Islanders Gameday: Debuting the Snows of Capuano
by Dominik on Nov 17, 2010 11:28 AM EST
in New York Islanders Previews
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"...there, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro. And then he knew that there was where he was going." -Snows of Kilimanjaro
The following table shows why last week I though that if Scott Gordon's position were in jeopardy, it wouldn't happen for at least another couple of weeks or so:
| Islanders opponents | Record on Nov. 16 |
| Final 5 games of Gordon's tenure (1H, 4A - Ott, Ph, An, SJ, LA) | 52-28-6 |
| First 5 games of Capuano's tenure (4H, 1A - TB, Fl, At, NJ, Cb) | 35-39-8 |
I will always wonder if Gordon would've gotten at least that long -- the season's first real home stretch, against some lesser teams -- if there had been a win here or there during the 0-9-1 slump. But I'll also wonder if it would've mattered, if there was simply something incompatible with what Gordon sought to instill crossed with his players' failure to execute it. Certainly some player comments make you suspect that possibility was in their heads as the losses mounted.
And if the decision-makers are wed to change regardless, there is merit to starting your new coach off with the best near-term schedule, the best chance at early success -- to say nothing of making the change while the season can still be turned around.
All in the past now. Here begins The Interim. With some luck, it could become an Era. Whatever its name, the Lightning -- coming back to Earth after a hot start themselves -- usher it in tonight at the Coliseum.
Update: Capuano Video on What to Expect
Tampa Bay Lightning (8-7-2) at New York Islanders (4-10-3)
Nassau [gloriously unsponsored] Veterans Memorial Coliseum
7 p.m. EST | MSG+ - NHL audio - WRHU 88.7
They like it raw and charged: Raw Charge
About those player comments, here's one from Blake Comeau, who has been inconsistent for a month and goal-less since Oct. 11:
"I think there’s a good feeling (inside the locker room)," said Islanders forward Blake Comeau. "It feels like the page has been turned. We know the players in here are the guys that are going to turn this thing around. I think the (coaching) change shows that the organization hasn’t given up on this team yet and they haven’t given up on playoffs. That’s a nice feeling.
Capuano, who has echoed many observers that this group itself is tight -- "they care" -- has also made line changes according to the above link, most notably putting Doug Weight between Josh Bailey and Comeau, while Michael Grabner goes beside Frans Nielsen and Trent Hunter.
Tactically, more from Comeau:
"He still wants guys around the net, but in the offensive zone and off the rush, he’s giving guys options to make the best decision because sometimes in a game things don’t play out the way they’re drawn up."
Notes
- No mention of the goaltending in that report, but Katie Strang is reporting and tweeting that Rick DiPietro was on the ice for today's optional skate and riding the bike afterward. She'll have a chat at Newsday this afternoon, which I'm sure will be lively [$5 please]
- The Lightning are still without Simon Gagne (injured in the previous meeting) and Vincent Lecavalier, who's out with hand surgery. The Isles are without the usual major core injuries (Kyle Okposo, Mark Streit) plus Andrew MacDonald, Milan Jurcina and Jack Hillen (concussion) for good measure. Dylan Reese gets his season debut next to Bruno Gervais.
- The slump that got Gordon fired began, of course, after the last meeting between these two teams, a meeting that left the Isles in first place above the Maple Leafs. I'm not the "I told you so!" type, but this is precisely why I say enjoy early season blips while they last. It's a long enough season as it is.
- I was on "The Sports Grill," Steven Grill's (of Hockey Night on Long Island podcasts) show up on Binghamton University's WHRW 90.5FM. We talked about the coaching move, of course, and I tried to relay in 20 words or less BenHasna's theory about the wing shuffle that revolves around Comeau. You can listen to the archive here.
- At Fanhouse, Chris Botta reports Gordon is gonna be okay.
- Michael Fornabaio reports Bridgeport lost in Pat Bingham's debut as head coach last night. He also had his weekly chat yesterday.
So all the player talk is of a fresh start, a new beginning, a new lease. I do believe this roster has the capability of settling down and producing better than that 0-9-1 march showed -- honestly, the 1.4 goals per game stretch wasn't going to last no matter who's behind the bench. But how much improvement is possible? That's in part up to the players who have underperformed, and in part up to how quickly Capuano gets a read on what he has in front of him and tries to make the most of it.
