Barring overtime, NHL games are 60 minutes long. When Scott Gordon’s Islanders were playing hard for that length of time each night, success usually followed. A 10-3-2 streak from the end of December through a good portion of January was proof of that.
Solid 60-minute efforts have been much harder to come by of late and for a team that is not blessed with an abundance of talent, anything less than that is rarely good enough for two points for Gordon’s club.
A mailed-in effort at home last week versus the Capitals resulted in a 7-2 spanking. Twenty good minutes predictably weren’t good enough two nights later in Carolina in a 4-1 loss and 30 hard-working minutes weren’t enough to overcome 30 lazy ones and a 2-0 deficit in Philly this past Saturday in a 2-1 loss—amazingly their 14th straight against the Flyers.
In Florida against the Panthers last night a miserable second period, during which the Isles surrendered a goal with 10 seconds left, doomed an otherwise decent road effort as they out-shot the home team 33-23 but lost 2-0.
Again, whether it’s 20 minutes, 40 minutes or 55 minutes, it simply hasn’t been the full 60 during what has become a troubling five-game losing streak that has seen the club drop from the eight spot in the East down to 13th.
“We’re not playing with enough desperation,” Gordon explained of the recent losing streak. “In the third period against Carolina it was there, but not the first two periods.”
Several players are struggling up front, none more so than 19-year-old rookie John Tavares, who has only two goals in his last 24 games and appears to be noticeably pressing on most of his shifts lately. A loose puck landed on his stick in the slot with less than 10 seconds to go in Philly with a chance to tie—six weeks ago it goes in, Saturday it deflected wide. And so it goes for the JT and Isles of late.
“We’re not hitting the net with the shots we do get and that is preventing us from getting those second and third chances to score,” Gordon said after last nights’ Panthers game. With more than 70 shots directed at the net and only 33 reaching Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun, Gordon made a good point as his club repeatedly missed the net during several third period power plays that could have changed the course of the game. Ditto in Philly on Saturday.
Focusing the attention on a first-year teenager for the struggles on offense isn’t fair either as several veterans are having trouble hitting the net as well. Trent Hunter now has one goal in his last 12, Frans Nielsen has just seven for the year and Doug Weight has yet to score in the 26 games he has played.
They remain on the bubble in the race for the playoffs thanks in large part to a very mediocre conference. Of the teams battling for the final four spots, only the Ottawa Senators have been able to distance themselves from the pack riding a nine-game win streak to take firm hold of the fifth spot with 66 points. A mere three points separate sixth place Philadelphia (57) from the 13th place Isles (54). For now the team is left to lament what a couple of wins this past week would have done to their standing. Problem is, those usually take a solid 60-minute effort to achieve.
ICE CHIPS
One of the few positives to take away from a lost week is the fact that Gordon has the team playing a much more physical style of late—emphasizing the importance of finishing their checks and getting nastier in the crease on defense. The game in Philadelphia, though the outcome was familiar, was one of the few times in recent memory they matched the Flyers snarl.
A rare few days off precede the next game in Tampa Bay Thursday night. Beginning with that game, they then play six in the next 11 nights up to the Olympic break that begins Feb. 15. Four of the remaining six are at home. The time to rediscover the work ethic that preceded this losing steak is right now.
With only Mark Streit representing the Swiss team, who is not expected to play beyond the prelims, the Isles will be a well-rested bunch when they return to play March 2 against the Blackhawks at home.