ESPN

The Islanders announced the contract extension for 20-year-old John Tavares, but they still have one order of business to complete.

Another member of the team's young core, Josh Bailey, remains unsigned.

Earlier this summer Bailey opted not to sign his qualifying offer and the two sides have yet to settle on a new deal.

Per Islanders team policy, Bailey must sign before training camp -- no holdout -- or he forfeits the entire season while the team retains his rights.

Isles GM Garth Snow told ESPNNewYork.com this morning that the deadline for Bailey to sign a deal is 7 a.m. Friday, when players report for physicals.

As of late Thursday morning, Bailey had nothing new to report on contract discussions.

"No. Not yet, anyway," he said after the Islanders' informal skate in Syosset, N.Y. "Not much time left time now, so hopefully I'll have some news for you in the near future."

Is this process dragging on longer than he'd like?

"No question. What player wants to come down to the final day?" he asked. "I don't think either side wanted it to come down to the final day. In a perfect world things get done right [away] but it doesn't always work that way.

"There's not much time left, so hopefully things get resolved."

When asked whether he was as confident now as he was last week -- when he expressed optimism the deal would be resolved quickly -- Bailey said:

"Probably not as confident just because it's taken so long. I thought it would have been figured out by now. But I still am confident; don't get me wrong. It's not like we've taken steps backwards or anything like that."

The Islanders lost 5-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday night. Normally a lopsided beating by the reining Stanley Cup champs wouldn’t register as unusual, but given the Islanders’ 8-2-1 record coming into that game it sure seemed to be a hasty reversal of fortune.

But after breaking down that hot streak a little bit, the one-sided Sunday loss may not be that strange at all.

Over the course of the Islanders’ streak they dialed up goal scoring and seriously cracked down on the opposition. In the Isles’ first 28 games, they averaged a mere 2.1 goals per game, while yielding 3.43. Simply put, that’s pretty wretched and given these figures it was no shock to see the Islanders dueling with the New Jersey Devils for occupancy of the NHL cellar.

Then something sensational happened and the Islanders seemingly blossomed. During the last 11 games heading into Chicago, the Isles upped their goals per game average to 3.01 while cutting goals against to 2.36 per contest. You don’t need to be a genius to see how those two drastic changes in the scoring department could lead to an 8-2-1 hot streak.

Another encouraging sign: The Isles’ core of young talent was leading the way during the streak. John Tavares was averaging better than a point per game (six goals, eight assists) heading into ChiTown. D Andrew MacDonald smoothly transitioned to his role on the top defensive pairing by posting 10 assists. Josh Bailey potted three goals and three assists after being recalled from the AHL and five goals and four helpers from Blake Comeau were notable as well.

The Isles were especially clicking on the power play. New York averaged 1.1 goals per game with the man advantage over the previous 11 games, half a goal better than their season average through the season’s first 28 games. A man down, the Isles improved their PK percentage by 6.4 percent during the streak.

Those are all reasons for optimism as this young club continues to develop. But there are a few signs that seem to indicate the Islanders are about to come back to Earth.

By looking a little closer at special teams we start to see why the previous 11 games may have been a skewed sample. The Islanders may have outscored their opponents 34-26 over that stretch, but if you look only at even-strength performance, usually one of the best predictors of future success, the Islanders were just better than even (22 goals for, 21 against). That’s not a bad mark at all, but it’s not one that indicates the Islanders can keep playing .800 hockey.

The real discouraging mark comes in the shot department. Despite their success, the Islanders were outshot 409 to 293 during the hot stretch. That’s an awful lot of reliance on the goaltending trio of Rick DiPietro, Nathan Lawson and Kevin Poulin.

On average, NHL teams score on about nine percent of their shots. The Islander opponents converted just six percent. Had those foes clicked at the NHL average rate they would have potted 36 goals in the previous 11 games, two more than the Islanders, who enjoyed a shooting percentage of 11.6 percent. If you believe in regression to the mean, it looks like the Isles have just been enjoying a stretch of good luck that coincided with some timely breakouts by their young stars.

For the previous 11 games, the Islanders seemed to be on fire. Turns out the may have just been playing with it. Sunday in Chicago they got burned. The young core is a solid one and lately demonstrated their vast potential. But if the Isles can’t crack down on their opponents’ shot totals, they're more than likely going to get burned again.

Make DiPietro into the main man.

Dwayne Roloson is gone. Rick DiPietro has to now be the goalie to whom the new York Islanders gave a 15-year contract. That requires DiPietro to play most nights and to be solid. This is his chance to take off running and finally be the clear No. 1.

Get Bailey going.

Josh Bailey is back from the minors and scoring. Why he was sent down is beyond me. Bailey needs to continue to grow and be the player they drafted.

Spend some money.

Charles Wang has to decide what to do. When he first took over, Wang spent money and was aggressive. He put cash into the team. Now it seems like he's just waiting for the end to come. Putting a team on the ice at just a tad over the floor of the salary cap is not right.

