Gordon firing sadly predictable

Scott Gordon was fired the other day after his team lost its 10th straight. But was it the right move for the rebuilding Islanders?

The writing was on the wall. When your team doesn't win games, usually something happens. Unfortunately for Scott Gordon, that meant he was held responsible for a tumultuous 10-game losing streak behind the Islander bench. So much for preaching patience in Year Three of a rebuild that really didn't start till the club landed franchise center John Tavares last year.

Patience and club owner Charles Wang don't mix. Peter Laviolette wasn't good enough after getting the club back to the playoffs pre-lockout, eventually landing on his feet guiding the Hurricanes to Lord Stanley in '05-06. Replacement Steve Stirling didn't make it through two seasons on the Island despite Wang's cost cutting ways. Ted Nolan lasted two years before being mysteriously fired by Garth Snow during the summer of '08. Gordon replaced him and was supposed to be the young coach who would lead the franchise into the future.

Despite back-to-back last place finishes his first two seasons, Gordon had the '09-10 Islanders in playoff contention until the final three weeks. Under him, the Islanders played hard- bringing a strong work ethic to the rink. In Tavares' rookie year, they improved from 26 wins and a league worst 61 points in '08-09 to 34 wins and 79 points, finishing nine points behind eighth Montreal, who upset Washington and Pittsburgh before falling to the seventh seeded Flyers. Nine out from the two unlikely Eastern Conference Finalists. A marked improvement from Year One when he had little to work with. Last year, he was supposed to get Rick DiPietro back but instead the franchise netminder got into eight games before another setback finished his season. Good thing Snow brought in vets Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. Otherwise it would've been another uphill climb.

Aside from better goaltending particularly from Roloson, Tavares scored 24 goals and former King Matt Moulson reached 30, giving Gordon two players who scored 20-or-better. Remarkably, no Islander hit 20 in his first year with Kyle Okposo pacing the club with 18. The former '06 first rounder improved to 19 markers and a career best 33 helpers and 52 points. Before this season ever started, Gordon lost his power wing to right shoulder surgery which could keep him out until Christmas. He also was without Mark Streit to a torn left labrun (rotator cuff). Call it bad luck. How many coaches can overcome the loss of their top defenseman and top six forward? Take a look across the Hudson for primary example No.1 where expectations are much higher. Tavares also missed three games due to a concussion. We're not talking about a plethora of talent here.When you're relying on kids like JT91, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Blake Comeau, Michael Grabner and even Rob Schremp, who just returned this month, it takes time.

Don't remind Wang, whose penny pinching ways haven't helped his coaches. Factor in the Alexei Yashin albatross which still counts against the Islander salary cap and it's mind numbing. Yashin and former defenseman Brendan Witt are being paid not to play at a combined $5.76 million. Subtract their buyout clauses and the Isles would be hovering just over the cap cutoff. Despite the way they're run, Snow did well in the offseason beefing up the blueline with James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina and ex-Devil Mike Mottau. Wisniewski has been as advertised leading the club with 13 points (2-11-13) while playing hard nosed. Eaton paces them with 38 blocked shots with Mottau's 28 right behind. Before Jurcina went down to a bad hamstring, he had 22 hits and 18 blocks while also contributing two goals and a helper. Andrew MacDonald only played seven games before breaking his hand. So, Gordon lost half his D.

Before the 10-game skid (0-9-1) which cost him his job, he had the team out to a surprising 4-2-1 start in first. That was due to hot starts from Comeau, Bailey and Ranger castoff P.A. Parenteau with help from Moulson, Nielsen and captain Doug Weight. Everyone chipped in. If you compared their first month to November, it explains why they're struggling to score goals. Bailey hasn't registered a point in a month, possibly not the same after missing two games. The club is counting on the third-year forward to take pressure off Tavares, who's hit a slump having not lit the lamp the past eight games. He carries a club worst minus-12 along with Wisniewski into tonight's home match versus the Lightning.

With new interim coach Jack Capuano coming up from Bridgeport, maybe it'll light a fire. Sometimes, coaching changes work. Even if this one seems for the wrong reasons. Gordon was a good man and his team tried during the skid, falling short at Anaheim and San Jose. There was also the gut wrenching home loss to the enemy Flyers in which punk Daniel Carcillo got away with a late hit after a whistle. Current Ranger Ruslan Fedotenko got nabbed but a bully like Carcillo doesn't and eventually the Flyers score late breaking the Isles' backs. You figure it out. That's how it went for Gordon, who suddenly went from a rising coach good enough to help assist Team USA to an Olympic silver medal in Vancouver to moving upstairs next to Snow. It's true his teams never scored much which was part of the reason Snow made the change. Maybe Capuano changes that.

