Islanders stress improvement on special teams

The Islanders took turns collecting pucks sitting across both blue lines at Iceworks, and they skated in on the goalie at each end of the rink. Soon they were shooting from in close at one end and from the point at the other.

The point is to find the net in games, especially during the power play, and keep the puck out of the net, especially during the opposing power play. The Isles' special teams haven't been too special lately.

"My concern right now is making sure our special teams get better because we've played pretty well even strength," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after Tuesday's practice in advance of Wednesday night's game against the Flyers at Barclays Center. "They are streaky. But at the end of the day, we have to be better if we're going to win hockey games."

The Islanders haven't found their way with any consistency yet, standing at just 10-8-3, including 4-6 in November. The power is out in the power play, with two goals in 33 tries over the last nine games. The Islanders even allowed a shorthanded goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss at Montreal. The penalty killers, who began the season well, have yielded nine power-play goals over this stretch, three coming Sunday.

"Special teams can turn games at crucial times," forward Brock Nelson said. "You saw that last game. We had a power play in a 2-2 game and didn't score and gave up a power-play goal."

Kyle Okposo pointed a finger -- at himself.

"For me, being on the power play, I've had some turnovers in the last few games," the right wing said. "That just can't happen. I've got to be better."

Maybe the sight of a Metropolitan Division team will get the Islanders going in general. They were 21-6-3 in division play last season. They're 2-0-2 this season. This will mark their first game against the Flyers.

"You want to separate from other teams in your division, and right now we're kind of not up to our standards," Nelson said. "I think we want to come out and just play our game, play hard, stick to what we do best, not overthink things. Just play a simple game."

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Thomas Hickey practiced with the team for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury Oct. 24. "He's still some time away," Capuano said. "But it's good to have him out there. He went through the protocol of what he needs to do. Now you'll probably see him practice with us for the next week or so." . . . Capuano said he wants more scoring from the Mikhail Grabovski and Casey Cizikas lines . . . Goalie J-F Berube was sent to Bridgeport for conditioning.