Home Not So Sweet for Isles

Has the annual mid-season swoon begun? Despite beginning a nice stretch of home games that brings them into the new year, the Islanders are in a 2-6 slide that might look all too familiar to their fans.

Outscored 15-3 in the last three at home and in a special teams funk that has seen both the power play (0-18 in last four) and penalty kill (an abysmal 16 goals allowed in last 36 time short—44 percent) struggle mightily, it’s starting to look like the wheels are falling off for Scott Gordon’s club.

“Right now, everything is going against us,” explained an exasperated Gordon after an uninspired 3-0 loss to the Canadiens at home on Saturday.

Montreal Canadiens' Andrei Markov (79) of Russia, shoots the puck behind New York Islanders' goalie Martin Biron (43) for a first period goal as Canadiens' Mike Cammalleri (13) and Islanders Brendan Witt fall into the net during an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

Gordon went through a 4-20-2 stretch last season from December through January that essentially locked up the 2009 No. 1 pick for the Isles. While the aforementioned 2-6 malaise is no reason to push the panic button, the coach can’t afford to sit on his hands either.

Benching Bruno Gervais for two games last week and Jeff Tambellini for the last five might be a harbinger of things to come. While Gervais’ stay in the doghouse was a short one, as he dressed Saturday against the Canadiens, Tambellini might have a much tougher time getting back in the lineup as both Rob Schremp and recent Bridgeport call up Jesse Joensuu have played well.

After their worst performance of the year in a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the underwhelming Florida Panthers last Monday, a mid-week home-and-home with the Rangers seemed just the tonic get the Islanders going as they approached the half-way point of the season.

A solid effort at the Garden on Wednesday in a 2-1 win was aided greatly by a Ranger team that sleepwalked through the first two periods. That the Blueshirts didn’t exactly respond well to a John Tortorella post-game tirade after that one presented the Isles with an excellent chance to sweep the set on Thursday in Nassau, but their not-so-special teams struck again.

They allowed three power play goals to the Rangers’ pop-gun attack on Thursday and went 0-7 with their own PP and never recovered from a 3-0 deficit, despite thoroughly outplaying the Rangers over the first two periods.

“We played hard. It’s frustrating because that’s one we could have had,” explained rookie John Tavares.

You could certainly argue that those things usually even out over the course of a long NHL season as the team’s 3-2 win over Boston back on Dec. 12, a game that began this important stretch of home games, was one they “shouldn’t have had” after getting out shot 17-3 in the third period.

“These are big points we’re missing,” Gordon admitted prior to Saturday’s game. “We have to start taking advantage of these home games.” The team is 1-3 in their last four at home and just 7-6-2 at the Coliseum on the year.

They’ll continue to get the chance to right the ship at home beginning tonight when they host Tampa Bay. That game is followed by more home cooking as the Maple Leafs come calling Wednesday before a date back at the Garden on Saturday. After that, two more home dates: Sunday against the Flyers and then the Blue Jackets are in Nassau next Tuesday. A key portion of the schedule for sure as last season’s collapse has to be hiding somewhere in the back of Gordon’s mind.

“We’ve gotten away from the little things that brought us success earlier in the year,” Gordon said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed but five-on-five we haven’t been playing poorly.” Referring to Saturday he added, “On special teams they were way ahead of us.”

That statement has aptly described their special teams play for a couple of weeks now.

For the immediate future, the PP and PK will undoubtedly be a focus of the next few practices as that aspect of their game, more than any other, is costing the team valuable points.

Doug Weight has begun practicing with the club and they aren’t ruling out his possible return sometime this week. Weight has been a magician on the power play his entire career so he will be welcomed back with open arms…and hopefully be responsible for creating a few open nets.

ICE CHIPS

Have to mention the season the New Jersey Devils are having and simply say, hats off. We were among the many who figured the air was finally being let out of the teams’ balloon this season, coach Jacques Lemaire’s first back in the fold after an 11-year absence. With the NHL’s best record at 25-8-1 you have to just marvel at how this franchise is able to maintain this level of play year-after-year. Shame on us for thinking that Marty Brodeur might be through—instead we’re now asking, will he ever stop breaking NHL goaltending records?

The Rick DiPietro watch continues as the rehabbing netminder was scheduled to practice with the team on Monday (12/21), his first practice with the club since experiencing the “tightness” in his leg he complained about during his second AHL rehab start in Springfield on Dec. 11.

Can’t imagine there won’t be at least two more AHL starts before the team even entertains the idea of an NHL start for DP but the organization is keeping that info very close to their vest. You just get this sinking feeling that the entire DiPietro situation is a house of cards and that they will all come tumbling down during his first Islander start. We still think having DiPietro play in the AHL till after the Olympic break makes the most sense as his return simply isn’t vital to the Islanders’ season. Stay tuned.

Current goalless droughts—Nate Thompson has gone 32 games (entire season) without a goal; Kyle Okposo, 16 games; Josh Bailey, 10 games.