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From Confidence to Frustration to Apathy |
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When the Islanders losses stood at four straight, I wrote an entry about how the confidence the Isles displayed in early October had given way to sheer frustration. With the losing streak standing now at ten I can only wonder if the appropriate feeling is now apathy. Fans have gone from anger and frustration to being simply resigned to an odds on loss every time the team hit’s the ice. Could the team be feeling the same way?
Scott Gordon made the decision to put Dwayne Roloson in net last night in Los Angeles to give the Isles a better chance of winning. But the LA Kings have won all their home games and last night was no different. It quickly became the Anze Kopitar show as two quick goals were scored on Dwayne Roloson.
Rob Schremp, reinserted into the line-up, cut the lead in half before the end of the first period and there was a glimmer of hope, but it was the only goal the Islanders team managed to score.
Jack Hillen was said to have the flu which leads me to wonder the same thing I have wondered each year -- Why don’t these guys all get flu shots in September? I’ve been told before that they do. Well, if they do, they wouldn’t contract the flu to begin with. Now it will run rampant through the locker room. However, that isn’t the most important question regarding last night’s game. No. More importantly, why weren’t they traveling with spare parts? With an already thin defense it seems it would have been smart to call a reliable and system familiar defenseman up from Bridgeport to make the trip. Simple geography explains the reason they could not call anyone up yesterday when Hillen fell ill. Would it have been so hard to have someone waiting to jump into the line-up should need be?
On Twitter some fans are calling it a financial decision and using it as a punch line for cheap jokes. But I hardly think the extra travel expense and NHL per-diem is the reason. I’m going with the assumption it was a short-sighted mistake. But who is responsible?
Pile this error onto a few other quirky decisions related to ice time and position and even I, a staunch supporter of Scott Gordon as head coach, am beginning to question his resolve. Has his frustration given way to apathy as well? Is he going to just throw up his hands and give up? “I’ve tried what I can. This team has forgotten how to win.”
If Scott Gordon doesn’t have the answers then the team had better find the answers within themselves before they are in the history books for the longest Islanders losing streak in franchise history. Oh wait, they may already be there. I need to check the Media Guide on that one. It’s twelve.
The Islanders returned home and I do not know if they skated today or not. They will not play until Wednesday when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning without Vinny Lecavalier who underwent surgery on his hand. Even though he had nine points and was a -3, he will still be a big loss to the Bolts. The Isles don’t play again until Saturday when they face the Panthers. Should they lose both those games this coming week, they will tie their longest losing streak record leaving Sunday’s game against the Thrashers as possibly one for the record books.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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