Talk is cheap. "Turn the page" sounds nice. For so many players with their next contract (or whether they get another contract at all) on the line, it's time to deliver.
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For Starters
I would like to see Matt Martin and Trent Hunter spending a lot more time in front of the net ala Tomas Holmstrom. We need screens, deflections, and rebounds to boost our offense. I hope to see better flow out of our own zone, and better puck control in the offensive zone. We MUST pass the puck crisper and neater to generate scoring chances AND our forwards must be prepared to backcheck their collective asses off to protect our defense. Good Luck, Jack. GO, ISLES, GO…
Can we please try to keep the goal judge awake??
by upstateislesfan on Nov 17, 2010 11:51 AM EST reply actions
So...
…Weight/Bailey/Comeau; Grabner/Nielsen/Hunter; Reese/Gervais. Does this mean maybe we’ll see JT/Moulson/Martin? Please?
Oh, also…FIG Moulson at 13:26. Since I’ll be busily downing pints and talking about bikes. (And have discovered the game will not be shown on TV in my area.)
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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I think it's Moulson/JT/PAP to start
At least I think I read that from practice yesterday.
This will be interesting though since Capuano has even more experience with Martin than Gordo had.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
Cappy's Martin experience
Think it’ll make a difference in utilization? Given the line discussion in the preview link above, he’d be on the 4th line…one would assume with Konopka and (Sim? Gillies? Schremp?).
Less than an hour until we find out, though. (And I have to leave now. Drat.)
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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I don't like Martin there
Granted JT has been taking some big hits lately, putting moulson AND martin with him gives you 3 guys hanging around the net with no one to pass to them.
by RobsMustard on Nov 17, 2010 1:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I WIL BE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT
I have tix to the Friday 11/26 Tilt with NJ (I’ll be going with a crew of 8). But I wanted to be there tonight. I’ll be using the Hofstra Radio Night promotion. I’m interested to see in person what the energy level in the building will be and Also just havent been to any games yet.
FIG pick: Mike Mottau 12:08.
Also….I think there will get out to a nice lead tonight…..like maybe 3-1 going into the third. I think JT amd Matt Moulson will score also to get the Isles out to a big lead. That 3rd period will be stressful as heck.
One Game at a time Fellas…One Game at a Time…….4 of 5 at home….(Can I ask for 7 points?)….after that….we get 3 of 5 at home with 2 against the Rangers and 1 with Philly. 10 game Home Heavy Stretch. 14 – 15 points? Travel is very local with the exception of 2 games down to ATL.
FB4Real
"Past performance Is Not A Guarantee For Future Results"
FIG: Bailey @ 8:37
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FIG: Martin @ 9:14 (rebound).
Can we please try to keep the goal judge awake??
by upstateislesfan on Nov 17, 2010 12:30 PM EST reply actions
Weight
:52
Sarcasm experience enhanced by Samsung (TM)
by Keith Quinn on Nov 17, 2010 5:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
FIG: Sim @ 14:12
better believe that everyone’s favorite skill player will be scoring the first goal
You should've seen her face. It was the exact same look my father gave me when I told him I wanted to be a ventriloquist.
Blake's Jack's Boy apparently
Not sure if his comments also reflect antipathy toward Gordo. I have already commented on Capt. Dougie’s left-handed mia culpa.
Yeah, I don’t know either. But I do think Comeau is a big story for how this proceeds. He’s had two NHL coaches and has looked alternately excellent and lost for each of them. He’s still young, but we’ve seen enough of what he can do when going well to expect him to start doing it consistently.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
They have simplified things in practice
They are also been given more room to think for themselves. I really think it might help the offense tonight. These guys definitely needed to start playing more from skill and instinct than overthinking and overpassing.
I don’t think the loosing streak itself is Gordon’s fault but his rigidity could have helped worsen it. The team totally lacked creativity on offense for the last 2 weeks and I’m sure that not thinking for themselves is a factor.
For young players to learn, I believe, they need to make decisions and deal with the mistakes on their own as opposed to being herded into a heavy system. I’m not saying they shoudn’t have a plan but ultimately you need to trust the guys on the ice a bit more to create opportunities.
There is a lighthouse at the end of the tunnel.
thinking for yourself
Hopefully, we have guys showing some hockey IQ, then…. IOW, was Gordon hindering them with a rigid system, or was he helping them because he knew that their hockey sense was lacking?
