Game recap: Ducks 3, Islanders 0

And the hits just keep on comin.'

On the day the Islanders learned Mike Sillinger will be out three weeks with a hip injury, they dropped their fifth straight game, falling to the defending-champion Ducks, 3-0.

Anaheim came into the game on a six-game losing binge but were riding a surge provided by the return of Teemu Selanne, who made his 2007-08 debut by assisting on the Ducks' first goal. Selanne sat out the first 56 games of the season before coming back to help the Ducks in their quest for another title.

That was bad news for the Isles, who are getting used to it by now. The Islanders have won only once in their last eight games, and Tuesday night they didn't help themselves by giving the Ducks six power play chances. Scott Niedermayer scored on the PP to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. The Isles had only one chance with the man advantage.

If you thought the scoring drought earlier in the season was bad, this stretch is far worse. At least then they were able to tread water. Now they're sinking. The Isles have been outscored 19-5 in the last five games, so they can't stop goals, let alone score. All-Star Rick DiPietro is now sub-.500.

Maybe the Isles can find inspiration in the Giants. The NFC was wide-open and the Giants capitalized by coming together at the right time and used that momentum to win the Super Bowl. The fight for the final playoff spots in the East is also a free-for-all, and there's still time for the Isles to get on the stick. The pressure is on Garth Snow as well, to determine if he can help the team not only in the short run but in the long term as well.

By the way, terrific article by Gordon Sinclair in the Winnipeg Free Press about Chris Simon.