaille rather than Nilsson? Bates rather than Tambellini? Is Zach Parise that much better than Nilsson? If so, why was Nilsson drafted earlier? If not, why isn’t Nilsson playing in Uniondale right now? Sometimes the easiest way to acquire another scorer is to recognize and REALIZE the potential in what you already have.
On DiPietro: He’s been absolutely brilliant. He’s also stunk. He’s undeniably stolen some games. He’s without question single-handedly lost some games. Your point is well taken that DP’s emotion is also the source of his resilience. But he’s no longer “the kid in goal”. He’s 25 years old and should be more consistent by now. The islanders were a seriously flawed team with a lack of secondary scoring during the 79-80 season. They won the cup because of Billy Smith. Carolina certainly has talent and a good mix of role players. But without Cam Ward they might have not even won in the first round last year much less win the cup. Jersey is a sub .500 team year in and year out without brodeur. In baseball it’s pitching, pitching, and pitching that wins championships. In hockey you’re only as good as your backstop. Ricky has to get it done, or everything else is irrelevant.
The Isles WILL make the playoffs! here is why. They were 19-13-3 before the 6 game losing streak. Other than the Ottawa game and Carolina the team played good and had chances to take points in those games. It was not for lack of effort. Barring another extended losing streak in the second half the Isles record should look the same as it did in the first half and should end with Islanders hovering between 88-92 points which should get them one of the last 3 spots 6-8. In response to chris posted 1/9/07 4:40 pm, Its time to move forward with the players we have now. Tell me how many playoff series wins did peca, webb, weimer?! have when they were here? ZERO! I have been very critical of DP but lets face it he is having an all star season. .916 sv % and a gaa of 2.67 those are #1 goalie numbers. Get out of the past and with this team They will make it.
That's what happens when you build your team around a Russian and make him the captain.
Thank you, Don Cherry.
I agree with exiled in Cincy, that the Isles need to tap into Bridgeport. The decision to draft Nilsson instead of Parise does not look like a good one thus far, until Nilsson is brought up and given a chance. I realize he might not play defense but he does look like a dynamic playmaker.
I have to say that I have been pleased with the play of DiPietro. While he has been streaky and is prone to the soft goal now and then, he has been very good this year and worthy to be called a #1. You can't argue with a save % of .916 and a GAA of 2.60. If the Isles would have been able to put the puck in the net during the 6 game losing streak he would have 20 wins right now.
Hopefully Yashin will get back on track, Martinek will come back healthy, DiPietro will continue to play well, and the Isles will try and make a move with that cap space they now have sooner rather than later.
We made a fundamental mistake by not using Campoli from the outset. He lead the entire defence in points last year and now we're screwing with his head. Campoli; along with Gervais, Tambellini,Nilsson should have all been mixed into the line up from the first of the year. Too many plodders and old veterans have only kept us marginally close.
I say move Hunter up to the first line. Let him do the dirty work in the corners and in front of the net. That will free up Blake and Yashin to use their skill on the perimeter. Hunter doesn't need the puck to be effective so I think there could be some real chemistry there. Also Hunter will be responsible defensively. He will cover for Blake and Yashin and free them up a little. This may also get some more offense out of Hunter that we are in need up. We need him to live up to the hype he created when he first came up years ago. Hunter can also be a physical presence out there to protect Yashin from getting reinjured.
The air always seems sweeter the day after a victor over the Rangers, doesn't it? It's a great rivalry, especially when both teams are competing in the division.
But I think much can be discerned from the 4 straight victories over the blue shirts. The Isles happen to play a style that works well against the rangers. The rangers are extremely weak on the back line and an aggressive forecheck exposes that deficiency. But it's that same aggressive forecheck that tends to fail against teams that efficiently move the puck out of their own end - like carolina (comodore), toronto (wade, kaberle), and ottawa.
So the questions are: Does this team have enough talent to alter their style when necessary (e.g. play a center ice trap)? Is Nolan even willing to play a different style with this team?
The Boston game tomorrow will be as much of a challenge for the isles as the ranger game was.