FWIW I lean toward the former. Not that I disliked Gordon and I think learning a system is part of developing hockey smarts, but sooner or later, you have to let the system be a launching point for your players’ creativity, or it gets stunted and the player never reaches his true potential.
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All this time, and the *real* name for Gordon's approach was...
OVERTHINK!
Should be interesting. These are better players than they’ve shown lately. Maybe more flexibility will help them tap back into their natural talent.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
Anything that makes the Islanders players think less has my vote. Ive been saying that has been their biggest problem- I can literally see them overthinking, the overthinking causing them to flub up by either hesitating or not finishing while they have the chance, and then when they flub up that causes panic, which causes… more overthinking. It needs to end, I cant stand watching them do this to themselves.
The Isles need to be WAY less cerebral and far more- instinctual. Trust your guts more, boys. Just play.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Nov 17, 2010 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
Thinking for themselves should really help out the playmakers a lot,
like Tavares, Schremp, Bailey, and Parenteau. Nielsen maybe depending on his role.
Go isles or Go home.
Time for the 3 Rs?
Relax, read, react?
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It's all a bunch of hooey to me
I’m an authoritarian. No one should think for themselves. I wish people around here would get that straight and stop sharing all these opinions!
sarcasm font in effect
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
Authoritarians have the 3 Ds.
Domination, Declaration, and Deathsquads! =p
(Goat Comments: Just Kidding)
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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FIG
I hope Blake’s feeling it tonight with the change – Comeau (Bailey, Eaton) 12:10.
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Imagine
Datsyuk or Zetterburg being forced toplay a system?? Maybe a little freelance creativity is what we need to get things going. I hope so.
Can we please try to keep the goal judge awake??
by upstateislesfan on Nov 17, 2010 1:41 PM EST reply actions
everyone starts with a system
Or, if you prefer, a better word would be “framework.” The game moves so fast that you can’t stop to think about your next choice without getting smushed. It’s a good way to lose a lot of hockey games. So you get a framework that simplifies the game so those choices can become automatic.
A good player can pick between those options reliably and be very effective. A great player will anticipate the other guy’s reaction and then exploit it. Then you get a true genius like Gretzky, who can do all of that but NOT be limited by set options… because he CAN think as fast as the game moves. Maybe a genius like Gretzky doesn’t need a framework… other players who try that are, in general, turnover machines.
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Hockey is just about the only major team sport which constantly reduces decision making time.
Due to the basics of the sport – skates, ice, inertia.
Football? Let’s stop and talk about it after every “play”.
Baseball? Seventh inning stretch…YAWN.
Basketball? Let’s stand around dribbling for a few seconds and set up the “play”.
Soccer? Stand there and hold it while your teammates run around to get open.
I sometimes harbor the suspicion that what gets called “hockey IQ” is really a combination of phenomenal spatial awareness, peripheral vision, and inertial instincts/natural balance. =p
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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by MTBVibe on Nov 17, 2010 6:05 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Oh, this assessment is almost as beautiful as the game itself. Love it.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
Yeah, it’s the best part – taken as individual elements, hockey is really rather simple. Assembled as a whole?
Ay, there’s the rub.
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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Comeau comes out like a man possessed...
That’s why my FIG is going to be Weight @ 5:15
I have a feeling that Cappy will dumb down the offense and move slowly forward to what Scott was trying to leap to.
This is finally THE PLAN B.
Is it possible we actualy see a low cycle?
Is there any chance they don’t hit the free wing (away from the bench during changes) touch it to gain the zone and look like the keystone cops trying to find the big X on the ice where Gordon had it on the dry erase board?
Maybe they play a system of defensive simple A/B recognition… if you’re lateral option isn’t open, dump it and establish the forecheck that Gordon has been teaching for two plus years… but if he is open… do sumpin pretty.
Well… that’s my dream and I’m stickin’ to it.
Jack's not nimble, Jack's not quick, but Jack can get another top five pick!
well lets hope the players excitement and talk get backed up, I know I am excited for tonight
I hope to see a different attitude on the ice, I like the have fun out there stuff. I think guys have been tight, and having fun can loosen them up
Cappy 1-0-0 after tonight
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
Love the picture, btw
Capuano looks like Coach Blutarski there. “Was it over when the Germans drafted Stamkos?”
Meanwhile, over his shoulder, Trent Hunter desperately hopes to be released from the Phantom Zone.
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I had the same idea
except I figured him as a hybrid with Ogre from revenge of the nerds.