“When we’re in a situation we’re in right now—we’ve lost 10 games in a row—sometimes you have to go with your gut and make decisions that are tough,” explained the Islander GM of axing Gordon, who finishes with a 64-94-23 record. “We believe we need a change in direction and, with the majority of the regular season still ahead of us, our goal remains to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs."

“Hopefully, we can get some new energy, some new ideas, a different style of play,” Tavares said. “Scott tried a lot of different things, and we played better than other teams some nights. We didn’t get a lot of breaks. Things didn’t go our way, and Garth felt it was the right time to bring in some new ideas.”

It's never easy when anyone loses their job. Especially a guy well respected. When players don't perform, this is what happens. Part of the ugly business of sports. Gordon never had the benefit of a healthy Islander roster and neither will his replacement at least for a while. Capuano joined the Isles as an assistant coach in '05-06 before taking over Bridgeport where he went 133-100-8-14.

"I don’t know if you need to shake it up too much,” he said. “Scott brought a lot of structure a couple of years ago, but there are some things we’ll tweak a little.”

“We’re just concerned about Wednesday,” Snow added. “He’s the coach of this team as we speak right now. He’s excited about the opportunity and looking forward to getting this team turned around.”

Starting tonight, the Islanders play 11 of the next 16 games at home following a brutal stretch that saw them go 2-8-2 in 12 of the first 17 away from Nassau Coliseum. The game against NHL scoring leader Steven Stamkos will be just the sixth off the Meadowbrook. Ironically, they played well on home ice last year going 23-14-4. Road woes are what cost them any chance of the postseason, winning just 11 of 41 (11-23-7) the previous season. If they're to get back on track under Capuano, that must change.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” Capuano said following his first practice Monday. “I have great respect for Scott. We’ve been friends for a long time and I’ve learned a great deal from him. But there was a change, and I’ll make the best of my opportunity.”

Future now for Long Island???

Rebuilding can be a tedious process. For Islander fans who waited for centerpiece John Tavares to fall into their lap last year, they already could be seeing a quick return on Garth Snow's retooling. Even minus top blueliner Mark Streit, power forward Kyle Okposo and a few games without JT91 before the top dog returned from a concussion, here is Long Island's team sitting atop the Atlantic with a stellar 4-1-2 record good for 10 points- trailing just the sizzling Lightning by a point in an East that also has the surprising Leafs in the top three.

Is this the time for Scott Gordon's Islanders? Last season despite plenty of injuries, the third-year coach's club fought tooth and nail hanging around the playoff race until the final couple of weeks when their inexperience caught up. A year older and wiser with key offseason additions James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, Mike Mottau, P.A. Parenteau, Zenon Konopka along with a healthy Rick DiPietro, they're starting to prove themselves. Perhaps new MSG-Plus analyst Butch Goring wasn't so nuts when he proclaimed that the club he helped turn into a dynasty was going to make the playoffs. Credit him for mentioning how hungry this team is as evidenced by their aggressive play thus far.

Continued improvement from Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau helped give the club a boost without Tavares. And what can you say about captain Doug Weight, who wasn't even certain he'd return? All he's done is lead this pesky bunch while tallying a goal and five helpers while turning back the clock. Not bad for the slick 39 year-old American who should one day have a place alongside new USA Hockey Hall Of Fame members Jeremy Roenick and Derian Hatcher.

The Islanders are getting contributions from everyone, including ex-Ranger Parenteau who leads the club in scoring (2-5-7) with six of the seven coming via the power play while the team on Broadway remains stuck with two power play goals. There's also been the solid play of steal Wisniewski, money finisher Matt Moulson along with the tandem of DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson doing their part. Frans Nielsen has also been a factor and the youngest player in the league, Nino Niederreiter already notched his first NHL goal and assist in the club's first seven games. Even waiver wire addition Michael Grabner has chipped in with a couple of goals, displaying some of that world class speed and skill that made him a first round pick in '06 with Vancouver. It's not like the 23 year-old Austrian didn't produce in a brief stint with the Canucks going 5-6-11 in 20 games last season. Might they regret letting him go? Only time will tell.

For a team that just lost blueliner Andrew MacDonald six weeks after breaking his hand in Thursday's overtime win over Tampa Bay, they'll find someone else to fill in. Most notably Jack Hillen. That's what we've learned in three years under Gordon. His teams never break. That maybe the best reason for fans off the Meadowbrook to believe that this year's outfit can reach the postseason. What happens when Okposo returns? What if Streit somehow makes it back for the home stretch? When does vet grinder Trent Hunter find his game? You can bet he will. Do the Islanders keep Niederreiter? Why not. He's a solid two-way forward with speed and grit.

