Islanders Fire Gordon: Is He Really Who Deserves The Blame?

The New York Islanders fired coach Scott Gordon Monday, replacing him with Jack Capuano, coach of the Islanders AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The Islanders are currently on a 10 game losing streak and many fans were calling for some sort of shakeup, firing Gordon being the most attractive option. But is Gordon really the reason the Islanders can't seem to win.

Here are what I think are the real reasons.

Goaltending: Rick DiPietro

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UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 09: Rick DiPietro #39 of the New York Islanders looks on from the bench as his team plays against the Nashville Predators on February 9, 2010 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Predators 4-3 aft

The Islanders have been trying to bounce back and forth between two goalies this season, with Dwayne Roloson getting more of the starts lately. This is obviously the right decision by Gordon, as Rolie the Goalie has been much better in the net. But Rick DiPietro has been plain awful. He is giving up 4.21 goals per game, a shockingly high number. He is also saving only 85.4% of the shots sent his way. Both of these stats land DP near the bottom of the league in both categories. Rumors even swirled Sunday that the Islanders may send DP to Bridgeport, showing the lack of faith fans and possibly the team have in him.

Is it Gordon's fault that the Islanders put so much faith in DP? Absolutely not, and you could argue that the way he is using the goalies is the best he can do. Rolie is over 40, and just can't play everyday.

Injuries: Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, Others

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UNIONDALE, NY - APRIL 03: Mark Streit #2 of the New York Islanders skates against the Ottawa Senators on April 3, 2010 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Isles defeated the Senators 4-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Islanders have been plagued with injuries this year. They are most importantly missing two of their top five players, Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo.

Streit is out indefinitely after tearing his left labrun and rotator cuff. He is arguably the most valuable player on the Islanders power-play, and is also a defensive leader. Streit managed to make the All-Star ballot this year without even being healthy and playing a regular season game.

Okposo is out another month or two after injuring his right shoulder. Okposo has steadily improved his points the past three years, and was expected to have a breakout season this year alongside John Tavares.

These injuries, along with a few others are obviously going to water down the talent level that hits the ice for the Islanders this year. Scott Gordon has had to patch this team together and make due with the pieces that are healthy, and has honestly done just as good a job as any other coach would have.

Lack of Offensive Fire Power

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SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 11: Goalie Antero Niittymaki #30 of the San Jose Sharks makes a save while Dan Boyle #22 fends off John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders on November 11, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Islanders biggest weakness may be that they can not put the puck in the net, having scored just 37 goals on the season so far.

The Islanders come in second in goals per game, just above the New Jersey Devils. Their leading point producer is a defenseman, James Wisniewski, who has 13 points on the season but is a awful -12 in plus/minus.

Players have had bursts of splendid play, P.A. Parenteau and Josh Baily to name two, but overall the level of offensive play has been poor. The Islanders do not really have a dedicated scorer, and need to put more pieces around John Tavares if they want him to get there. 

This is where you can find fault in Scott Gordon's coaching, but it is still difficult to pin this problem on him when this is the deck of scorers he has to deal with.

What Does The Future Hold?

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UNIONDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders poses for a portrait at Nassau Coliseum on September 10, 2005 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

For now this under-talented team is in the hands of Jack Capuano. Will he do any better? Time will tell, but maybe the Islanders saw how well the Cowboys did with their new coach this week, and figured 'hey that will work for us too'. The one big difference, the Cowboys have talented players who were not trying hard enough. The Islanders on the other hand have mediocre players burned out from trying so hard at the beginning of the season.