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Friedman: The Islanders' Wounds Are Self-Inflicted, And That's Mostly On Capuano

By Daniel Friedman
» More Columns

It was bad enough that the Islanders lost to Winnipeg on Tuesday night, and what transpired in Colorado just two nights later only compounded their issues.

Teams lose games, regardless of their own talent level or their opponent's. How they lose those games is what tells the story, and right now the Isles are writing a horror novel.

On the surface, things don't appear to be so bad. The Islanders are 6-4, have shown noticeable improvement in multiple areas and have clearly demonstrated that they're capable of playing winning hockey.

However, when you consider the areas where the team has continued to struggle and the manner in which they've lost games, you find significant cause for concern.

The Islanders are giving away wins right now. They generally have not been thoroughly dominated, other than in situations where they've taken their foot off the gas pedal. They're not playing a full 60 minutes in terms of consistent effort, they're turning over pucks left and right and they're letting up soft goals.

The Islanders didn't lose to Toronto, Winnipeg and Colorado. They beat themselves.

Why are the wheels falling off? It's a combination of several factors, most of which the Isles are equipped to address.

One major reinforcement is on the way, and that's Travis Hamonic. This is a welcome development, because the Islanders have given up 36 goals this season and Brian Strait's been on the ice for 15 of them.

That's not to say that each of those goals were his fault, but many were, so taking him out of the lineup and getting Hamonic back in should help make it more difficult for opposing teams to score. With Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, Hamonic, Lubomir Visnovsky, Calvin de Haan and Thomas Hickey, the Islanders will be in good shape defensively. I'm not overly concerned about that aspect of their game.

That having been said, this could've already been addressed. Matt Donovan has been a healthy scratch every night, while Strait has not only made mistake after mistake, but hasn't been benched or missed a single shift as a result of those mistakes.

That's on the coaching staff. Jack Capuano has been very quick to criticize his younger forwards, but has never hesitated to put Strait on the ice in key situations, despite his horrendous play. If you're going to hold your players accountable, you need to be consistent.

You can't say that Ryan Strome was "average" in a game where he had two assists, but give Strait a roster spot every night after he's been directly responsible for so many goals-against.

Capuano sounded more upset after the win at Madison Square Garden than he did after losing 5-0 in Denver. What he says to the media and behind closed doors could be very different, but given the way the last two games have gone for the Islanders, he's gotta have the most effective anger-management techniques known to mankind.

Either that, or he's been inconsistent in terms of holding his players accountable.

You have to wonder just how much rope Capuano has this season, because GM Garth Snow has given him pieces to work with and there's clearly been a mandate from ownership and the front office to make the playoffs this year.

The Isles' defensive woes appear to be systemic, a result of miscommunication between players on the ice or poor positioning. They're not stemming from a lack of talent, that'sor sure. It's on the players, but it's on the coaching staff as well.

Perhaps the system just isn't effective enough and needs to be modified. That's what separates good and bad coaches at this level -- the ability to adapt and adjust to any scenario thrown their way.

I just don't see Capuano making those necessary adjustments, both during and between games.

There have been too many questionable lineup decisions and too many poor in-game decisions. It seems as if this team gets shelled in the second period every other night. You'd think just once that it might be a good idea to call a timeout and settle the players down.

Nobody wants to hear about getting pucks to the net, how the defense needs to activate or how the younger guys just aren't playing well enough anymore. It's put-up-or-shut-up time for Capuano, and his time could be running out.

He needs to step up and prove he's an NHL coach who can get the Islanders to that next level. Right now, he's just not showing that. There's no guarantee they'd have a better record with smarter coaching, but there's certainly a fair case to be made that the Isles would've been in better position to win some of those games.

That the Islanders are struggling between the pipes is a bit shocking, and though their goaltending has been alarmingly bad thus far, I would say it's more likely to improve than it is to continue sputtering out of control.

Jaroslav Halak has historically been a slow starter, and this season appears to be no exception. But Halak has historically been a very good goalie after finding his groove, and regardless of how he's played here in the early going, there's no definitive proof that history won't repeat itself.

If anything, we can look at Halak's performances against the Rangers and Sharks and use those as evidence that he's clearly underperforming. Let's not pretend he hasn't shown flashes or made any big saves in key moments.

Whether Capuano will make the right tweaks or the Isles' forwards will manage the puck better -- those are legitimate questions that we simply don't have answers to right now. Whether Halak will start playing like Halak again, well that's far more likely to happen.

Of all the team's issues, I'm most confident that the goaltending will sort itself out.

There's plenty of time to salvage the season, especially since the Isles jumped out to that great start. That having been said, they cannot afford another November swoon. This team needs to plug up the holes before things spiral out of control.

The Islanders have the potential to be a winning hockey team. Whether or not they become one is entirely in their control.

Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter @DFriedmanOnNYI

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