DiPietro Is Out, Islanders Are Down

Well, at least the third jersey is a hit. Scott Gordon's first 10 games as head coach are among the worst in team history, down there with Earl Ingarfield and Phil Goyette, who posted their stanky stretches in the inaugural and historically bad 1972-73 season. But you can't completely blame Gordon for what's gone on so far. Yes, the team has had its troubles adapting to a completely new system after a tough training camp, and those growing pains were expected. But injuries—to defensemen Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek and Freddy Meyer, and goalie Rick DiPietro, who will be out four to six weeks after surgery to repair an unidentified damaged meniscus—combined with an inability to capitalize on scoring chances when they present themselves, have conspired to sink the Islanders to the bottom of the standings. Whatever enthusiasm the fans had at the start of the new campaign has been dampened. Regarding DiPietro: Whether the meniscus in question is in his right knee or his left, it really ... (link)