Yes, he's losing money. But is running it like this going to turn it around? If just standing in place is the only thing left for Wang to do, then he should just sell the team. You can blame Garth Snow. But to me, this is all the owner's fault.

This is just another lost season for the Islanders.

It's just time to watch the kids grow and hope that someone can take this team in the right direction.

The Isles and Devils clash for the second time this season, with the loser taking sole possession of the NHL basement. It's hard to believe both of these teams are in the cellar at this point in the season, but one of them will have chance to stay out of it for the holidays with two points Thursday night. Here are four factors to watch for when the puck drops in Newark.

Bailey's Back

The Islanders finally recalled Josh Bailey from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers after his surprise demotion in November. Not surprisingly, the prime prospect produced in bunches during his AHL stint, racking up 17 points in 11 games. He had struggled badly, failing to record a point in 13 straight games before being sent down. In his first game back with the big club on Wednesday he put two shots on goal in just under 18 minutes of ice time. We'll see if he can get that elusive point Thursday.

You Don't Score, Until You Score

The Devils went goalless in their first meeting with the Isles, a 2-0 loss Nov. 26. In that contest Rick DiPietro turned aside all New Jersey shooters, but the Islander netminder is currently sidelined with swelling in his knee. Dwayne Roloson picked up the win Wednesday night against Tampa Bay, so it will be interesting to see if the Isles roll with Roloson two nights in a row or if they turn to Nathan Lawson, who tended the nets in Saturday's shootout loss to Phoenix.

First One to One Wins?

The Devils and the Islanders represent the two lowest scoring teams in the NHL, so expect a pitchers duel Thursday night. New Jersey has gone three straight games with just a single goal to their credit and have failed to light the lamp more than once in six of their last nine games.

No, Seriously, First One to One Might Win

As you would expect from the two lowest scoring teams in the league, neither squad particularly excels at mounting a comeback. The Devils have a winning percentage of just .105 percent when trailing after the first period. The Isles? They're even worse at .053 percent. The moral of this statistical story? Come out quickly, because the first 20 minutes will dictate a lot about this game.

What did we learn about the New York Islanders?

They are way too sensitive.

The treatment of Chris Botta of AOL Fanhouse was a joke. Revoking his credential was a very poor way to handle the situation. It may have distracted the hockey world about how bad the Islanders' start to the season has been. But then only added to the embarrassment. I like Garth Snow. I think he dropped the ball on this one.

Rick DiPietro is playing better.

Dipietro is healthy for the first time in a while. After a slow start, he's been better late in the month. He was great in an OT loss to the Thrashers and stoned the Devils to end the Isles' 14-game slide.

Step back for John Tavares.

Tavares has eight goals, not bad for the second-year player, but only two in November. It's tough spot for him on a team that's struggling. He needs to fight through it. Keep shooting the puck. He has scored in half the games in which he's had four or more shots.

Why was Josh Bailey sent down?

This one I don't get. He hasn't been great, just three goals and three assists but what does going down to the minors prove? Let the kid play with the big boys. I talked to a few people around the league and no one really knows why this was done.

Matt Moulson has been solid.

This time last season Matt had five multi-point games, this year just two. He's still on pace to have a similar season. Last November, he had five goals. This November, he had four. Last year at this time, he had 11 goals, this season eight. He may be a tad off the pace but there is still time for him to match last year's coming-out party.

It's too early to tell anything about Jack Capuano.

Much the same with Jack that you saw with Scott Gordon as far as results. I believe that Snow pulled the one lever that he had left when he fired Gordon. It's not like Snow had any more players to call up or trades to make. Capuano has deserved the chance to coach in the NHL and he knows the kids. That doesn't mean he won't meet the same fate in two years.

Yup. That just happened.

Josh Bailey was shipped to the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport this morning in an attempt to jump-start the prized prospect who hasn't recorded a point for the full duration of the Isles' 13-game skid.

Overreaction? Possibly. Is it a bad move? Not necessarily. But what the move does do is raise questions, particularly considering the Islanders' current situation.

First off, is a demotion, after two years in Long Island, really in order? Despite the streak, during which everyone on the team has struggled, Bailey remains only 2.6 points per game off his pace from last season. He hasn't been stellar lately, in fact he's been pretty rough. But which Islander has has been good?

Timing may have played a role in the decision. With one more game played, Bailey would have had to pass through waivers to reach Bridgeport, so this was the last chance the club had to make the move. That said, what makes the move so striking is, to this point, the Islanders had been adamant about keeping Bailey with the big club, even as a 19-year-old. So that raises another question: He was mature enough to handle the pressures of the NHL back then, but two seasons later, he needs more time to develop?

And will he get the attention in Bridgeport he can get on Long Island? Is Bridgeport, where the team is likely still adapting to the recently promoted Pat Bingham, really the right environment?

Maybe he needed the kick in the pants. Maybe he needed to find some swagger against lesser competition to regain his offensive game. And yes, he'll undoubtedly be back with the Isles before too long. But for a team struggling to get a single win, sending down a player with as much potential as Bailey, in his third NHL season, just seems flat out odd.

It’s safe to say the Islanders’ hot start is officially over. Four straight losses mar their most recent stretch of schedule and the team’s solid starting record of 4-1-2 has now ballooned to 4-5-2. Once-sizzling Blake Comeau has registered just two points in the last seven games and hasn’t scored a goal since his pair against the Rangers on Columbus Day. Josh Bailey has scuffled since enduring a hip pointer and even when John Tavares records a hat trick, it’s not enough to get the Isles a win.

Safe to say the boys from the Island can use this three-day respite before suiting up for consecutive road games Wednesday in Carolina and Thursday in Ottawa. After that they’ll return home to take on the Philadelphia Face Checkers Flyers in a game that promises to feature more than a few gloves hitting the ice.

In the meantime, here’s some reading to get you caught up on the Isles’ situation.

Morning Links

• Chris Botta breaks down the team’s recent poor play.
• Sean Leahy over at Puck Daddy looks at some of the fisticuffs from the Flyers game.
• Lighthouse Hockey breaks down the bad (understatement) 6-1 loss to the Flyers, as well as offering an opinion on the Danny Briere's crosscheck on Frans Nielsen's face. Some people have noted Briere as a classy individual, and off the ice that may well be. On it though, he seems to favor some pretty dirty shots, such as spearing Alex Ovechkin in his man parts during a blowout Buffalo win a few seasons back.
• LHH also takes a look at the Islanders’ prospect picture.

Your first-place New York Islanders clash with the unbeaten Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Wait, did I just write that?

Okay, so the Isles are technically tied with the Penguins, but New York has played one fewer game. The Leafs, on the other hand, are the class of the Eastern Conference with their 4-0-0 start. Which team will prevail tonight? Here’s what I’ll be watching for.

You Like-a the Juice?

Milan Jurcina scored, not once, but twice in Saturday’s win over the Avalanche. He finished with three points and a plus-3 rating. Those are the kinds of contributions you are thrilled to get from a low-cost, high ceiling summer acquisition. Jurcina has an absolute bomb of a shot from the point. While his skating’s not as sharp as, say, Mark Streit, he provides a physical presence as well. Jurcina isn’t going to provide two goals every night, but the Washington Capitals believed he had plenty of talent to unlock. If head coach Scott Gordon and Co. have found the key, an improved Jurcina would be a big help tonight and throughout the season.

Tavares Time

John Tavares made his return Saturday, scoring an empty-netter for his first point of the season while skating 18:48 of ice time. The Isles certainly don’t want to rush him, but it will be interesting to see if there’s any increase in his TOI in his second game back from his opening-night concussion.

Center of Attention

Josh Bailey (team-high seven points this season) has looked great after moving from the wing in the wake of injuries to centers Rob Schremp and Tavares. So what happens when Schremp returns? Bailey’s play in the next few contests could create an interesting dilemma if he keeps going strong. And, for the first time in this injury-plagued season, it will be a good dilemma to have.

Though the preseason is tantalizingly close, we’re not quite there yet. In the meantime, tide yourself over with some morning reading.



Islanders

• NHL.com profiles Islanders forward Josh Bailey.
• For the fitness enthusiasts, Islanders strength and fitness coach Jesse Demers explains his exercise system.
• Ever wonder what happened to those players who donned the Isles’ sweater for a brief moment in time? Lighthouse Hockey discusses.
• Former Islander Richard Park has signed in Switzerland.

Devils

• For Devils’ fans, this is one of those questions you really hope you don’t have to ask: Who’s the better shooter, Ilya Kovalchuk, or Jody Shelley? GM Lou Lamoriello has about $100M reasons why it’s the former, but the results of this study on Gabe Desjardins’ Behind the Net blog are pretty encouraging too. Turns out Kovalchuk is one of the best shooters in the game.
• Zach Parise delivered season tickets to one die-hard Devils fan.
• Tom Gulitti checks in with Lamoriello on bringing Marcus Nilson into camp, the possible salary-cap-circumvention punishment from the NHL and the potential for a second Kovy press conference. The latter of which, is not happening.
• In Lou We Trust helps you to get to know new acquisition Henrik Tallinder.

Rangers

• Top goalie prospect Chad Johnson chats about his almost-certain relegation to Hartford following the acquisition of backup G Martin Biron. Johnson is putting a positive spin on the situation.
• Though it’s pretty early to speculate about such things, take a gander at some potential early line combos, via the Daily News.
• Adam Proteau pulls no punches in ranking the Rangers 13^th in the Eastern Conference for The Hockey News. You did not misread that.
• The Traverse City Tournament starts Sept. 11, and the Rangers’ roster has been finalized after a few changes, according to the Bergen Record.