THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : One Clear Result of the Lockout Is a Net Loss in Goals

The reason for the NHL’s scoring decline is evident to Coach Ron Wilson in every game he watches on television or coaches from behind the Mighty Ducks’ bench.

“I see a lot of shooters pounding the puck into the goalie’s pads because they don’t have the patience and timing they normally would,” he said.

John Paddock, Winnipeg’s coach, sees the same post-lockout syndrome.

“The skill part of the game will be the part that takes longest to come back,” he said. “Defense is discipline, and that’s easy to pick up. But one-timing shots just doesn’t happen without games to refine your skills.”

Asked whether skaters or goalies are in worse form, Mike Modano--a 50-goal scorer last season for the Dallas Stars--didn’t hesitate.

“Skaters, because a lot of guys are gifted stickhandlers and puckhandlers, and you lose that,” he said. “The advantage is to the goalies.”

It would have been logical to expect the opposite. Forwards and defensemen had more chances to simulate game conditions during the lockout by playing in tournaments and pickup games, and more skaters played in Europe than goalies. Some goalies never put on their equipment.

Still, it’s the scorers who are rusty. Through Sunday, teams had played 63 games and scored 346 goals, an average of 5.5 per game. That’s down from 455 goals in the first 63 games last season, an average of 7.2. Last season’s final average was 6.5 goals per game, down from 7.2 in 1992-93. Unless the pace picks up, the average could fall to a 25-year low. It hasn’t sunk below 6.0 since 1969-70, when it was 5.8.

Who’s hurting? Almost everyone. The New York Rangers scored nine goals in their first five games. The New Jersey Devils, the NHL’s second-highest scoring team last season, have four goals in four games and are scoreless in eight power play chances. The Washington Capitals have scored eight goals in five games, and the Vancouver Canucks have 10 goals in five.

“The labor strife is a big factor, but I also think the game goes in cycles,” Paddock said. “Teams like San Jose and the Ducks had success last year with checking, so you’ll see more of that. Plus, you can argue that the talent in the league is somewhat diluted.”

So to the NHL’s new slogan, “Game On,” add “Scoring Off.”

NO STAR SYSTEM IN DALLAS

Dallas has a big defense that includes four players who weigh more than 225 pounds. But when it comes to ice time, no player is bigger than any other to Star Coach Bob Gainey.

“We play all 20 guys pretty much equally, which is rare in this league,” center Dave Gagner said. “(St. Louis Coach) Mike Keenan shortens his bench to 12 or 14 players, but Bob doesn’t do that. It gives everyone a chance for a good amount of ice time, and after a while you get used to it.”

Gainey’s egalitarian system works well. Besides a fearsome defense anchored by Kevin and Derian Hatcher, the Stars have Modano’s game-breaking potential, Gagner’s play making and a disciplined corps of forwards. Andy Moog and Darcy Wakaluk add stability in goal.

“Our team is going to have the identity of primarily being a defensive club,” Gagner said. “Bob wants us to be, if not the best, then one of the best defensive clubs in the league. We play a style that lends itself to that.”

NO STRANGERS TO SLOW STARTS

The Rangers’ Neil Smith is telling fellow general managers he can’t understand why his team--which lost four of its first five games--isn’t clicking. He must have forgotten it took the Rangers a while to get going last season too. They were 4-5 until mid-October, when they began a 12-0-2 streak that carried them to the NHL’s best record.

Smith fears that in this short season, even a brief slump might be too much to overcome. But if they right themselves soon, the Rangers should have little difficulty overtaking Atlantic Division opponents.

“We have to start winning ugly,” defenseman Kevin Lowe said. “That’s the way we won in the playoffs.”

If it’s any consolation, the team they beat for the Stanley Cup last spring also is struggling. At 1-3-1, the Canucks are off to their worst start since 1976. Pavel Bure has only two goals, and their team goals-against average of 4.13 is the NHL’s worst.

NO MAN IS AN ISLANDER

The New York Islanders have an identity crisis.

They want to change their logo, which includes a map of Long Island crossed by the letters “NY,” and a hockey stick forming one part of the “Y.” But they can’t settle on an alternative.

They’ve considered a maritime theme in recognition of Long Island’s fishing industry, but they don’t want to ignore the region’s other attractions. Then there’s the idea put forth by Pat Calabria, the team’s vice president of communications, for what might symbolize Long Island.

“To a lot of people, it’s a shopper stepping into a Lexus with a Bloomingdale’s bag,” he said.

TO WIT, THIS ONE IS PUZZLING

There must be some secret behind Brendan Witt’s rejection of a four-year, $3.6-million offer from the Capitals.

Witt, a husky defenseman who was Washington’s first draft pick (and 11th overall) in 1993, faces going back into the draft and being subject to the new cap and entry level salary restrictions. If he signs under the cap, his maximum first-year salary would be $850,000.

The Caps can sign him up until draft day, but given their differences, that looks unlikely. Witt’s last request, made through his agent, Mark Hall, was for $8 million for four years.

SLAP SHOTS

The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Garry Galley to a three-year contract. He would have been a free agent after the season. . . . Jaromir Jagr scored a goal in each of the Penguins’ first five games. . . . Mike Vernon never signed a new contract after Detroit acquired him from Calgary last June, and he filed option papers. Under the new labor agreement, he will be a free agent without compensation after the season. The Red Wings, who traded sturdy defenseman Steve Chiasson to get Vernon, could end up with neither player. . . . Chicago’s Jeremy Roenick scored his 500th point Sunday in his 430th game.

New coach, old tricks: Keenan benched center Craig Janney in the Blues’ last two games. . . . Saku Koivu, the Montreal Canadiens’ first pick (and 21st overall) in 1993, leads the Finnish League in scoring. . . . San Jose left wing Viktor Kozlov, who broke his ankle and damaged ligaments while playing in Russia during the lockout, has resumed skating. . . . Islander rookie Brett Lindros, on facing his brother, Eric, of the Flyers for the first time: “He was a little bitter about me hooking him in the gut.” . . . Toronto left wing Ken Baumgartner might miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury.