Mottau's eye injury further depletes Islanders
New York Islanders Mike Mottau is helped off the ice after suffering an injury, apparently being hit by the puck, during 1st-period action against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, November 21, 2010. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT) Credit: MCT/Curtis Compton
Garth Snow spent most of Monday afternoon meeting with the injured Islanders who went to Nassau Coliseum for treatment on the team's day off.
Yes, it was a long day of meetings.
Mike Mottau spent a second night in an Atlanta hospital after taking a puck off his right eye Sunday. His injury meant Snow and interim coach Jack Capuano must decide on yet another defenseman to fill in.
Though he'll be out indefinitely, Mottau Monday was able to recognize colors and count fingers held up in front of his injured eye.
The Islanders started training camp with eight defensemen who had NHL experience. They're down to three. Mark Streit (shoulder), Andrew MacDonald (hand), Milan Jurcina (hamstring), Jack Hillen (concussion) and Mottau are out.
A potential replacement also is down. Bridgeport's Dustin Kohn is out two weeks with a knee injury, so Travis Hamonic, 20, appears to be the likeliest candidate to be recalled to replace Mottau.
"We still haven't had the team that we assembled this summer on the ice," Snow said. "We lost Streit before the season began, and losing MacDonald and Jurcina was a bigger blow than people realized. But whoever's on the ice, we have to find a way to limit the chances against."
The Islanders have to find a way, period. After Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss in Atlanta, the 0-11-2 streak has been marked by one goal or none in nine of the last 11 games. Capuano expressed dissatisfaction with his team over the weekend, and changes in lines and assignments among the underperforming forwards could be coming for tomorrow's home game against the Blue Jackets.
"First and foremost, it's on the players to be accountable to themselves," Snow said. "The next step is for the coaching staff to hold players accountable, and that's up to them to decide what they want to do. We need to find some secondary scoring. It can't always be John Tavares or Matt Moulson."
Scott Gordon was fired eight days ago, and the winless streak is into a second month. The Islanders are under constant fire, and Snow accepts the harsh criticism.
"It's about winning games," he said. "The focus is on trying to win a game Wednesday, on putting good shifts together, good periods together. There isn't anything else we're concerned about."
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