Stop me if this sounds familiar.
The Islanders are on a losing streak that could put an end to
their early playoff hopes.
Well, yeah, what took you so long to stop me?
Unless the Isles can turn it around, they'll soon be adding
another chapter to their recent slump-a-season story. They have
lost five consecutive games and eight of their last 10, and face
a tough game against visiting Colorado before embarking on a
western road trip next week.
The Isles started the season in good shape. They went 8-8 in
their first 16 games, were playing solid defense, were getting
great goaltending from Tommy Salo, and they were getting scoring
from all lines to help replace the missing Ziggy Palffy. But
five losses in a row have dropped them to 10-16, and the play of
everyone on the team has declined. They're giving the puck away
in the neutral zone, they're not skating as well, the defensive
system has suffered, and Salo hasn't been as awesome as he was
earlier in the season.
Over the course of those first 16 games this season, the team
scored 40 goals, an average of 2.5 per game. It allowed 2.38
goals-per-game in that span. In the past 10, the Islanders have
averaged 2.7 goals-per-game. But also in the past 10 games, the
Islanders have allowed 4.1 goals per game.
And don't think that injuries haven't been important. Nope.
Perish the thought. Kenny Jonsson has missed seven of the last
eight games with a concussion. Milbury has called him one of the
best d-men in the league, and despite Mike's tendency for
dramatics, he's right. The Isles' only overtly physical
defenseman, Rich Pilon, has missed several games with a wrist
injury. And tough guy Gino Odjick (abdominal strain) has found
himself in street clothes as well.
Milbury sure is anxious for the injured, especially, Jonsson, to
return. "Listen, I'm not living in the lap of luxury right now.
We're desperate," Milbury said. "Whenever he's ready, he'll play.
But he'll tell me when that time is."
But with the team's infamous history of concussions (Brett
Lindros, Dennis Vaske), the organization will no doubt be playing
it safe with the Swede's return.
The Isles players are no doubt aware of their history of falling
apart in short stretches that have killed playoff hopes. Last
season the team lost ten in a row as part of a 1-13-2 streak in
December and January that led to Rick Bowness' firing as head
coach. "That was hell," said Bryan Berard. "Literally. You never
want to go through that again, ever." (Actually, Bryan, the word
is "figuratively." No NHL player has ever been to hell literally
except when playing for Mike Keenan.)
And that's not it. Want some more ugly numbers? The club went
2-10 early on in 1996-97, started the 1995-96 season with a
2-11-2 record, and was 1-10-1 early in 1994-95. Not exactly the
best way to gear up for the stretch run each year.
"A few of the guys who were here last year have talked about it,"
Berard said, "about how we don't want it to happen again."
Regarding last year's streak, Milbury said, "I mentioned it a few
games ago, but I don't really want to drive that point home. A
mention of it is enough. What I think, more specifically, is that
we have to recognize why we're not playing well right now. It's a
new year, new team, new people. There's no reason to dwell on
last season's December."
"It's time to stop the bleeding. I'm sick of this, sick of
losing," said Rich Pilon. "We're so close, yet so far away. It's
within our grasp. We're so close to being where we want to be,
but we can't seem to get there."
Milbury has indicated that there's been little progress with
Palffy's contract, and despite the claims of ESPN to the
contrary, Ziggy isn't close to returning to the Isles, destroying
the hopes of millions of fans from eight to eighty. And small
dogs too.
Milbury also said he wouldn't be making any big callups from the
Isles' AHL affiliate in Lowell, Mass., soon. Warren Luhning and
Dmitri Nabokov are the Lock Monsters' two top scorers.
***
Bure Watch, Day 42
Nothing to report, as expected.
***
An investment group headed by Islanders co-owner Howard Milstein
is one of the finalists to purchase the NFL Washington Redskins,
it was reported this week. The offer was called "competitive."
How Milstein has a few hundred million lying around to challenge
for the ownership of both the new Cleveland Browns and Washington
Redskins, and yet won't give Trevor Linden a raise and can't
afford Zigmund Palffy...well, that must be some of that new math.
Or the metric system. Yeah, it has something to do with the
metric system and I say the hell with it.
***
With Gino Odjick injured, Rich Pilon has been busy of late. His
latest battle was with Todd Harvey of the Rangers, (whom, the
media tells us, is known around New York as "Heartbeat.") No
comment.
The two squared off in a first-period battle in which Harvey
claimed he broke Pilon's nose. "Broke it?" Pilon asked. "He
barely scratched it."
Pilon said he was looking forward to fighting Harvey again. "I
like it when someone wants to go like that," he said. "And, I'm
definitely looking forward to meeting him again. I'll be happy to
go with him." As for all the talk from Harvey, Pilon added: "Who
. . . does he think he is? 'Heartbeat?' I'm laughing about that
one. Tell the little [non-Cullen] I'm waiting for him."
Round two: January 13 at Madison Square Garden.
***
