On the Islanders Beat

I have a great job that I love 364 days of the year. But I hate being away from home on New Year’s Eve. When I got married in 1983, I promised my wife I never would be away on New Year’s Eve or Christmas. I broke that promise the very first year to my everlasting regret.

Thank goodness I’ve always been home for Christmas even though the Knicks played in Indianapolis one year when I was covering them. But this will be the fourth time that I’ve been away from my beautiful bride Lorraine on New Year’s Eve. The first time, I had to cover the Rose Bowl and some NFL playoff games on the West Coast. The past three times, the NHL schedule has taken me away.

I was in Buffalo on Dec. 31, 1992 when the Rangers gave up 10 goals to the Sabres, a terrible loss that led to the firing of Roger Nielsen after one more loss in Pittsburgh. Islanders TV announcer Howie Rose, who was the Rangers’ radio announcer at that time, recently reminisced with me about that shared memory. On Dec. 31, 2000, I was in Dallas to see the Rangers lose to the Stars in an uneventful game.

Now I have to be in Raleigh on Dec. 31, 2007. It’s a bummer, and it always seems terribly unfair to the visiting team. But the Islanders, who spent last New Year’s Eve in a Buffalo hotel waiting to play the next afternoon, are taking a professional attitude about it.

“It would be worse if we were like the NBA and played on Christmas,” defenseman Brendan Witt said. “We’re so busy with our schedules that this is just like another day.”

When Witt was with Washington, the Capitals usually played on New Year’s Day at home. “I didn’t have a huge party on New Year’s,” Witt said. “You just stayed up and watched the ball drop. That’s about it.”

Captain Bill Guerin echoed Witt’s sentiments about the importance of being home on Christmas. As it turns out, one of Guerin’s cherished memories came in the “Pucks and Tux” game in the old Memorial Auditorium at Buffalo. “Yeah, I had a hat trick in Buffalo on New Year’s Eve,” Guerin said. “That was my first NHL hat trick. I was a Devil.”

Of course, on New Year’s Eve, it’s incumbent upon the media to ask players and coaches if they are planning to make any New Year’s resolutions. FSNY’s Deb Kaufman asked Guerin if he had any vices he needs to correct. “Not that I want to correct,” Guerin said. “Can’t say I don’t have them, but I don’t know if I want to correct them that much.”

My sentiments exactly.

Happy New Year to all who have helped to make Islanders Beat blog such an enjoyable exercise for me with your contributions and your loyal readership. Let’s hope the Islanders provide as many great story lines in 2008 as they did last year.

ISLES FILES: Andy Hilbert moves up to third line center tonight in place of Mike Sillinger, who is nursing some aches and pains…Ben Walter is up from Bridgeport to center the fourth line with wingers Blake Comeau and Tim Jackman…Goaltender Rick DiPietro (sprained left knee) is expected to return against Florida Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum.

The status of Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro remains, in the words of coach Ted Nolan, a “game-time decision,” after he participated in the pre-game skate today. But the outward signs suggest everyone involved knows there’s no pressing reason to risk the franchise player against the Devils tonight at the Coliseum.

One game in December will only have a major impact on the Isles’ season if it’s the game in which DiPietro is reinjured and knocked out of commission for an extended period. He performed well enough in the pre-game skate to play if it were a playoff game. But it’s not.

DiPietro politely declined comment on his condition or playing status tonight after meeting with general manager Garth Snow earlier today. But he didn’t argue with the suggestion that it might be better to play it safe and at least give himself another two days to recover before the Islanders’ travel to Carolina for a game on New Year’s Eve.

It’s significant that backup Joey MacDonald has not returned to Bridgeport. The signs suggest Wade Dubielewicz is in line for his second straight start. Islanders fans recall the last time Dubielewicz faced the Devils was in the regular-season finale last spring when he shut them out until two late third-period goals forced overtime. The game went to a shootout, and the Islanders won when Dubielewicz made a poke check against Sergei Brylin to put them in the playoffs.

As good as the Atlantic Division leaders have become, the Devils haven’t scored in the first two periods of their past four games. They’ve won three of those contests, but they don’t have the firepower of, say, Ottawa. So, if Dubiewlewicz starts, it’s important for the Islanders to provide better defensive support than they have in his three previous starts in which he’s given up 17 goals.

ISLES FILES: Defenseman Aaron Johnson, who is coming back from a sprained knee, has been skating on his own since Christmas, but he took the ice with the team in the pre-game skate today. It’s possible Johnson will be on the five-game road trip that begins Jan. 5 in Colorado because there will be several practices during the trip. But he’s likely two to three weeks away from being ready for a game situation…Nolan might change his defensive lineup tonight. He had a meeting with Bryan Berard, who has been playing, and it could be that he will be replaced by Marc-Andre Bergeron…Expect Miroslav Satan to possibly play a full two minutes on power plays. Nolan said he plans to move Satan down low with one PP unit and use him on the point with the other unit…Forward Ruslan Fedotenko (hand) is expected to play.

Kyle Okposo’s decision to leave the University of Minnesota became worthwhile today when the Islanders signed the seventh pick in the 2006 draft to a three-year entry-level contract worth $2.55 million. An NHL source said Okposo received the maximum salary and signing bonus for each year, and if he were to meet all the performance bonuses, the value of the contract would double.

The timing was right for the Islanders, too. By signing Okposo before Jan. 1, the Islanders bought themselves some flexibility to develop the power forward. If Okposo plays nine NHL games or less this season, then, next season will be considered the first year of his three-year contract. If he plays at least 10 NHL games, then this season will be considered the first year of his deal.

Right now, the Islanders simply want Okposo to concentrate on his role with Team USA in the Under-20 World Junior championships in Czech Republic. He had a goal and two assists in their opening victory over Kazakhstan and added an assist in today’s 4-2 win over Switzerland. The competition steps up on Saturday when the U.S. faces Russia in group play.

Okposo will join the Islanders’ organization as soon as Team USA is eliminated from the tournament, which runs through the Jan. 5 championship game. It’s uncertain whether Okposo will report to the NHL team or the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. Islanders management doesn’t want to rush a 19-year-old player or place any unwarranted expectations on him. But if he gets on a hot streak at the World Junior, it might force them to consider giving him an immediate shot to show what he can do in the NHL.

Regardless of where he starts, Okposo is certain to get some exposure at the NHL level this season just to gauge where he’s at in his development process and what he needs to work on. Whatever problems existed between Okposo and Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia are a thing of the past now. From here on out, all that matters is Okposo’s Islanders future.

COMING IN SATURDAY’S NEWSDAY: Coach Ted Nolan was encouraged by the improvement shown by goaltender Rick DiPietro in his off-ice workout today. Nolan discussed his concern about swelling in DiPietro’s left knee and how he will handle a game-time decision on DiPietro’s status for Saturday’s game against the Devils at the Coliseum. As always, DiPietro is chomping at the bit to face division rival Martin Brodeur.

Based on an examination this morning at the time Rick DiPietro underwent an MRI on his injured left knee, Islanders spokesman Chris Botta said the club’s franchise goaltender has “no significant structural damage.” Results of the MRI were expected later this afternoon, but Botta added, “We’re very convinced he’s okay.”

DiPietro, who said he twisted his knee during pregame warm-ups before the Toronto game Wednesday night, took himself out of the game after giving up two goals on nine first-period shots. He is listed as day-to-day with a sprained knee, but there’s a chance he could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday against the Devils at the Coliseum.

Following the Isles’ 4-3 overtime win against the Maple Leafs with Wade Dubielewicz picking up the slack in goal, DiPietro was favoring his left knee slightly as he left the arena. He was not immediately available for comment today after undergoing tests.

The Islanders often have not been forthcoming regarding injuries. When DiPietro suffered the first of two concussions last season, the injury first was described as “general body soreness.” After the second concussion, they denied a report that DiPietro would not make the trip to Buffalo for the Islanders’ first playoff game. In fact, he did not board the team plane, but he flew up the day of Game 1 and sat in the press box as a spectator before playing the remaining four games of the series.

So, the notion of DiPietro stepping back in goal against the Devils three days after removing himself from a game with a knee injury must be taken with a dash of skepticism. It’s a long season, and the Islanders can ill afford to lose their best player for an extended period because they rushed him back from injury.

The Islanders’ recalcitrance when it comes to disclosing information about injured players was manifest yesterday with regard to forward Shawn Bates and defenseman Radek Martinek. Bates underwent season-ending hip surgery the week before Christmas, but there was no announcement and the team only confirmed it today after Bates was seen on crutches in the locker room area.

According to Botta, Bates’ surgery was to repair a torn labrum. The operation was similar to the one general manager Garth Snow underwent two years ago when he was the backup goaltender.

As for Martinek, he is listed as day-to-day with a bruised right leg. Judging by the walking boot he was wearing last night, make that “lower right leg.” And “week-to-week” might be more accurate.

Asked about Martinek at the pre-game skate this morning in Ottawa, Islanders coach Ted Nolan said, “Last time I checked, it wasn’t a serious injury. But it’s enough to at least be two weeks.”

Still, the biggest loss is that of DiPietro, especially against a team like the Eastern Conference-leading Senators. Dubielewicz said the line of Daniel Alfreddson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley might be the NHL’s best, so, it was good to get a win under his belt against the Leafs, ending a stretch of 54 days in which the Islanders’ backup made just one appearance.

“It gives you a little confidence,” said Dubielewicz, who withstood a Toronto power-play at the end of regulation and a four-on-three situation in overtime. “If we would have lost 5-3, I wouldn’t be feeling too good right now. I’ve got a little bit of confidence, but I know I’ve got a big challenge tonight. Ottawa’s a good team, and it’s going to be tough. I’m sure they’re going to come out flying. I’ll have to weather the storm a bit and calm down.”

This will be only the third start of the season in 36 games for Dubielewicz, who lost the previous two by a combined score of 12-1 to Toronto and Atlanta. Both of his wins have come in relief of DiPietro, who suffered an eye injury earlier this season.

The inactivity was building up so much rust for Dubielewicz that he said he approached Nolan recently about going down to Bridgeport to get some games to regain his sharpness. “I thought it would be a really good thing,” Dubielewicz said. “I just want to get back in the game a little bit. I actually felt it last night. I felt pretty good, which is nice. It’s the little things. If you’re playing a lot, you know where the puck’s going. If I went to Bridgeport, I’d be a little bit sharper.”

Because of his struggles in his two other starts, Dubielewicz worried about his ability to contribute to the team while playing so infrequently. He was an inspiration with four straight wins in the final week of the regular season last spring when the Isles barely qualified for the playoffs, but Nolan even suggested that was yesterday’s news because today matters most.

Dubielewicz understands how important it is to come through during this time without DiPietro. “You know, I feel like I’m on somewhat of a short leash,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the organization or myself. I haven’t been happy with the way things have gone. I want to turn things around. It’s something I thought about over the Christmas break. I want to get back into it and play the way I have that got me here, and I was able to get in last night and show it a little bit.”

If “Dubie” stumbles, Nolan won’t hesitate to go to backup Joey MacDonald. He was the winning goaltender for Bridgeport over Hershey last night and arrived this morning in Ottawa.

MacDonald spent last season in the NHL with Detroit and Boston, appearing in a total of 15 games and compiling a 3-7-2 record and a 3.12 goals-against average. But Nolan views him as a solid competitor for Dubielewicz’s backup job and has liked what he’s seen from MacDonald with the Sound Tigers.

“Even though it’s a different league, he looks big in the net,” Nolan said. “Anytime a goaltender looks big, it sends a message to players that it’s tough to score on those big goaltenders. So, he comes here when called upon, and hopefully, he plays big here…We’re very comfortable with Joey.”

Goaltender Rick DiPietro, the most valuable Islander of all, was not in net when the second period began against Toronto tonight at Nassau Coliseum. The club announced that DiPietro suffered a knee injury in the first period and would not return. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

Although DiPietro gave up two goals on the first four shots he faced, there was no obvious play on which he might have been injured. The Isles came back to lead 3-2 at the end of the first period.

DiPietro was replaced in goal by backup Wade Dubielewicz, who was the victim of an 8-1 mugging Oct. 11 in his first start of the season in Toronto. This marks only the fifth appearance this season for Dubielewicz, and it’s his first since starting a 4-0 loss to Atlanta on Dec. 1 at the Coliseum. The Atlanta game was his only appearance in the past 54 days.

BLOG MALFUNCTION: In case anyone is interested, I posted the following blog earlier this afternoon, but due to a technical malfunction, it never appeared. Here it is:

“The need for Jason Blake’s speed”

Walking out the tunnel from the locker room area to watch Toronto’s pregame skate today at Nassau Coliseum, a familiar figure whizzed past the glass on his way to the net. Of course, it was Jason Blake. There was no mistaking his compact, high-speed, low-to-the-ice stride and the all-business look on his face.

It was just a morning skate, but it was hard not to reflect back to the trade deadline last February and the emotion Blake played with that night. He was relieved to still be an Islander, and he exploded with a hat trick in a win over Philadelphia. It appeared he will have that same intensity tonight in his first game at the Coliseum since signing a five-year contract worth $20 million with the Maple Leafs.

My Newsday colleague, Mark Herrmann, is working on a Blake column for tomorrow’s print edition, so, I won’t repeat here everything that was said this morning. But seeing Blake’s speed was a vivid reminder of the quality he brought over the previous six-plus seasons that the Islanders lack by comparison now.

Before he was diagnosed in training camp with chronic mylogenous leukemia, Blake complained of feeling sluggish. But based on appearances, the medication must be working.

Asked if Blake is back up to speed, Toronto coach Paul Maurice laughed and said, “If he’s not, he may be the fastest guy in the league.” Recognizing Blake’s excitement for this game, Maurice added, “I can’t imagine he’ll be able to skate any faster than he has, but he’ll be able to find another gear. Good for him. It’s special the first time home. Coming into the building is always a different reaction. He’s given the fans here a lot to cheer about. He was a player to watch, so, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.”

It’s hard to believe that Blake has only five goals on 150 shots. Asked about facing old buddy Rick DiPietro, who sat out when the Islanders lost in Toronto, 8-1, on Oct. 11, Blake joked that he might know DiPietro’s tendencies but wouldn’t be picking any corners. “For me right now,” Blake said, “it’s just closing my eyes and shooting and hoping to God they go in.”

That got a laugh. At the same time, Blake admitted his frustration with his lack of production. He began the season on the top line with Mats Sundin but now is on the third line with Kyle Wellwood and Jiri Tlusty. He received the benefit of the doubt earlier in the season because of his illness, but still, there’s an adjustment period to playing under far greater scrutiny in Toronto.

“I don’t think his game has changed a whole lot,” Maurice said. “He’s still trying to find some chemistry with other people on the ice. At the same time, he’s had some chances, and he’s had some things that haven’t gone for him around the net. We don’t feel he’s too far off.”

ISLES FILES: I didn’t cover the Isles’ 3-2 overtime win against Washington before the Christmas break, but from my seat in front of the television, the play Richard Park made to score the overtime goal absolutely is the play of the season so far, especially coming as it did after giving up a weak goal to Alexander Ovechkin in the final minute of regulation.

Park’s mental toughness and ability under pressure came to the fore when he pushed the puck ahead to himself after winning a faceoff in the Capitals’ zone, then shrugged off a hit behind the net to maintain control before passing to teammate Radek Martinek and scoring off the return pass.

Although he was hoping to score, Park’s primary objective was just to keep the puck away from the dangerous Ovechkin and Michael Nylander to prevent an OT loss. “That was my thinking,” Park said today. “There was nothing magical about it. It was just keep the puck away from those guys.”

When it was suggested that play was the best of this season, Park said, “Hopefully, there will be bigger plays than that. Preferably not in the last game, like last year.” Of course, it was Park, who scored both regulation goals in the shootout victory over the Devils that sent the Isles to the playoffs instead of Toronto.

The Islanders face a brutal schedule from here to the All-Star break. After playing Blake and the Leafs, their next three come against the three division leaders in the Eastern Conference at Ottawa tomorrow, home against the Devils on Saturday and at Carolina on New Year’s Eve. After a home game against Florida, they begin a five-game Western Conference road trip starting with division leading Colorado and ending in Ottawa. After one day off, they get a back-to-back at home against Montreal and then at the Devils. By the time they reach the All-Star break a week later, the Isles will have played 16 games, including 14 against teams with winning records and eight against teams currently leading their divisions.

Asked if this is the make-or-break portion of the schedule, Islanders coach Ted Nolan said: “We talked to our players this morning and said, ‘Usually, the real players show up after Christmas time. They forget what you did in November and October, but they certainly don’t forget what you did in February, March and April.”

Good news for the Islanders today from the World Junior championships in Czech Republic, where the U.S. beat Kazakhstan, 5-1. Isles prospects Kyle Okposo and Rhett Rakhshani, who are linemates, each scored a goal. Okposo also assisted on Rakhshani’s score, which was the gamewinner.

Don’t expect a revolution in which the younger generation in the Islanders’ organization suddenly takes over. A couple of strong games by Blake Comeau and the fiery play of Sean Bergenheim aren’t going to suddenly put the Islanders on the path to the playoffs.

But it’s a step in the right direction, and to coach Ted Nolan’s credit, he recognized the impact made by the fourth line of Comeau, Andy Hilbert and Tim Jackman last night in Pittsburgh and acted accordingly by increasing their ice time. The 4-2 victory that resulted should have been an eye-opener, not only for the players who lost ice time to the fourth line, but for the coaches who were rewarded for considering other possibilities.

Sometime in early January, Kyle Okposo is going to join the organization. Nolan hasn’t commented on whether the seventh overall pick from the 2006 draft will start out with the Isles or go to Bridgeport for his introduction to pro hockey. But the simple fact Okposo is available to step in should add to the competition within the ranks for ice time.

When Nolan threw Hilbert and Comeau on the ice during a four-minute Islanders power play in the third period against the Penguins, that was a clear signal that his patience is wearing thin with the veterans who expect to be in that role. He was rewarding production and effort, and Nolan said that’s exactly what should be expected from here on out.

“You give leeway and you have to have patience, but patience can only go so far,” Nolan said. “You reward people who deserve it, and tonight, Andy Hilbert’s line maybe wasn’t going to get much ice time, but all of a sudden, one shift where they made something happen leads to another one. It’s no slight against anyone else. It’s just good competition. That’s the way life works. If you don’t do the little things, somebody else is going to do them and somebody else is going to get some ice time. Tonight, they deserved it.”

After getting two shifts in the first period, Comeau received three in the second period and five shifts in the third. Hilbert, who also plays on the penalty kill, had five first-period shifts and seven each in the second and third periods. In contrast, top-line center Mike Comrie got six first-period shifts, four in the second and five in the third for a reduced total of 14:08 ice time.

The fourth line isn’t always going to play as well as it did against the Pens, but when it does produce, Nolan said ice time will be spread more evenly. “No question,” Nolan said. “That’s the way it is. For everybody else, if you want it, you’ve got to work for it. I believe you can’t wait for breaks to come; you’ve got to make them. If somebody else is going to steal your ice time, that’s healthy competition.”

Asked if there was a message there for the top line, the coach said, “We had meetings with everybody, with the team, with individuals. I’m not sure if the law was laid down, but certainly, they know what to expect. And if you know what to expect, there’s no surprise.”

It’s important for the coach to back up his words because that’s what motivates fringe players on the fourth line and gives hope to players at Bridgeport. And Hilbert showed his character by the way he handled a demotion that probably was overdue based on his lack of production in a larger role earlier this season.

“I’ve got to take it and make a positive out of it,” Hilbert said. “Obviously, no one likes to be put on the fourth line, but with the fourth line we have, it’s really not a fourth line. They’re both good players. You’ve got to take that and make the most of it, and I think our line did that tonight.”

It was obvious from their two first-period shifts as a line that Hilbert and wingers Comeau and Jackman came to play. Comeau stole the puck on each shift, and the fourth line then did a good job of pressuring in the offensive zone and creating scoring chances.

“It’s always a good thing on your first shift to get a couple of scoring chances and get the ball rolling,” Hilbert said. “That’s our job is to create some energy for everyone. We don’t get play as much, so, we’re rested.”

Keep it up and the other lines will be well-rested, too.

In announcing lineup changes for the Islanders’ game against Pittsburgh tonight at Mellon Arena, coach Ted Nolan tacitly acknowledged that he might have gotten away from the merit system in determining positions. Nolan likes to reward the unsung players, such as Andy Hilbert, who work hard and do all the little things that help make the team as a whole successful.

But production matters, too, and Nolan shook up the lines in an effort to shake more goals out of the Islanders’ sticks. That means dropping Hilbert from his long-held spot at left wing on the checking line with Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter. That line was an effective two-way line last season, and Nolan thinks it can produce points again.

So, he dropped Ruslan Fedotenko from the top line to the checking line because he plays a physical game suited to covering the opponents’ best lines, and he also adds a scoring touch. Hilbert now will center the fourth line between wingers Blake Comeau and Tim Jackman, and Hilbert obviously still will play an important role on the penalty kill. That move frees Richard Park to move up to left with on the top line with Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin.

“Richard has been probably our best forward all season long,” Nolan said at the pre-game skate. “Hopefully, he’ll provide a spark. He’s very good on his forechecking, very good defensively, and he’s smart. Maybe just a little tweak there will get those two guys going.

“Fedotenko will go with Sillinger and Hunter. This line has been having scoring chances, and Fedotenko is one of those guys that hopefully has a better finish than Andy right now. No slight against Andy, but right now, we need goals versus just getting opportunities. And the other line [Josef Vasicek, Miroslav Satan and Sean Bergenheim] has been really good for us. Hopefully, it works.”

Nolan said his moves, which include keeping defenseman Freddy Meyer in the lineup and scratching Bryan Berard and Marc-Andre Bergeron, should send a clear message to the team about the need to start producing. “We had a meeting to address that fact,” Nolan said. “The players have to play at a certain level. If you’re not playing at that level, other people will move in. We move into a merit system. That’s life in general. If you produce, you get rewarded. If you don’t, someone else gets an opportunity. That’s the way I’ve coached my entire life, and that’s the way it’s going to be from here on in.”

BRANDON NOLAN’S NHL DEBUT: Toward the end of his morning interview, Nolan dropped the news that his oldest son, Brandon, has been called up to Carolina and will make his NHL debut Saturday night at Tampa Bay. Nolan also has his youngest son, Jordan, along with him on this trip because he’s on a holiday break from the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL.

“To have my young son have 10 days off from his junior career and hop on the ice once in a while with these guys and hop on the airplane with us is a big thrill,” Nolan said. “My older son just called up to the Carolina Hurricanes last night, so, he’ll have his NHL debut tomorrow. It’s a pretty big day for him.

“Now you have a sense of what fathers feel like when their sons play for the first time in the National Hockey League. Fathers are very proud, and I’m no different. My wife, Sandra, and younger son will be flying down to Tampa to watch Brandon play tomorrow night, and we’ll all get together for a Christmas celebration.”

Nolan’s only advice to his oldest son was just to be himself and not try to do anything out of the ordinary. Asked if he has any advice for Hurricanes coach Peter Laviollette, Nolan smiled broadly and said, “Play my kid.”

Brandon Nolan is a tough player, who has been known to get into a few scraps. Recently, he got into a fight with Islanders prospect Jeremy Colliton in an AHL game. Nolan said he doesn’t encourage his son to fight, but he knows his son is prepared when the time comes to drop the gloves.

“We’re from a boxing family,” Nolan said. “Brandon has had boxing lessons at home all his life. My brother was a pro boxer, and my two cousins were pro boxers. Fisticuffs is something we don’t shy away from, but you don’t want them to fight more so than [play hockey].”

Asked if it was a bad move for Bridgeport’s Colliton to fight the son of the Islanders coach, Nolan laughed. “It’s good,” he said. “I had a fight against Bill Dineen’s kid [Gord] when he was coaching me. I was in Adirondack, and I think he was with Maine. Bill was coaching our team. His kid was playing against us, and was trying to think he was tough.

“I got the better of that one. I apologized to Bill after the game, and he said, ‘Oh, that’s part of the game.’ As fathers and coaches, you know certain things are going to happen. You can’t worry about the name on the back of the sweater.”

ISLES FILES: Speaking of top prospect Kyle Okposo, who left the University of Minnesota and is expected to join the Islanders’ organization after the World Junior championships in the Czech Republic, Nolan said the power forward was more impressive in the Isles’ prospect camp a year ago than he was last summer. He compared Okposo to defenseman Chris Campoli in the sense that he came to the last camp with a sense of entitlement, but the coach predicted that Okposo will develop in the same fashion Campoli has once he understands what’s expected of him. Nolan said the Isles have a firm plan for what to do with Okposo, but he declined to say whether the club’s top pick from 2006 will start with the Islanders or head to Bridgeport…Here’s Nolan on the debut of Comeau: “I really like Blake. I think he’s a very good young prospect. He understands the game very well; he’s got great hockey sense, and he’s got good vision. Like any other young player, he has certain parts of his game he’s got to improve. But he has a strong foundation. It’s just a matter of time before he comes into his own.”…Coming in tomorrow’s print edition of Newsday are comments from Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby regarding the 30-game suspension the Isles’ Chris Simon received for stepping on the Penguins’ Jarkko Ruutu last Saturday, as well as Crosby’s take on defensive nemesis Brendan Witt. Ruutu made a brief comment about the play on which Simon attempted to injure him but chose not to go into detail or react to the suspension.

Chris Simon had no one but himself to blame until NHL vice-president Colin Campbell had a revealing slip of the tongue during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday to discuss the record 30-game suspension he levied against the Islanders enforcer for his attempt to injure Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu.

Asked about Simon’s agreement with Islanders owner Charles Wang to seek counseling in an effort to understand what made him snap for the second time in nine months after hitting the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg with his stick in March, Campbell was recorded saying he hoped it would help Simon to meet with “the drug and alcohol, uh, uh, those doctors.” NHL spokesman Frank Brown quickly clarified that the doctors who deal with substance abuse under the NHL/NHLPA agreement also handle behavioral issues.

But the “stereotyping” horse was out of the barn. The gut reaction of Islanders coach Ted Nolan, who described Campbell’s assumption as “sickening” was understandable. Like Simon, Nolan is a member of Canada’s First Nation, and while they have seen first-hand the problems of drug and alcohol abuse within their ethnic community, the broad labeling of everyone who shares that heritage with the “drunken Indian” stereotype is stomach-turning.

It was necessary for Islanders spokesman Chris Botta to issue a statement confirming that “drugs and alcohol is not an issue” for Simon. Campbell called Islanders general manager Garth Snow to clear the air. There’s no doubt Campbell regrets his slip-up today, just as Simon must regret the racial slur he directed at Edmonton’s Mike Grier, who is black, in 1997.

Still, Nolan was left wondering about what he called an “excessive” penalty. If Simon’s actions are viewed as an isolated case, then, Campbell had reason to increase the penalty from 25 games for the Hollweg incident to 30 games for the Ruutu incident based on the fact Simon is a repeat offender serving his seventh suspension in a 15-year NHL career. Apparently, the message isn’t getting through to him.

But when Simon’s actions are viewed in the broad context of all the violent incidents in NHL history, it’s fair to question the level of his punishment. Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery got only three games for a stick-swinging incident last season. Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger got only one game last season for stepping on another player with his skate blade.

Injuries resulting from such incidents always have been a factor in determining the punishment. Yet Hollweg, who received two stitches to the chin, and Ruutu both played in their next game before Simon’s disciplinary hearings even took place. Considering that Todd Bertuzzi got only 20 games for a vicious hit from behind that effectively ended Steve Moore’s career, yes, you could say Simon’s punishment is excessive.

When it comes to assessing penalties, NHL justice has been all over the map. Obviously, the league has tried over the past two seasons to be tougher on hockey crime, handing out stiffer penalties for dangerous hits. That’s laudable because the intent to injure is as important as the injuries inflicted.

And that’s where Simon’s problems lie. In the Hollweg case, there was clear provocation. Simon was hit from behind, driven into the glass and later diagnosed with a concussion. It wasn’t surprising that he responded. There was no obvious provocation in the Ruutu case, and if Simon perceived some slight, he had no business responding the way he did.