DiPietro is so good that he didn't even finish in the top-10 in the league, let alone the Eastern Conference, in All-Star voting this year. Please people. What does that say about how the rest of the league and NHL fans think of him? DiPietro is not worthy of a No. 1 overall pick, he's not worthy of a 15-year deal and he is sure as I am typing this not a world-class goaltender. He is a mediocre goaltender who has shown SOME signs of flashiness. That is all. Really, the PR campaign by the Islanders on this guy has gotten to the point of sickening. I'm with chris on this one. I'm an Islanders fan, but let's not talk about the conceded one like he's the next Patrick Roy.
Hey Spin - I understand what you're saying but I think you might be jumping the gun a bit.
Believe me when I say that I'm certainly no DiPietro apologist. And it did hit me square in the face today when I read that Luongo is starting for the west. Yes, in hindsight I admit that I'd rather have that #1 pick back along with Luongo. Yes, that's how I feel now. But I also admit that there's a decent chance I might not feel like that a few years from now. DP is better this year than he was last year. And he was better last year than he was 2 years before that. My point is that Luongo is just now coming into his "A" game - and he's doing so when finally playing for a 1st place team. Luongo is 2+ years older than Ricky. So the bottom line is that jury is still out. Give him a couple more years to mature and give Nolan the same amount of time to mold a real team around him. Then let's see whether or not he's "world class".
spin factor your doing what your name says and you are taking things out of context. i want to congratulate on being so witty. However, DP's numbers do merit him as a #1 goalie. Look at the stats. Fans of the NHL never give anything on the island credit. Mainly because we awful for a decade. Look at ryan miller, he was chosen to be the starting goalie by the fans. Yet his numbers are worse than DP's and Brodeur by far and away is the best goalie in the east. So keep spinning. The allstar game is a popularity contest. Spinster grow up. Here are some stats for all:
GAA: 1.Brodeur 2.04
4.Miller 2.67
5. DP 2.68
SV%: 1. Brodeur .927
4. DP .915
5. Miller .914
SO: 1.Brodeur 7
2. DP 4
7. Miller 1
With this said Dp is just as good if not better than Miller. I mean Miller plays on a better team and DP has the same if not better numbers. And Brodeur should be the allstar starter. Spin Factor do some research before you make asinine comments
"DiPietro is so good that he didn't even finish in the top-10 in the league, let alone the Eastern Conference, in All-Star voting this year."
Spin, that has to be the dumbest post I have ever read (and there have been some really bad ones). What does the voting of the fans have to do with anything? Rory Fitzpatrick got the 3rd most defensive votes in the West. Is he the 3rd best defenseman? Please. Jonathan Cheechoo got voted a starter with 13 goals and 27 points (tied for 121 in the league). MMG did a nice job explaining it to you statistically why DP is a clear #1 goalie and a legit contender to be on the all-star team. I'll give you one more reason why looking at the voting makes no sense: DP was not even on the ballot. People could not vote for him unless the wrote him in. Given our small market, there was no way to get him votes. "What does that say about how the . . . NHL fans think of him." If the majority of fans have the same hockey mind as you, who cares?
how sad you all are talking about the Islanders! So sad, I would fart on all of you, but the smell would be blocked by the combined amount of doritos you are all eating at this moment at your computer terminals.
DP needs a good defense in front of him. Period Amen! in the last few years he hasn't had that and this year it is marginally better. I am not 100% behind everyones call for all of our young defensemen to come up from bridgeport. I think your seeing why in the last few games as our +12 aging defensemen (zhitnik) gets shipped to philly and they start winning Hmmmmmm!!
I know I'm old but don't underestimate the power and knowledge of crafty old veterans. We weren't trying to hold on to 8th place before he left. We were fighting for the division titl. Only after he gets shipped out we now find ourselves looking at finishing between 6-8 if all goes well. BAD TRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The trade deadline brings some interesting thoughts. I recently read an intersting story about Shane Doan, the captain and soon to be free agent with Phoenix who brings 30 goals and 100 pims. He is a physical player and a fan favorite who sells the most jersey's in the desert. Flip his #19 to #91 (wears trotts retired #19) and sign me up for his first islander Jersey, hot off the press! C' mon' garth. He will cost you 3-4 mil. Perfect candidate for for a sign and trade. Go Isles!