As the Islanders enter Game No.8 when they visit Florida later tonight, there's a lot to admire about what they've done. The work ethic. The way they go about their business. The focus. Should we be jealous? One thing we've learned. Don't take them lightly.

Islanders blanked by Quick

If they fall short in their bid for a postseason, the Islanders will look back on the past 24 hours in California. A night removed from a heartbreaking 5-4 overtime defeat to Saku Koivu and Anaheim, the Long Island club was blanked by Los Angeles 1-zip at Staples Center. Jon Quick turned aside all 26 in backstopping the Kings past Scott Gordon's club- dealing them a second consecutive tough loss.

Unlike Friday when the roof caved in with the team blowing a 4-2 third period lead before Koivu won it 14 seconds into OT, the Islanders never led against another desperate club attempting to qualify for their first postseason since 2001-02. Terry Murray's bunch entered with 85 points- four better than Calgary and Detroit, who pulled off another magic rabbit out of the hat in a thriller against Vancouver courtesy of Henrik Zetterberg. With Nashville also pulling out a 1-0 OT decision in Columbus, the pressure was on LA to hold serve. Thanks to Brad Richardson's tally midway through the first period, Quick was able to make it stand up, moving the Kings past the Preds into fifth out West with 87 points. One better than idle Colorado, who fell to seventh with the Wings three back and ninth Calgary five out.

While that was good news for their opponent, it sure did nothing for the Islanders who remained at 68 points tied with red hot Carolina, who came back to beat Pittsburgh courtesy of Jamie McBain's OT winner with under a second left moving them into a three-way 11th place tie with the Lightning (3-1 loss to Caps) and Isles. Technically, Gordon's club ranks 13th by virtue of one more game played (72-71). Trailing eighth Boston by six with only 10 left, they'll actually have to root for the Rangers later today in the NBC Of The Week. They'll need the enemy to win in regulation. Go figure. While March Madness is taking place in another sport, there's plenty of madness going on in the NHL where you had Calgary fans rooting for the Canucks tonight to no avail.

No doubt these are desperate times for a young Islander team led by rookie John Tavares, whose five-point game in a win over those Nucks a few nights ago gave them life in this wacky race. If only they'd held onto that two-goal lead a night before, which ultimately saw a furious Gordon walk out of a press conference following the dreaded third period question. Sure. They got a point but at this pressure packed time of year, you need every single one. Especially with the wins tiebreaker. Their 29 victories are two less than Boston, the Rangers and Atlanta, who go Niclas Bergfors' 20th (7th as a Thrasher) in a 5-2 home triumph over Philadelphia to pull within a point of the Bruins.

The odds are stacked against them but stranger things have happened. Aside from Carolina, nobody's playing well. If the Isles can put together one more good stretch, who knows? They don't play again until Wednesday's Garden 3D clash against the Rangers before returning home for a tough back-to-back against Calgary. They'll then visit Columbus before seeing the Blueshirts once more on March 30. In other words, those games will have even more significance. Of a possible 20 points that could take them to a max of 88, they'll likely need to go 8-1-1 to give themselves a realistic chance. Not bad for a team written off before the season in Year 1 Of JT91. Believe it or not, 85 could do it for that final spot. In '02-03, under the guidance of Peter Laviolette, the Islanders squeezed out 83 to hold off the Rangers.

Can a similar miracle take place? While they'll need plenty of help, the Islanders will need to play their best hockey. One point will no longer do. And zero like they got Saturday are a no no. Sure. They competed hard against a solid team who also want to steal some of the spotlight from Kobe's Lakers. But despite coming close with Tavares setting up Kyle Okposo on the doorstep with nine seconds left, it wasn't enough.

Unfortunately, Richardson's lone tally stood up. The only goal was set up by Wayne Simmonds, who dug out a loose puck and found his teammate in the slot for a wrister which beat Dwayne Roloson at 13:35 of the first. The Isles did get chances but weren't able to solve Quick, who also got help from his best friend the goalpost on a Tavares shot early in the second. Late in the stanza, the rookie had another glorious chance denied when his backhand was shutdown by the sprawling Kings' netminder. It was that kind of night.

“We had some glorious opportunities, but they got the best of us,”a disappointed former King and leading Islander finisher Matt Moulson expressed. “One big mistake cost us the game.”

Roloson, who played a stellar game himself turning aside 25 of 26, thwarted Jarrett Stoll's shorthanded bid to keep it a one-goal deficit with under 16 minutes remaining. It wasn't a good night for the Islander power play which fired blanks in four chances against a hot PK that's now killed 24 straight.