Sarcasm experience enhanced by Samsung (TM)
You WILL bow before me, Briere
Though it take an eternity!
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FIG
1. TB xxxx
2. TB xxxx
3. NYI Moulson (Tavares, Wisniewski) 14:35 (pp)
I do not have a good feeling about tonight.
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Nov 17, 2010 2:47 PM EST reply actions
In 10 games or so....
I suspect that if the next ten games doesn’t turn out well (within “striking distance” whatever that is) it’ll be time to start jettisoning dead-weight (no pun intended, or maybe there was, I don’t know) players and calling up the Sound Tigers. Ten games from now (barring a miraculous turn of events) it’ll be time to see if the younger guys can play. And maybe we can stop having 40 fourth-liners and #5 D-men. Give the youngsters time to grow and maybe we’ll have something.
FIG tonight: Moulson at 36:09.
not sure about 10 games
but we should know by New Year’s whether Capuano has been any more successful than Gordon.
Winner!
Martylnd gets the FIG.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
$7 Dollar Tickets
Im going to be there tonight. I found two $7 dollar tickets on Stubhub. Hopefully I can see this streak end tonight.
For $7
your first thought should be, “How soon can I move down to the lower bowl… and will $5 be enough for the attendant…”
ENJOY!!!!
Jack's not nimble, Jack's not quick, but Jack can get another top five pick!
Cheaper than a beer at the rink.
Now that’s a bargain.
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
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Good luck Cap
FIG. JT. 5:32 first
Vote 4 Frans!!!!
by Torch7 on Nov 17, 2010 5:20 PM EST via mobile reply actions
puck possession system
Isnt that what Gordos system was supposed to be???It seems like they were just simply dumping and chasing instead of bringing the puck into the zone…
Big changes already
ROLOSON IS SMILING!!!!
Jack's not nimble, Jack's not quick, but Jack can get another top five pick!
Did I win FIG?
I was within a minute or so.
I’ll trade it all for a Stanley Cup. I really would. (That’s my acceptance speech. Did you like it? My nine-year-old thinks that’s funny.)
Indeed.
And sorry, no trade-ins or exchanges.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and MacDonald were important.
WOW
2 goals tonight…too little, too late…another totally inept, nauseating, frustrating offensive effort. Dump puck in, get beat to the puck by a superior Tampa team, chase said Tampa team around our own end for a few minutes, give up an excellent scoring chance, watch Rollie save our asses YET AGAIN, get the puck back, start previous sequence all over again. Terrible passes, terrible pass reception, abysmal shooting (Comeau hits the OUTSIDE of the net with the goalie on his stomach!!!), very little presence in front of the net. In other words, same old Islanders…and even though the game was already over, WTF was that pass Taveras flung cross ice to nobody that Thompson popped into the empty net How pathetic is it when two Islander cast-offs look better offensively than our whole team (except for Moulson-what a guy!!)? I am truly beginning to think that most of these youngsters’ offensive game has been seriously over-rated. And would it be asking too much for a defenseman to actually shoot the puck ON THE NET? Can’t get many rebounds when all the shots are wide…Is my frustration with the Islander offense (or lack thereof) evident yet??
Can we please try to keep the goal judge awake??
by upstateislesfan on Nov 18, 2010 7:22 AM EST reply actions
We are all frustrated with the isles offense because of the reason you said.
We lack legit nhl finishers. Tavares and Moulson are the only 2 forwards on the team entering this year that had a 20goal year in the last 3 seasons on the team right now. And the only people not named moulson and tavares that have had a 15goal or more season in the last 3yrs are Comeau and Bailey. And to make matters worse, the only person on this team with repeat 10goal seasons in the last 3 yrs on this team is hunter. As you can tell, we have a lot of hopes and dreams in young unproven players, and obviously that isn’t the right choice when your trying to make a playoff team(garth’s goal). But honestly, our offensive woes could have been expected when you look at the above and realize the injuries. KO out 1/2 yr and Streit out most of the year hurts us on the PP and even strength in that department. It’s hard to score goals when you lack proven goal scorers. It’s just the facts, not every young player hits their potential and when you pick up young unproven waiver players and have a team with a lot of ahl prospects and bottom 6 players on it, you honestly can’t have high expectations for them because of their age and inexperience and lack of nhl production. Too young, too inexperienced, too unproven, and not enough real talent.
Go isles or Go home.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