So, the real question comes down to the nature of Simon’s response in both cases. If he was upset and wanted revenge, why didn’t he just drop the gloves?

That’s the time-honored method and NHL-sanctioned way of standing up for one’s rights. As a career enforcer, Simon certainly knows how to handle himself in those situations and is fully capable of delivering payback.

Just drop the gloves.

The fact Simon didn’t do that in either situation and that he responded in a vicious and inappropriate manner both times is the disturbing aspect of his case. Campbell had to do what he had to do, and Simon must suffer those consequences, which include the loss of $292,683 in pay.

But Wang’s move to urge Simon to seek counseling might, in the long run, be the best thing that could happen for him. Simon has to find his own answers to some very serious questions. Questions that could haunt him for the rest of his life if he doesn’t confront them honestly.

Kyle Okposo, the top prospect in the Islanders’ system, has left the University of Minnesota and is in the process of negotiating a contract with the Isles, according to sources at the NHL and collegiate level. The Golden Gophers have called a news conference for 5 p.m. ET to announce Okposo’s decision.

The Islanders offered no comment about the situation and have not scheduled any formal announcement of a signing.

The 19-year-old winger from St. Paul was the Isles’ first-round selection and seventh overall in the 2006 NHL draft. Okposo had 40 (19 goals and 21 assists) in 40 games for the Golden Gophers as a freshman, but he has struggled this season since coach Don Lucia put him at center. Through 18 games, Okposo has six goals and five assists for 11 points, and he has a team-worst minus-9 rating.

Okposo is a member of the U.S. junior team that will compete in the Under-20 World Junior championships in the Czech Republic from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. After he returns, Okposo will join the Islanders organization and could be assigned to either the Isles or their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

CHRIS SIMON UPDATE: There will be a later commentary on the Chris Simon situation this evening after all the news stories for the print edition have been completed.

Whatever reservoir of support Chris Simon might have had left among his teammates and within the Islanders organization has all but evaporated. His inexcusable attempt to injure Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu in the Isles’ 3-2 loss Saturday night was mind-boggling for its selfishness on any number of levels.

There was no word today from the NHL regarding supplementary discipline related to the ugly incident, but for a recidivist like Simon, it’s only a matter of time before he receives the seventh suspension of his career.

Unlike the stick-swinging incident with the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg last March that resulted in a record 25-game suspension for Simon, there were no mitigating factors. While the stick-swinging attack attracted more attention because of the dramatic visual when Simon responded viciously to Hollweg’s hit from behind, this was worse in the sense that there was obvious forethought and a complete disregard for the consequences.

As the video replay shows, Simon took vengeance for some unknown reason against Ruutu right in front of the referees as players from both teams crossed paths at the red line while heading to their respective benches. Simon stuck out his left leg, hooked it around Ruutu’s right ankle and pulled his foot out from under him, causing him to drop to all fours. Then, Simon stepped down hard with his left skate blade on Ruutu’s right boot before stepping off the ice to the bench.

The five-minute match penalty Simon received was assessed with 5:54 remaining and the Islanders down by a goal. In effect, Simon undermined their attempt to win an important divisional game at a time when the team has been showing signs of coming out of its slump. He might as well have punched every one of his teammates in the gut.

Even Brendan Witt, Simon’s closest friend on the team, couldn’t alibi for him. “You don’t get any momentum going when you’ve got to kill a five-minute penalty,” Witt said. “That hurt.”

But the one Simon hurt above all is Islanders coach Ted Nolan. From their earliest days together in Sault Ste. Marie, Nolan has served as a mentor to Simon and often has expressed the pride he felt in helping a fellow member of Canada’s First Nation get his life on the right track to make it in the NHL and enjoy a long career.

However, Simon is 35 years old now, his play has fallen off noticeably this season, and the fact that he still has a career largely is due to Nolan’s influence in bringing him back after his suspension for attacking Hollweg. Certainly, it would have been difficult for Simon to land a job anywhere else in the NHL in the wake of that incident.

Now, Simon has embarrassed the team that took him back with his latest foolishness. Worse, he has called into question Nolan’s unflagging support for him and the coach’s insistence on using him on the power play this season and in crucial situations, such as late in a one-goal game. How selfish and thoughtless of a player who should be doing everything in his power to make Nolan and the Islanders successful.

Islanders coach Ted Nolan has protested on more than one occasion this season that no one should think one of his teams would play the trap, the slowdown game perfected over the years by the Devils. But it’s obvious now that the Islanders’ first commitment must be to the defensive end no matter how much they struggle to put the puck in the net.

That style of game is a marketer’s nightmare and certainly is less entertaining than last season’s aggressive forechecking approach. But this team doesn’t have a Jason Blake in the middle of a career 40-goal year. It has Rick DiPietro, who is evolving into one of the NHL’s most skilled goaltenders, and the Islanders have to give him a chance to win every night the way he gives his teammates a chance to win.

Several times this season, DiPietro has invoked the Devils as an example of how the Islanders must play to win. He knows that gets a negative reaction, but it’s clear a defense-oriented style is better-suited to this type of Islanders team. In the past two games, the Isles found they couldn’t go up and down with Buffalo even though Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller gave them plenty of opportunities to score, and when they tightened up for the first two periods against Phoenix, the Isles effectively gave themselves more chances to score and to control the game.

“I thought in the first half of that game, we played a smart defensive game and were opportunistic, which is the type of game we seem to be the most successful with,” DiPietro said of the Islanders’ 3-2 win over the Coyotes. “I have no problem with games like that.”

After the Buffalo game, several Islanders said they’d be better off to stop worrying about scoring and just make sure they pay attention to the defensive end and let the goals come. That attitude worked against Phoenix. They scored three goals for the fourth time in five games, which is a sign of progress. Of course, they haven’t scored four goals in the past 20 games since a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay on Nov. 1.

Certainly, the last thing the Islanders want to do against Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum is get into a wide-open affair. “You’ve seen it with so many teams that are successful,” DiPietro said. “They play a smart defensive game and capitalize on their chances. We have to play that same way. We’re not going to be a team that goes out and scores five or six goals a game and plays run-and-gun. We have to keep it simple and do a good job of eliminating other teams’ opportunities.”

Obviously, the Islanders also have to eliminate their own mistakes on the power play that have resulted in three short-handed goals against them in the past five games and six this season. And since they can’t afford to lose their goaltender to an injury, Nolan said he would talk to DiPietro about avoiding confrontations like the one he had with Phoenix defenseman Ed Jovanovski behind the net in the final seconds of the game, when he fired a couple of punches before teammates intervened.

“We were all holding our breath,” forward Mike Comrie said of that brief scuffle. “It’s who he is, though. When you see Ricky in practice, he tries to go an entire practice without letting in a goal. That’s the reason he’s so good is his competitiveness. You don’t want to see your goaltender involved [in a fight], but you realize he wants to win.”

Just before that exchange with Jovanovski, DiPietro got physical with Coyotes forward Shane Doan, who was planted on the edge of the crease, trying to create a screened shot that would have tied the game. DiPietro shoved him away at least three times, which was a great move. The previous night at Buffalo, Thomas Vanek practically sat in DiPietro’s lap and made it impossible for him to see one goal. Since defensemen aren’t allowed to dislodge offensive players in the slot area without drawing a penalty under the new rules, the goaltender has to get away with as much shoving as he can while moving to follow the puck.

