Young Isles playing with confidence - and it shows

The Islanders are better this season, but the chicken-or-the egg - confidence-or-success - causality question is as elusive as ever. Have young players such as Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Blake Comeau and Matt Moulson become noticeably improved pros because of self-belief? Or have a few timely goals and a 4-2-2 start convinced them they can have a real impact in the league?

"It's a good question," said Moulson, whose new comfort level in the NHL coincided with a team-leading 30 goals last season. "I think they kind of go hand in hand. You have to have confidence to be successful; you're not going to be successful if you don't think you're going to do well, so maybe the confidence comes first."

Moulson already has four goals and three assists in eight games this season, and the positive vibes could be spreading.

"It's definitely an attitude," Moulson said. "You have to have that attitude - that swagger, they say - where you can know you're going to win games. All great teams have that; they don't play their best every single game but they have that attitude that they're going to win no matter what. That's the attitude I see developing here."

On the other hand . . .

"Confidence is, for me, a 10-letter word," coach Scott Gordon said. "I can write it down on a piece of paper and I can give it to you to put in your pocket and you have it.

"I think it's something that's overplayed. Players say, 'I'm lacking confidence.' You're lacking confidence because, chances are, you're not doing the right things. You might get a little snakebit as far as goal scoring, but that's not going to stop you from making the effort in practice, doesn't stop you from finishing checks, doesn't stop you from getting pucks out of the zone. Usually, guys who are lacking confidence are taking short cuts, taking the easy way out."

Notes & quotes: With forward Michael Grabner sidelined by a groin injury, the Islanders called up Matt Martin, 21, from their Bridgeport affiliate. Martin, kept off the season-opening roster because of a foot injury, had one goal and two assists for Bridgeport. It is almost decision time - "But it isn't," Gordon said - on whether to keep Nino Niederreiter or return him to junior hockey after tomorrow's ninth-game cutoff. Gordon said he and general manager Garth Snow will "have a discussion in more depth on Thursday" about Niederreiter.