Coach Has Reichel in the Right Role With Islanders

Right from the start, Rick Bowness knew he had his man in the right spot.

The Islander coach is counting on Robert Reichel to take some of the scoring pressure off Zigmund Palffy and serve as a catalyst for more offensive production from Mariusz Czerkawski.

Score two goals and one assist for Reichel and one big game for the Islanders, a 5-2 victory over the Mighty Ducks Sunday night at the Pond.

“He’s doing exactly what we got him for,” said Bowness about the 26-year-old forward who came from Calgary for Marty McInnis, Tyrone Garner and a draft pick.

He left a Flame team that was experiencing turbulence under Pierre Page, who quit in the off-season after failing to land a two-year contract extension.

What was life like under Page in Calgary?

“This is a new season and a different team,” Reichel said.

So the Czech refused to shoot in that situation. But he hasn’t on the ice for the Islanders, who see him as a quick-strike forward who can be aggressive on the forecheck and is a quick learner.

“We saw on the tape what type of defense [the Ducks] played and knew we had to come out aggressive and work hard,” said Reichel, who has a seven-game scoring streak. “We worked hard all game because we could not let them get back in it.”

He didn’t let the Ducks get warmed up before scoring the first goal 49 seconds into the first period, the seventh-fastest goal scored against Anaheim.

From there, fast forward to the second period, where Reichel assists on Czerkawski’s goal to put the Islanders up, 4-1. Then comes Reichel’s final goal at 8:59 of the second period.

Make a note that the goal came on the Islanders’ fifth shot of the period in which they scored three goals.

Just part of the plan for Bowness, who broke up a line with Reichel and Palffy in hopes of getting Czerkawski and Travis Green going on offense.

Czerkawski, who came to Long Island from Edmonton this August for Dan Lacouture, is another of the European connection expected to help lift New York out of the Atlantic Division basement for the first time in four seasons.

He and Green were looking to find their scoring touch after six games. Czerkawski had no points before Sunday and Green could only account for two assists.

“I think if you overthink about [the slump] you can cause more problems,” Green said.

So he left the thinking to Bowness, who moved Reichel to a line with Czerkawski (one goal, one assist Sunday) and Sergei Nemchinov and put Palffy with Green (two goals) and Tom Chorske.

No matter how you spell all that, it worked to a T for the Islanders, who are 3-2-2 (eight points) and tied for third with New Jersey. They beat the Sharks last Thursday and can complete a California sweep on this trip by beating the Kings Tuesday night at the Forum.

“That’s the game we have to play,” said Reichel, who has four goals and eight assists. “The key to do our best is to work hard.”