Going Down Swinging….Isles Lose 1-0 Despite 53 Shots

You certainly can’t cite the Islanders for a lack of effort for their 1-0 loss to Florida on Sunday. However, you would be dead on in identifying a lack of scoring talent as the culprit.

The team came away with zero points on “The Core of the Four” Weekend at the Coliseum and have just about put any hope of a playoff berth to rest.

David Booth of Florida scored a goal midway through the first period and provided the only cushion his team would need. Time and again, the Islanders threw the puck at Panthers’ backup goalie Craig Anderson, desperately hoping for a cheap goal or a rebound to end up on a teammate’s stick. Alas, it was not to be.

“How could they end up with 53 shots and not have one go in?” is a commonly asked question in Islander Country today. To determine the answer, all one would need to do is re-watch the game. I counted 4 (four) legitimate scoring opportunities from the slot area. Four….for the entire game. The rest of the shots were from the perimeter or impossible angles with no traffic in front to distract Anderson from making an easy save.

Oh sure…there was the usual run of bad luck as well. Mike Comrie dinged a shot off the post in the second period. Radek Martinek pinched in on a first period powerplay and had an open net to shoot at, only to have the puck hop over his stick. These plays only underscored the obvious: If your team consistently clogs the front of the net and puts itself in a position to bang in rebounds, you can afford the occasional missed chance.

Another glaring area of weakness for the Islanders is Toughness. Once Chris Simon was traded away, the team was left without an Enforcer and opposing teams are taking advantage of the fact. Defenseman Bruno Gervais left the game with an apparent concussion after a hard open ice hit by Branislav Mezei of Florida. Andy Hilbert was continuously tossed around like a rag doll as he fished in vain for rebounds near the Florida crease.

Ted Nolan’s frustration is more than a little noticeable. His mantra in postgame press conferences has been the same after every recent game: “We gave what we had to give.” Translation: “We’re working hard but we just don’t have the talent to compete on a regular basis.”

Hard work can only accomplish just so much. It can mask deficiencies to a certain extent, but at the end of the day, you will rise (or sink) to the level of your abilities.

The Islanders prove it more and more every day.