head coach: Rick Bowness

roster: C - Robert Reichel, Travis Green*, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Paul Kruse, Ken Belanger. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Mariusz Czerkawski*, Dan Plante, Steve Webb, Todd Bertuzzi. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, John Namestnikov. G - Eric Fichaud, Wade Flaherty, Tommy Salo.
*-Unsigned free agent.

injuries: None.

transactions: None.

standings:

GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME      ROAD
 2   1   0   1     3    5    2  1-0-0     0-0-1

game results:

10/03 at NY Rangers  T 2-2
10/04 Toronto        W 3-0

team news:

by David Strauss, NY Islanders Correspondent

As the Islanders opened the 1997-98 season, it seemed that the same questions hung over the team as last year, but finally, it seems, those questions have some answers.

For instance, it has been rumored in this column that, at the end of the game, the team with the most goals wins. The Islanders seem to have trouble with this concept at times, assuming that that pesky offensive side of the ice isn't really that important. They struggled to score goals often last season. While You Can't Stop Zigmund Palffy, You Can Only Hope to Contain Him (TM), last year Ziggy was often on his own. Even considering this, he still scored 48 goals, and GM Mike Milbury challenged him in preseason to up that total to 60 this season. Palffy was the Isles' only true offensive threat up front, noted by the fact they went 19-11- 5 when Palffy scored and 10-30-7 when he didn't.

With Ziggy taking it easy in the preseason, the Islanders were a horrid 0-6 and scored a league-low nine goals.

So, if one were to note that after two early season games, not only Palffy but also his linemates Robert Reichel and Bryan Smolinski were without goals, one would assume the Isles were off to another scary start. But you know what they say about assuming. The Islanders have done just fine without him.

They've started the season 1-0-1, despite the lack of a contribution from Ziggy, who was fifth in the league in goals last season. In two games, Palffy has seven shots, one assist and is plus-2. He's certainly had his chances, but hasn't buried the puck yet.

"Ziggy and those guys are not going to carry the load every night," said coach Rick Bowness. "They need help. That goes back to balance. But, as I said, we have better balance on our hockey club now, better depth. Other guys are going to chip in."

The other guys have chipped in. The Islanders have a 2-2 tie with the Rangers and a 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, getting goals from four players and assists from eight others. Claude LaPointe, of all people, leads the team in scoring so far.

"I think we have more depth up front," Bowness said. "That helps. Because now you're not relying on Ziggy to play 25, 28 minutes every night - and so the minutes he's going to play will be more productive."

In the season opener with the Rangers on Friday, the Islanders played confident, solid hockey, outplaying the Blueshirts through large stretches, outworking them, and in a reverse from last season's early struggles, stayed poised after the Rangers tied the game midway through the third. They outshot their rival 11-9 in the third period and 2-0 in overtime.

"We know the things that happened to us last year," defenseman Bryan Berard said. "But the confidence level on this team is much higher already than it was all of last year."

While a two-game unbeaten streak is modest, it's just the second time in the last decade the Isles have managed to get this far without a loss.

Foremost in the solid team effort so far would have to be the solid goaltending of Tommy Salo, who Bowness seems to have appointed the number one keeper. Salo has stopped 57 of 59 shots, and has looked like the quality goaltender the Isles have been waiting for him to become for several years.

But don't worry about Ziggy. He didn't get his first goal last season until game three, and there was still plenty of time for 47 more.

NOTES...

* So, was Isles GM Mike Milbury interested in acquiring former Isle star Pat LaFontaine when the Buffalo center became available? Milbury said the other day he had a "passing interest" -- one that passed very quickly. "We have a history here [of concussions], we have an issue with Brett Lindros," Milbury said. "We had one discussion about Pat and we weren't willing to take the risk".

The Islanders have sued a Lloyds of London underwriter for $4.3 million after the insurance company refused to pay 80% of the remainder of Lindros' salary. The defendant in the suit, Boston Mutual, claims Lindros had a preexisting condition before the Islanders took out the insurance policy in 1994.

* The sellout in the home opener continues the trend of Islander fans returning to the Coliseum on a regular basis. Despite some local columnists who called it a "rare sellout," the capacity crowd of 16,297 was the team's 12th sellout in the last 21 games. Loudest cheers in the pre-game ceremonies went to Ziggy Palffy, Bryan Berard, and Ken "Sandman" Belanger. The only player booed in the intros was center Travis Green. "I can feel the love," Green said. Fans are angered that for the second straight season, Green was a preseason holdout. The 26-year-old center missed three weeks of camp, then signed a three-year deal worth $4.65 million. "I don't like it," Green said of the booing. "Who would? But anyone who booed either didn't follow the negotiations that closely - or just doesn't care. Because if they followed the negotiations, they wouldn't be booing me." Green neglected to note that fans also should have followed his admission last season that his 1996 holdout contributed to his slow start, and were shocked he'd be that stupid again.

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