DiPietro noted that the scrum that resulted from all the contact when defenseman Brendan Witt came to his aid actually worked in the Islanders’ favor by resulting in a faceoff outside the offensive zone in the final seconds. “I don’t want to get in a regular routine of doing that,” DiPietro said. “They had a lot of traffic throughout the game. There’s only so many times you can get hacked and whacked without feeling the need to retaliate. When you’ve got guys like Witter around you, you feel a little bit better about venturing out.”

Beating a losing Coyotes team might rate as a very pedestrian accomplishment, but if it reinforces the principles the Islanders have to live by the rest of this season, it will have served a good purpose. Playing defense is boring, but losing is even more so.

If the Islanders are in striking distance of a playoff berth when February rolls around, you never know what might happen. They just might find the scoring help they need at the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

BLOG ADVISORY: Hate to say it, but I have to take another week of comp time. Although I’m covering the Isles’ games against the Penguins Saturday at home and next Friday in Pittsburgh, I’ll miss home games against Buffalo on the 19th and Washington on the 22nd before returning on Christmas Day in advance of Jason Blake’s return to the Island with Toronto on the 26th. I’ll take a couple more comp weeks in late January and possibly one more during the season. It’s not an ideal situation, but it's mandatory under an agreement with Newsday. I’m trying to arrange it so I miss as few games as possible. Thanks for your understanding.

There’s no doubt the success of the Islanders’ offense is tied to the success of their power play. With that in mind, coach Ted Nolan pulled aside defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron at the pre-game skate today, informed him that he is back in the lineup against Buffalo tonight at HSBC Arena and told him to just do what comes naturally.

In other words, fire that cannon, and get it on net.

In one respect, it was music to Bergeron’s ears after sitting out the past two games following a tiff on the bench with assistant coach Gerard Gallant Wednesday in Atlanta. On the other hand, Bergeron knows it’s easier said than done.

“He wants me to be natural and do what I do best,” Bergeron said. “I would love to, but it’s hard when you’re in and out of the lineup. I’m not feeling that comfortable out there. I know that every now and then I’m going to do something wrong, and I’ll be out again. So, it’s not a position I really enjoy. But there’s no secret this is not an easy league to be part of. I’m going to work hard and I’m sure everything is going to be brighter.”

There’s an argument to be made that the player from Edmonton who helped the Islanders the most last season was Bergeron, not Ryan Smyth. The defenseman’s 100-miles-per-hour shot forced defenses to back off and give the Isles’ power play room to operate. Bergeron actually had more goals than Smyth with the Isles last season, 6-5.

But by the end of the season and in the playoffs against Buffalo, defenses adjusted and began sending heavy pressure at Bergeron to force turnovers or at least to crowd him so he couldn’t get his shot off quickly. Now, the pressure sometimes even makes it hard to move the puck down low to an open man on the wall.

“It’s a different year, different story,” Bergeron said with a shrug.

Bergeron’s defensive lapses have been the reason for Nolan yo-yoing him in and out of the lineup. But the coach knows that shot can make a difference. He told Bergeron yesterday that the power play’s recent struggles aren’t his fault, but that he can be part of the solution if he plays his game.

The Islanders won their last game at Tampa Bay with a four-on-three power play goal in overtime because they moved the puck quickly and took the good shot as soon as it presented itself. Sometimes, Bergeron tends to hold the puck too long before either winding up for his slapshot or making a decision to pass. Things need to happen faster.

“Yeah, when you go through what our whole power play has been going through, it’s hesitating, hesitating, hesitating versus just letting your natural ability take over,” Nolan said. “The one thing Bergeron can do is shoot the puck. He’s got to get himself in position real quick, and we’ve got to get the puck to him and he’s got to unleash it.”

Bergeron is without a goal in the past 12 games he has played and has only two for the season, last scoring on Oct. 27 against Carolina. Maybe the Islanders will be inspired by their return to Buffalo, where the power play went 3-for-3 on opening night in a 6-3 victory that helped get the season off to a fast start. With three power play goals in the past four games, the Isles are showing signs of life with the man advantage, but they still are just 6-of-67 on the power play over the past 15 games.

“If you look at earlier in the year, we had a great start and our power play was good,” Bergeron said. “With the new rules, power play and penalty killing are the most important assets of your game, and we’re kind of proving it right now. The power play has been slumping, and the team has been slumping. The PK has been standing strong, so, obviously, the power play has got to get going.”

When training camp opened in September, Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt was almost unrecognizable after shaving off his long surfer’s locks in favor of a crewcut hairstyle. But now, Witt is back to his hirsute pursuits, having sprouted a Fu Manchu-style mustache in about the time it takes a Chia Pet to grow a thick covering of greenery almost overnight.

Coach Ted Nolan obviously got a kick out of Witt’s latest look today at practice, but what really impressed the coach about Witt was the way he battled through illness to play in the Isles’ 3-2 overtime win Saturday night at Tampa Bay. Witt was more like “Flu Manchu” that night. He couldn’t keep his food down and he was suffering from intestinal problems, but he gutted it out.

Once again, Nolan plans to play seven defensemen Wednesday night in Buffalo, but it’s more of a precaution because Witt was in good health at practice today. “I want to state again how gutsy a performance it was for Brendan Witt last game,” Nolan said. “I think he only had an order of toast in two days. He had the flu real, real bad. That’s why we had seven defense [at Tampa Bay], and we’ll continue to do the same. He looks like he’s got his color back, and he’s got his little Fu Manchu growing so he looks good today.”

The Isles have room for a seventh defenseman because forward Ruslan Fedotenko remains out with his shoulder injury and did not make the trip to Buffalo. However, Fedotenko skated near the end of practice today and worked on his conditioning. He’s listed as day-to-day and could return as soon as Thursday night against Phoenix at the Coliseum.

“It’s one of those injuries where you’re better off taking a day than risk taking a couple of weeks,” Nolan said of Fedotenko. “He’s pretty close to returning.”

Just in case you missed the Islanders notebook in Sunday’s Newsday containing Bill Guerin’s comments about the boarding call he received Friday night in Florida, the Islanders captain raised an issue that should be important to all NHL players. Guerin expressed his “regret” for the hit that sent the Panthers’ Bryan Allen into the end boards head-first, resulting in a blow that left him lying on the ice dazed for a minute or so.

In today’s NHL, the call against Guerin was more borderline than blatant. He made contact with Allen at an angle on the upper right arm and shoulder, not the middle of the back. But Guerin was coming from behind, and the momentum generated by both players sent Allen into the boards when he lost his balance. The moment it happened, Guerin was apologetic, bending down to see if he could assist Allen. Although the Panthers’ defenseman wanted to fight the next time he was on the ice and Guerin obliged him, Allen later expressed appreciation for Guerin’s class and the way he apologized during the game.

When a reporter covering the Panthers approached Guerin and offered him a chance to question the call after the game, he was honest. “Nah, you know that was a bad hit,” Guerin said. “Anything from behind nowadays you have to call. I don’t like being in those situations and being the guy hitting someone or even getting hit. It happens too much in our league. So, it was a deserved penalty. It was a bad hit. I can’t do that.”

