Are Capuano's Isles Consistently Inconsistent?

The Isles lost to the Boston Bruins by a 2-1 score.  They are 1-3-2 in their last six games after a 6-2-1 start and have scored just 9 goals over those games. Because of this, they have fallen to a 7-5-3 record (17pts), putting them in 5th place within the Metro and ranking them 7th in the eastern conference (and 12^th in league).  They are 5-3-2 at home and 2-2-1 on the road.

Offensively, they are ranked 8th in goals for, with 40.  John Tavares and Kyle Okposo lead the team with 11pts after 15 games (JT played 12 games due to flu) while Frans Nielsen has 10 points on the season.  Once a strength, the Isles offense is starting to abandon them in close games with trends like JT being held without a point in his last 4 games.  

The Isles have struggled to find offensive production lately.  They are 6-1-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-4-3 when they do not.  This stat presented by Eric Hornick was proven last season when they were 40-8-4 when scoring at least three goals (including SO winners).

Their on and off PP is still 4th in the NHL (23.1%) despite going 1 for 7 in their last game against Boston on the man advantage. 

Defensively as a team, they are 17th in goals against with 36.  Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss have played well so far. Halak is 4-3-1 with a .928Sv% and a 1.88 gaa & Greiss is 3-1-2 with a .924Sv% and a 2.45 gaa.  Still pretty good numbers, but the team’s inconsistency have worn away at their place in the standings.  They are ranked 4th on the PK (87.8%) and their ability to succeed in man down situations has kept them in games in which they have struggled.  However, recently the Isles have allowed PP goals in three straight games (7-10, 70% PK).

Remember that Pulock & Mayfield are right handed shots, so the Isles called up 21 year old D, Adam Pelech today.  Pelech has 2 & 2 for 4 points for the BST with a team-high +9 rating in 14 games.  Both of Pelech’s goals were SHG.  The Islanders selected Pelech in the third round (65th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He tallied 11 assists in 65 AHL games last season as a rookie with Bridgeport.  “It was a big surprise, but a dream come true for me,” Pelech said about his first NHL call up against the Sharks in San Jose or Kings in LA.  Pelech has the size and offensive ability to make him an interesting experiment to upgrade the Isles defense and he has earned a shot with his play in Bridgeport.

I have written my opinion on the shortcomings and successes of Jack Capuano in past KoC articles.  He has progressed with his team and there is no arguing that Jack Capuano is 172-153-49 behind the Islander bench, putting him 2^nd behind the great Al Arbour.  But the Isles team inconsistency has hurt them over the last few seasons despite their improving roster.  With their 3 game west coast trip starting tomorrow, Capuano and his staff had better win some games or you would think his time may finally be nearing an end.  However, Garth Snow has never worried about what you or I think, so there is that.

But the team has been struggling lately and are starting to misfire their way down the standings.  The struggles of Ryan Strome have gotten him sent down to the BST while Anders Lee and Brock Nelson have netted 7 & 6 points in 15 games so far.  Young players in major roles aren’t always able to consistently find their rhythm game in and game out.  As a matter of fact, vets often have troubles with this as well.  That is where coaching comes into play.  A coach needs to be equal parts tactician and motivator to be successful on the NHL.  A legendary coach like Al Arbour was a master at relating to his players and got the most out of them because of it.  Jack Capuano has gotten the team to be better and, while his current roster leaves little room for excuses, it is an ongoing project.  Still, the team’s game must keep improving.

Capuano, Weight & Cronin have helped make noticeable improvements, but the clock is ticking on JTs prime, so the reality is that the team needs to start consistently evolving and not struggling with the same problems holding 3^rd period leads or floundering on special teams.  If not, Garth Snow must be on the lookout for proven & available NHL coaches that fit his system, as well as potential trades or player acquisitions of quality veterans.

Consistency is key. The team’s focus must be on who is playing hard & the coaching staff should run with them. All players, both star or rookie, need to understand that. A player’s talent must equal their effort in order to win consistently.  But in order to find true consistency throughout the lineup, it needs to be managed by coaching. Players must be accountable, and so must coaches.

Isles Notes:

The Isles have lost 31 man games this season due to injury/illness.

Sound Tigers Notes:

The Sound Tigers are 10-4-0-0 thus far this season.