“The penalty kill is just really about work and execution,” LA captain Dustin Brown said. “We’ve kind of gotten into a groove with short shifts.”

For New York, it would come down to the wire with Gordon pulling Roloson for an extra skater with over a minute to go. The Kings killed most of it with stellar work in the neutral zone. However, finally a Mark Streit dump with under 35 ticks left gave his teammates a chance to recover the puck along the right wall. A great hustle play by Richard Park kept it alive where Tavares got the biscuit behind the net and quickly threaded a no-look backhand feed to Okposo. But Friday's multi-goal scorer couldn't beat Quick, who was in perfect position to snuff out the dangerous opportunity.

Needing to win the draw for one last shot, the Isles couldn't as LA won the puck and cleared the zone as time wound down- dealing them another hard defeat. Now, they become spectators and will have to hope for help from the Rangers until they meet Wednesday. Insanity.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brad Richardson, LA (game-winner-11th of season, 0 goals in '09-10)
2nd Star-Dwayne Roloson, NYI (25 saves in 45th start of season)
1st Star-Jon Quick, LA (26 saves for 4th SHO of season-8th career)

DP, Islanders on roll

The Islanders gave their fans plenty to cheer about this afternoon in the annual Martin Luther King game, defeating the Devils 4-0 at a sold out Nassau Coliseum. With Hasan likely recapping it from the Devil perspective, we're just going to assess what's gone so right lately for Scott Gordon's hot club that's now won four straight. That includes impressive victories over the Red Wings (6-0), Sabres (3-2 in shootout) and now the Devils by a 4-zip KO helping Rick DiPietro to his first shutout of the season and more "D---P" chants.

Here are today's highlights that put the eighth seeded Isles at 52 points trailing archrival Rangers by one:

-Matt Moulson scored twice for his club-leading 18th and 19th. It was his first multi-goal effort since a Dec.3 hat trick at Atlanta (21 games). After hitting a wall in mid-December, the free agent steal has three goals in the last four and six points in seven contests this month. A great sign.

-Josh Bailey notched his 12th continuing to rip it up. Over the past 10 games, the improving sophomore has 13 points (5-8-13). Since Dec.21, the 20 year-old pivot has 15 of his 25 points (12-13-25) this season. Prior, he'd gone 10 games w/o a point. The 2008 ninth overall selection is finally demonstrating why Garth Snow picked him, giving the Islanders two scoring lines.

-With an assist on Mark Streit's first period power play goal, Kyle Okposo extended to a six-game point streak (4-2-6). Since a three-point performance in a Dec.26 road win at the Rangers, the 21 year-old emerging power forward is 5-5-10 over the last 11 games. Last year, the St. Paul native struggled mightily in the first half before finishing strong. Looks like the same thing's happening. Only this time, the stakes are higher with the Islanders fighting for a playoff berth.

-With a PPG, Streit has points in four straight including three goals and two helpers. Since 12/26, the Isles' No.1 defenseman is 3-7-10, plus-eight. He's heating up at the right time.

-Saturday's hero Trent Hunter followed up with two assists in the win. His first multi-point game since Dec.3. The grinding checking wing doesn't always show up on the score sheet but always gives an honest effort leading by example.


-Andy Sutton tallied an assist and went plus-three on the day, continuing to play his best hockey.

-With a primary helper on Streit's marker, John Tavares made it two consecutive games with a point and three of the last four. Prior, the 19 year-old wiz kid was blank in seven straight. It's easy to forget that JT91 is in Year One with tons of expectations. The centerpiece of the franchise is finally snapping out of it which could bode well.

-Also getting on the score sheet was Jack Hillen, who with an assist finished plus-three. That's three assists in the last four for the second-year undrafted defenseman, who's quietly contributed a goal and 12 helpers along with a plus-eight rating in 45 games this season.

-Shootout ace Frans Nielsen added a helper and finished plus-two. The 2002 third round gem has seven points (1-6-7) this month.

-Though he didn't get much work, how about DP. His first two home games in more than a year and victorious in both while permitting only two goals on 53 shots (.962 save percentage). With 20 saves, the 28 year-old former 2000 No.1 overall pick recorded his third shutout versus the Devils and 15th career. His first SHO since Feb.21, 2008 against the Lightning. Storybook.


All this added up to a great day off the Meadowbrook for the orange and navy blue. It won't get much easier as the Islanders (22-19-8, 52 Pts) pay a visit to Mellon Arena and the Penguins Tuesday night where they'll go for five in a row.