I mentioned how contrite Guerin was immediately after the hit, and he added, “Like I said, I regret that it even happened. You don’t want to see guys get hurt on stupid hits like that.”

Maybe Guerin is more sensitive to the issue of cheap shots because he’s a star-caliber player who is used to getting run from behind by players with far less talent. Players whose “skill” lies in their ability to deliver those cheap shots probably have a much different view, excusing them as part of the physical fabric of the game.

That argument reminds me of my 10 seasons covering the Jets and the NFL from 1982-91. It bothered me then that Jets wide receiver Al Toon was forced into retirement after suffering too many concussions from hits by defensive backs putting the crown of their helmets into his chin. Technically, they were legal hits if the DB made initial contact with the helmet into the chest, but they became lethal when the tackler was allowed to ride up into the chin to deliver a knockout blow.

In my view, defensive backs can intimidate receivers coming across the middle just fine with the force of the blow they deliver to the receiver’s body. They shouldn’t be allowed to add a head shot.

It’s similar in hockey. The definition of a clean check should not allow any room for a blow from behind that puts an opponents’ head into the glass or the boards. That’s why Guerin didn’t want to quibble about whether he caught Allen from the side or the back. He knew he was coming from behind even if it was at an angle.

Kudos to Bill Guerin for showing respect for another man’s career and for the game.

How tough has it become for the Islanders to score? Well, Sean Bergenheim might have reached the height of frustration last night at Florida when he had a loose puck at his feet in the crease and fanned before kicking it in. The referees correctly ruled, “No goal,” a refrain that is becoming all too familiar to the Isles.

In retrospect, it’s amazing that Friday’s 3-0 loss to the Panthers was only the second time the Islanders have been shut out this season. One-third of the way through the season going into tonight’s game against Tampa Bay at the St. Pete Times Forum, the Isles have the fewest goals in the NHL and are showing no signs of improvement.

Their five-game winless streak has dropped them into a 10th place tie in the Eastern Conference. Their 13-12-2 record worth 28 points is only a shade behind their 14-10-3 mark for 31 points at the same stage a year ago. However, the alarming thing is that they were a team on the rise after a slow start last season, but now they are a team in decline after a surprisingly quick start out of the gate.

At this stage of the game, it’s only fair to ask if Islanders general manager Garth Snow gave up too much scoring over the summer? Let’s look at the numbers. The Isles’ goals-against after 27 games is 75 goals, the exact figure they had given up at that point last season. Their goals-for is 60 compared to 81 last season.

How do you account for the 21-goal differential? Their top three goal scorers through 27 games last season were Jason Blake (15), Viktor Kozlov (11) and Alexei Yashin (10), who combined for a total of 36 goals. Essentially, they have been replaced by Bill Guerin (5), Josef Vasicek (9) and Mike Comrie (9), respectively, who have a total of 23 goals between them. That’s a difference of 13 goals right there. Also, fourth-line players Richard Park, Chris Simon and Arron Asham had totaled 10 goals compared to five so far for Park, Simon and Bergenheim, but coach Ted Nolan hasn’t used his fourth line as much this season.

Asked about the difference in the teams in front of him last season and this one, goaltender Rick DiPietro said, “Well, I think the big thing for us last year was our five-on-five scoring. I think we were rated pretty high in the league. We had a lot of guys overachieve last year, and that helps out quite a bit. But we’ve got the talent in here to score goals. It comes down to getting those power-play chances and capitalizing on them. It’s not happening right now.”

DiPietro’s point about five-on-five scoring is well-taken. The Isles’ ratio of five-on-five goals for and against last season was 1.18, which ranked sixth in the NHL. Their current ratio is 0.82, which ranks 26th. This is a very important indicator. Of the top 16 teams in this category last season, 13 made the playoffs.

In fairness to Snow, his decisions against overpaying for Blake and Kozlov and in favor of buying out Yashin probably were the right ones. Coming off his 40-goal season, Blake is struggling with just three and not looking like a player worth a five-year investment of $20 million. Kozlov also has three goals after a career-high of 25 last season. Yashin had become such a pariah in his own locker room that he couldn’t get a job elsewhere in the NHL this season.

If the players Snow brought in put up numbers comparable to what they have averaged over their careers, the Islanders reasonably could be expected to match last season’s scoring totals. But for whatever reason, it’s not happening. Lack of speed could be one factor in beating modern defenses, but the Islanders, with the exception of Blake, weren’t especially fast last season.

More than anything, this team is having trouble just completing three straight passes in the offensive zone. It’s a fight just to gain control of the puck every time they chip it down the wall. There’s a serious lack of playmaking.

“We’re not creating anything,” said Guerin, who hasn’t scored a goal since Nov. 1 but has shown strong signs of progress the past couple games. “It’s not a question of work ethic for me. It’s just playing the game. We’ve got to play the game better. We’ve got to make plays better and generate offense. We’re giving the puck away all the time, and teams are so good defensively now that when you have it, you’ve got to do your best to keep it.

“We were winning games just a little while ago. We’ve got the speed to move the puck. We’ve got to make it work. When we play our system, we’re a very good team. When we’re skating like we can skate, we’re a good team.”

There’s two-thirds of a season left in which to prove that.

When Islanders assistant coach Gerard Gallant sent out defensemen Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais to man the points for a five-on-three power play in the third period of their 4-3 shootout loss Wednesday night in Atlanta, Marc-Andre Bergeron protested. Bergeron felt he should be on the ice in that situation to fire his booming point shot with plenty of space to get it through, and he let Gallant know in a heated exchange that was captured by FSNY’s cameras.

Gallant downplayed the incident with a smile this afternoon after the Isles practiced at BankAtlantic Center. “At the time, it was heated, but it was really nothing,” Gallant said. “It was just about the power play setup is all. It doesn’t affect anything.”

Head coach Ted Nolan will be the one to decide whether or not Bergeron’s outburst affected his playing status for Friday night’s game against Florida, and he didn’t sound as forgiving as Gallant. “Yeah, I do have a problem with that,” Nolan said. “That’s going to be rectified. There’s times to do it, and there’s times not to do it. Definitely, that wasn’t the right time. We’ll be addressing both individuals, and we’ll make some corrections.”

Bryan Berard, who often serves as power play quarterback, was a healthy scratch in Atlanta, but Nolan said that will change. “We need Bryan to play better than he has, and I’m quite sure he will,” Nolan said. “But you take into consideration he only played [55] games the last two years because he got hurt. We had a couple good practices, and you’ll see him back in tomorrow night.”

Nolan didn’t specify whether that means Bergeron will be scratched or not. He has gone with seven defensemen a number of times and easily could do so again, especially after not using forward Sean Bergenheim at all in the first period when the Isles spent most of their time killing penalties. But the smart money is on Nolan to bench Bergeron.

There was nothing physically wrong with defenseman Bruno Gervais when he sat out the last game against Boston on Monday. Rather, it was coach Ted Nolan’s way of sending a message to everyone on defense about using their heads when they decide to jump up into the play.

