head coach: Rick Bowness

roster: C - Robert Reichel, Travis Green, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Paul Kruse, Ken Belanger, Tom Chorske. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dan Plante, Todd Bertuzzi, Steve Webb, Vladimir Orszagh, Dane Jackson. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, Doug Houda, Zdeno Chara, Jason Strudwick. G - Eric Fichaud, Tommy Salo, Wade Flaherty.

injuries: Dennis Vaske, d (concussion, indefinite); Ken Belanger, lw (surgery, out 10 weeks).

transactions: Recalled Jason Strudwick, d, from Kentucky (AHL) and Dane Jackson, rw, from Rochester (AHL).

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
New Jersey   50  31  15   4    66  148  102
Philadelphia 48  27  12   9    63  144  104
Washington   50  25  17   8    58  142  127
NY Rangers   50  16  21  13    45  127  137
Florida      51  15  25  11    41  125  149
NY Islanders 50  16  27   7    39  127  145
Tampa Bay    49   9  32   8    26   87  160

game results:

1/20 at Chicago      L 5-2
1/22 at St. Louis    T 3-3
1/24 at Ottawa       L 3-2
1/26 at Philadelphia L 3-1

team news:

by David Strauss, NY Islanders Correspondent

So, if 1-13-2 in the last 16 games isn't enough to get you fired, I'm kind of wondering what coach Rick Bowness has on GM Mike Milbury. Sure they're friends. Sure they're buddies. But you gotta wonder if Milbury once made a pass at a hippo while drunk, and Bowness has pictures of it.

Because otherwise, it's a question as to why Milbury is standing pat as the Isles season goes down the tubes.

The Isles (16-28-7) are a season-worst 12 games below .500 -- an embarrassing 1-13-2 in their last 16, and as a capper, fired a franchise-low 11 shots on Flyers goalie Ron Hextall in Philadelphia Monday night. Hextall was seen sending out for some pizza during the second period, taking advantage of that Toppings! Toppings! promotion.

Whether the slide is 100% Bowness' fault is certainly debatable. The team has looked listless and bored during several games of the streak, and were embarrassingly flat for key games against teams like Carolina and Ottawa even before they started the current slump. But Milbury hasn't made any moves to improve the club either, and calling up minor leaguers like Kip Miller and Steve Webb ain't gonna do it. Milbury has perhaps overrated his assets, and has been cautious on the trading front, afraid to make a deal that might come back to hurt him.

When other teams have approached Milbury about blockbuster deals, he's been reluctant to trade away Bryan Berard or Kenny Jonsson, whom he hopes will be the backbone of the Isles' blue line well into the next decade. Detroit reportedly offered holdout Sergei Fedorov straight up for Berard, which Milbury nixed.

Canadian papers were also reporting that Mike Keenan had offered Trevor Linden and Alex Mogilny to the Isles for packages, but with Linden suffering an injury, those potential deals are off.

If the Islanders are talented enough to beat the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings in Detroit and tie them at the Nassau Coliseum, then it's logical to assume that the team's lack of cohesiveness has caused their current streak.

Milbury's rebuilding plan appeared to be on track until the slide. The Isles were a .500 team, on course for a playoff berth. "I was happy until Dec. 23," Milbury said. "I can't say I was satisfied, but I was content there was progress being made. What's baffling is we just completely tanked. There a lot of things I've done that's made a positive impact but the net result is we're not much different than we were last year. Somehow it hasn't jelled."

Milbury has been reluctant to point specific fingers at specific players, although he's obviously been displeased with the play of such players as Berard, Mariusz Czerkawski, and Bryan Smolinski. And then there's the C word.

"Character's an issue," Milbury said. Some interpreted this remark as a shot at the Isles' younger players, who were said to have little respect for their veteran teammates and no respect for the game. "I think that's horse [manure]," Berard said. "I believe everybody in this locker room respects the game. Some players try to do too much, especially since things aren't going well. Guys get away from the system, do things individually. But, they're trying to win."

Mike Hough said it all, though, when he added "Losers find excuses. Winners find ways."

NOTES:

The NHL's board of governors approved the sale of the Islanders to a partnership led by Steven Gluckstern, who has been a part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. The board also approved Gluckstern selling his share of the Coyotes to his Coyotes co-owner Richard Burke, freeing Gluckstern to buy the Islanders. Gluckstern's partners in the $195 million purchase of the Islanders are Howard Millstein, Stephen Ross and Dan Doctoross. Until he officially takes over, however, expect John "Ogre" Pickett to squeeze every dime out of the franchise. Why should things change now after all these years?

Gluckstern said he expects to close both sales simultaneously in two to four weeks. He plans to have a new arena built on the site of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the team's home since joining the NHL in 1972.

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