I'm gonna defend Spin a bit.
MMG, your stats are interesting, but be careful that you also don't "take them out of context". On the surface, Brodeur's numbers certainly look much better than Millers, but you can't ignore that the game Buffalo plays is 180 degrees opposite to Jersey's style. Jersey plays defense first and scores mainly in transition from their center ice trap. They tend to have low shots against. Buffalo is pure run and gun offense. So the stats are going to be at least partially biased in Brodeur's favor. What style is played by the Isles? Nolan tried the run and gun early on, but we didn't have the speed. So he changed to a defense first style with an aggressive forecheck - somewhat like Jersey.
So yes, stats can lie. But they can mis-lead both sides of an argument at the same time.
Exile I like the points you bring up. But despie the devils defense 1st mentality Brodeur gives up 2 goals a game as does hasek. In todays NHL, thats insane. Nobody comes close in gaa to those guys except giguere. Thats in it self is crazy with the offense in nhl games. I like your points stats do lie, however, you have to faith in them or else you cant judge players. Of course there intangibles but those are hard to factor in to production statistics because there is no measure on line chemistry, leadership etc...
sorry one last thing. USA hockey seems to trust DP more than Miller and Ward. I dont know why and what this means but they have more faith in DP than the other two.
DiPietro is a decent #1 goalie. The huge contract was definitely premature at best and foolish by definition at worst. I certainly hope that he becomes a world class player. Unfortunately, my feeling is that his play probably won't ever really justify the length of the contract, especially considering that solid #1 goalies are available via free agency every year. He could keep improving and surprise me, though, and I certainly hope he does.
I don't know why people are saying that playing Campoli from day 1 is the solution to the losing streak we had been undergoing when Campoli was on the roster. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing up a scorer from Bridgeport and giving him some time on the second line. But some people here seem to think that it would solve all the team's problems, and that's just crazy. Not to mention that once the kids are in the NHL to stay, I'll bet these same people will want to give their ice time to whatever prospects we've got in the minors then.
I thought DP's coming out party was the Ranger game on Long Island, and then the God-awful losing streak.
Jim, you have no idea how much better you made me feel with that post. God I can't believe how much my moods are affected by Islander wins and losses. It's scary. That said, I think some new stadium/lighthouse project talk might be fun. My first thought, hockey is a winter sport. And sometimes the weather is harsh in New York. We need a mass transit connection to the new arena more than anything, even, well, a new arena.
I know this is petty.
I apologize, Mr. Logan, but the hatred runs deep.
Just for kicks, check out the comments folks are leaving on the Rangers blog. Their fans are illiterate. And it's not just one or two of them. It's hysterical.
Maybe the city's public school system is to blame.
Lighthouse would be awesome. I hope sometime in the next year it gets a thumbs up and construction can begin in 08. This is all unfounded, but hey, we can all dream.
Dear Garth Snow
Please do something with team soon,your losing alot of ground and fast,and cannot afford another 6 game losing streak,the conference is too tight!!!
I think Simon should be let go he's had it
I think Satan should also be dealt he looks too slow
Also Bates does not fit he looks out of place and may not fit into Nolan's system!!!
So please act soon Mr Snow
i've been an Islander fan since i was 5 years old and been a loyal fan,i've stuck with the isles through good and bad (mainly bad) give me something so i can hold my head up!! specially in a hockey town like Montreal!!
But it's getting hard to watch this team without making me sick lately!!
Dear Garth Snow
Please do something with team soon,your losing alot of ground and fast,and cannot afford another 6 game losing streak,the conference is too tight!!!
I think Simon should be let go he's had it
I think Satan should also be dealt he looks too slow
Also Bates does not fit he looks out of place and may not fit into Nolan's system!!!
So please act soon Mr Snow
i've been an Islander fan since i was 5 years old and been a loyal fan,i've stuck with the isles through good and bad (mainly bad) give me something so i can hold my head up!! specially in a hockey town like Montreal!!
But it's getting hard to watch this team without making me sick lately!!
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