Islanders head coach Scott Gordon gives out instructions during a...

Islanders head coach Scott Gordon gives out instructions during a prospect camp at Iceworks in Syosset. Credit: Kathy Kmonicek

Maybe it won't mean a thing come April. But maybe Scott Gordon's second-intermission pop quiz on New Year's Eve in Ottawa will be the sort of midseason turning point the Islanders can look back upon and say something like: "That was when the light went on."

That night, after a dismal second period in which they were outshot 16-7 and outscored 2-1, Gordon asked his players if they knew where Ottawa was in the standings.

"And they didn't," Gordon said this past week. "My point to the team was the significance of the two points - they were three points ahead of us then. This is what it's all about. We're not just putting the uniform on and going out to play. You have to realize, this is basically a playoff game."

The Islanders worked a point out of that game and then won four of the next five heading into last night's game with the Sabres. They also passed the next quiz two nights later, before a home game with the Thrashers, yet another of the nine teams squeezed in and around the Islanders in the chase for basically the last four Eastern Conference playoff slots.

"It means a lot to see that and it opens your eyes to see how you've come from last April," captain Doug Weight said. "It's something we all missed last year. You love going to play a Pittsburgh, but 15 games in, you're already eliminated. We all want that feeling this year and we believe."

The culmination was Tuesday at the Coliseum: A 6-0 smoking of the Red Wings. True, Detroit is not what it was even a season ago, but it still is the king franchise of the NHL.

And this wasn't just an inter-conference no-show game by the Wings; this was the most complete Islanders game in the 130 that Gordon has coached.

"We had some extra emotion in here, and you could feel it," Weight said. "We answered the bell."

If the Islanders make the playoffs this season, Gordon deserves strong, strong consideration for the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. Even if they miss, the Islanders are a changed team on the ice, and the coach with some pretty decent motivational tools has a lot to do with it.

Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez; Gary Licker

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.

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