As much as the Islanders need to get more offense from their backliners, they can’t afford a repeat of what happened when they played Atlanta on Saturday and allowed the Thrashers wave after wave of unguarded shots at backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz in the four-goal first period of a 4-0 loss.

But Nolan believes in second chances, and Gervais is getting one against the Thrashers tonight at Philips Arena. “I know I wasn’t playing the best hockey the last few games,” Gervais said after the pre-game skate today. “I had a good talk with Ted. It’s all about getting my game back and doing what I can do.

“I wasn’t as aggressive as I used to be. We have a lot of depth on defense, and we can afford to make some changes. I talked to Teddy, and I agreed with what he said. Everyone falls. It’s all about if you get back up quick enough. It’s all about a little kick in the butt or a wakeup call. Hopefully, the team will start picking up. We need to get some wins.”

In the last game against Boston, Chris Campoli produced the first goal by an Islanders defenseman since Marc-Andre Bergeron scored 16 games earlier on Oct. 27. Gervais, whose only goal last season came in the playoffs, isn’t a scorer, but he can contribute offensively with his skating and puck-moving ability.

“It’s not that they want us to jump more,” Gervais said. “We’ve got to make smarter decisions. If you get a chance to go, we want to go. But you’ve got to be smart about it. You’ve got to know who’s out there [from the opponent]. That’s what he wants.”

Bryan Berard stayed on the ice for extra skating, which usually is an indication that he’ll be a healthy scratch. But assistant coach Gerard Gallant said no determination had been made at that point, and it’s possible the Isles will go with seven defensemen. Nolan was ill this morning, but he will be behind the bench tonight.

If there were a trade to be made for immediate scoring help, few teams are in better position to make it than the Islanders. Their salary cap figure is $42.5 million, which leaves them approximately $7.5 below the cap. Because salaries are pro-rated against the cap on a daily basis, when they reach the mid-point of the season, the Islanders will have the ability to take on players whose contracts total up to $15 million at that point because half their salaries already will have been paid. So, cap room isn’t a problem.

But since the NHL isn’t a fantasy league, the trouble is finding someone who is ready to give up a goal scorer. That’s not likely to happen much before the Feb. 26 trade deadline. At a time when the Islanders have gone 12 straight games without scoring more than two goals (not counting the shootout goal against Ottawa), that’s why they must look within for help.

Coach Ted Nolan today made the decision to call Jeff Tambellini up from Bridgeport. As part of a lineup shakeup, Nolan put Tambellini at left wing with top center Mike Comrie and moved Miroslav Satan to right wing on that line for the Isles’ next game against Boston on Monday night at the Coliseum.

If Tambellini ever is going to make it with this organization, now is the time for him to start scoring. If he doesn’t, it’s possible he could be the prospect packaged at the deadline with a spare defenseman for scoring help. Whether that package would bring back a big-time scorer is open to question, but even if it resulted in a top prospect, the Islanders are at a point where they must do something to improve productivity.

As for all the trade rumors about such players as San Jose’s Patrick Marleau, Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis and Montreal’s Michael Ryder, Islanders general manager Garth Snow can’t comment on another team’s players, but it’s safe to assume he’s investigated every possibility. If veteran help were on the horizon, Nolan would have held off calling up Tambellini.

Technically, there are a few veteran free agents still available for nothing but money. However, Teemu Selanne, who scored 48 goals and won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim, is sticking with his plan to retire and likely only would play for the Ducks if he returned. Peter Forsberg’s physical problems apparently are too much to overcome, and even Jeff O’Neill, who scored 20 goals for Toronto last season, seems to be off the market. Besides, he’s slowed down and doesn’t play the defensively responsible game Nolan requires.

Who knew the loss for the season of Jonathan Sim, who blew out his right knee in the second game of the season, would prove so difficult to replace? Sim was a revelation in training camp and seemed a perfect fit with Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter. It’s uncertain now whether the Islanders have what it takes to get a top scorer such as Atlanta’s Marian Hossa, who is headed for free agency, but if they can replace Sim, they will be doing well.

Until then, the Islanders must find answers in their locker room. “Our goal is to get all our players playing up to their capabilities,” Snow said. “Scoring has been more of an issue for people from the outside than it is on the inside for us. If you take a club like New Jersey, they had a tremendous amount of success. They scored limited goals, but they played well in their own end and made up with defense and goals-against.”

Speaking before the Isles’ 4-0 loss to Atlanta on Saturday when the defense permitted an all-out assault on backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, Snow said, “I love the way we’re playing defensively and with a team-oriented game. When our players who can put the puck in the net find their groove, guys will find the back of the net. We said last year that we believed in the guys in the locker room, and when you show that belief in the players that they can succeed, they will put the puck in the net.”

If Snow eventually does make a trade for scoring help, one player who won’t be included is Kyle Okposo, their first-round pick in 2006. Okposo’s sophomore season at Minnesota hasn’t been as strong as his freshman year to this point, but the Islanders saw enough from him in prospect camp last summer to believe he’s the real deal.

“I’ll be visiting Kyle in the next few weeks,” Snow said. “We’ve had Bryan Trottier, Kenny Morrow and Steve Webb from our staff see him on a regular basis and talk to him on the phone. Things aren’t going to go perfect the whole season. He’s not putting up the points, but he’s playing a well-rounded game and he looks like a man playing with boys. We think very highly of him.”

Asked if he has considered including Okposo in trade discussions, Snow was emphatic. “No, I haven’t,” Snow said, “nor do I intend to.”

After starting a personal-best 18 straight games and 22 of the Islanders’ first 23 games, goaltender Rick DiPietro will get a well-earned rest. Backup Wade Dubielewicz will make only his second start of the season against Atlanta tonight at Nassau Coliseum.

It’s a much better spot than he was in for his first start on Oct. 11 in Toronto. That was the Islanders’ fifth game in seven nights, and they were coming off a big win the previous night against the Rangers and facing a Maple Leafs team that was coming off a loss in which they gave up seven goals. Dubie wasn’t at his best that night, but the truth is that he was hung out to dry by a team running on fumes in an 8-1 loss.

His only action since then came on Nov. 3 when he relieved an injured DiPietro at home against Pittsburgh early in the second period and earned the win. That was more like the Dubielewicz who started four straight wins at the end of last season to reach the playoffs.

Still, this will be his first action in 28 days, and it will take some getting used to for a defense that is used to having DiPietro play almost as a third defenseman controlling the puck around the net and often making breakout passes. “It’s going to be important to hustle back,” said defenseman Andy Sutton, who will be facing his former team for the first time since signing with the Islanders. “Dubie doesn’t play as many pucks as Ricky does, so, we have get back into our defensive posture a little bit quicker. He hasn’t played in awhile, so, it’s important we get back and let him hear us so he knows what’s going on.”

There also will be another change in the lineup because Shawn Bates suffered a hip injury against the Rangers Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. He will be replaced as a spare forward by Sean Bergenheim, who was a healthy scratch for that game.

Playing just his second game since last Jan. 30 after recovering from abdominal surgery, Bates said he fell awkwardly behind the net in the third period against the Rangers. He had an MRI examination yesterday and has to let the inflammation calm down before undergoing another MRI at a later date. Bates also had a hip injury last season as part of his problems, but this one is on the opposite side.