NY Islanders know what's gone wrong during losing streak but can they fix It?

For the first month of the season, the New York Islanders looked like a team that had finally figured out its identity. They weren't necessarily going to overwhelm opponents with offensive firepower, but they were structured, disciplined and difficult to play against. It was exactly the kind of hockey Pete DeBoer wanted.

Four straight losses later, you have to wonder where that team went.

The frustrating part isn't that the Isles have suddenly forgotten how to play winning hockey. It's that they've gotten away from the very things that made them successful.

"It's all a mindset for us," captain Bo Horvat told Newsday following Tuesday's practice. "We know what our good game likes like and then sometimes we just get away from it and it kind of bites us."

That's what makes this recent stretch so maddening. The Islanders aren't being outclassed for 60 minutes. They're showing stretches of the same disciplined hockey that carried them through October, only to abandon it when the game starts opening up.

Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose was a perfect example. The Isles controlled the opening 10 minutes, grabbed an early lead and then seemingly decided they could trade chances with the Sharks.

They can't. At least not consistently.

"We turned the puck over too much and we didn't defend with enough detail," DeBoer said. "We got into a game that we're not built for in order to win."

The Islanders aren't built to win track meets. Their success depends on puck management, responsible defensive positioning and making opponents work for every inch of ice.

And getting back to that shouldn't require some dramatic adjustment.

It requires the discipline to stick with what's working, even after taking an early lead. No unnecessary risks. No careless turnovers. No confusing offensive opportunities with an invitation to abandon defensive responsibilities.

Thursday against the Kings would be a good time to remember that.

The Isles don't need to reinvent their game. They need to stop forgetting what made it work.

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