Islanders coach Jack Capuano knows his team has gotten off to a historically bad offensive start, and he’s decided to take it out on his facial hair.
Capuano got rid of his goatee yesterday and will be clean shaven when his team heads to Pittsburgh tonight to play the back end of a home-and-home against the Penguins.
“That we haven’t scored in a while?” Capuano asked rhetorically. “Maybe.”
The 14 goals the Islanders have scored through the first seven games of the season (3-4-0) are the least they’ve scored at this point in a season since 1973-74, according to Islanders statistician Eric Hornick. They scored 12 goals through seven games that season, the second year of the franchise’s existence and Al Arbour’s first behind the bench.
“You try not to put it in their heads,” Capuano said. “Guys were around the net and we did have a lot of chances [in Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to the Penguins] and hopefully it will just come for them, and when it comes it will continue.”
The team started the year getting big production from its top line, centered by the superlative John Tavares. But in the past three games the Islanders have been outscored 11-3, not so surprisingly resulting in three losses.
“It’s obviously frustrating,” said winger Kyle Okposo, who has been held without a goal and has just one assist. “Especially our line and me personally, it’s been tough. But you just keep playing and they’re going to go in because I feel like I’m playing well and working hard and eventually they’re going to go.”
Okposo’s line has been centered by Frans Nielsen, with the other wing occupied by Michael Grabner. As a group they’ve combined for three goals, one assist and a minus-7 rating.
To change that production, Okposo will take anything he can get.
“Oh, I hope I get one off my shin pad or off my skate or whatever, I don’t care,” he said. “But hopefully that will just jump-start our offense. We’re not going to be tied down forever.”