Bewerbungen » day night.Islanders: Host Philadelphia on T

Before the season, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim veered from form and praised his team and its depth.After the Orange started the year inside the top 20 and posted three commanding victories, Boeheim looked like a sage. Three losses in four games have sent the Orange (5-3) a step or two backward, befuddled by a sudden inability to score.Since a commanding 101-59 win over South Carolina State, Syracuse has hit a wall. The Orange struggled to put up points in losses to unbeaten South Carolina, now ranked 19th, No. 17 Wisconsin, and UConn, and has fallen out of the national rankings .The only positive blip in the past four games was a 77-71 win over North Florida, and that had plenty of negatives -- the Orange nearly blew a 24-point lead in the final 12 minutes.The offense is not good enough. Its not good enough to really win, Boeheim said. Weve got to get better there. If we dont, were going to struggle every game.Against UConn on Monday night, Syracuse shot 25.9 percent (14 of 54) and 23.1 percent (6 of 26) from beyond the arc. The Orange also missed eight of 24 free throws and yet still had a chance to win after Andrew White III hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 50 with just under 10 seconds left in regulation.The game slipped away when a foul was called against Syracuse with 2.2 seconds to go and Christian Vital sank two free throws for the Huskies.It was a tough loss, but I think well bounce back, said Dajuan Coleman, who had 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for the Orange. We were in it the whole game. We just couldnt pull it off.White, a transfer from Nebraska, leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game, the only player averaging in double figures. He had 14 points against UConn, but was 4 of 15 from the field and only 3 of 11 from beyond the arc.Ive got to do better to make sure I deliver all the time, White said. Ive just got to do what I can. I know the rest of my teammates will ... score better with time. In the meantime, Ive got to hold the fort down for this team. Thats something Im still learning.As a freshman last season, forward Tyler Lydon emerged as a bona fide star, punctuating a solid season with a gritty performance in the Oranges surprising run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Lydon had 14 points and seven rebounds in each of the first two tournament games, twice chipped in with six blocks, and had 11 points, six rebounds and five blocks in an Elite Eight win over Virginia.In the offseason, Lydon added 20 pounds of muscle, which promised to make him a more imposing figure this year. He has yet to hit his stride on a team thats searching for chemistry. Lydon has taken just 65 shots, just over eight a game, and is shooting about the same from all over the floor -- 38.5 percent inside the arc and 37.5 percent outside.Hes got to look to shoot the ball, Boeheim said. Id like him to shoot 17 shots, and if he only makes two or three of them, thats fine.Senior Tyler Roberson also has struggled. One of the top offensive rebounders in the country, hes been parked on the bench a lot, averaging 19 minutes and five rebounds. Last year he averaged nearly nine rebounds and 31 minutes.It took until the postseason for last years team to coalesce into a threat, and with five newcomers on the roster this season its apparently going to take more time for this team to jell.I think its mostly because were a new team, freshman guard Tyus Battle said. Weve just got to hit the shots when we get them.Syracuse hosts Boston University (4-5) on Saturday at noon.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .NEW YORK -- For the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was the feel-good game they wanted to prove they are one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. The New York Islanders just want to forget about this one.Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists, Ben Bishop made 26 saves, and the Lightning beat the New York Islanders 6-1 Tuesday night.Steven Stamkos, Brian Boyle, J.T. Brown, and Valtteri Filppula also scored, and Victor Hedman and Slater Koekkoek each had two assists to help the Lightning snap a three-game skid and finish a 3-3-0 road trip.(Kucherov) is a guy that you want him to have confidence, you want him to get touches early, Lightning captain Stamkos said. Especially coming off that little injury he had. You have a game where you get some points, you start feeling good about your game, its only going to help. He is a huge part of our offense, we are glad that he had a good night tonight.Dennis Seidenberg scored for the Islanders, giving them goals by defensemen in six straight games. Thomas Greiss started in goal and gave up three goals on 11 shots in the first 13:34. He was replaced by Jaroslav Halak, who allowed three goals in the second period and finished with 22 saves.Aint nothing positive, it is what it is, Islanders captain John Tavares said. Got to move on, and get ready for Thursday (against Philadelphia). ... You always try to learn from it. Its a long season and a lot of games still coming up. We just got to put it behind us and get better tomorrow.It was the teams first meeting since the Lightning beat the Islanders in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.Tampa Bay, coming off a 6-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Sunday, got off to a strong start.Kucherov took a beautiful cross-ice pass from Stamkos on the power play and beat Greiss on the short side to at 3:21.Kucherov doubled the lead with 7:42 left in the first on a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot for another power-play score and his third of the season. Stamkos tip-in 1:16 later made it 3-0 and chased Greiss.Ive been with this group a little while now and when theyve been pushed up against a wall, they usually have pushback, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. I thought it was just a complete effort.Stamkos appeared to have tallied another power-play goal in the first but Islanders coach Jack Capuano challenged and the goal was dissallowed for offside after a review.ddddddddddddThe Lightning outshot the Islanders 14-4 in the first.Boyle lifted a backhand past Halak at 6:17 of the second, Brown converted a short-handed breakaway for his first of the season at 9:30, and Filppula picked up his 149th career goal -- and 49th with Tampa Bay -- with 8:41 remaining in the period to make it 6-0.Seidenberg got the Islanders on the board with a hard slap shot from inside the blue line beyond the right faceoff circle with 30 seconds left in the second.Less than two minutes into the game, Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan laid a big hit on the Lightnings Jonathan Drouin. Ryan Callahan -- playing his second game since offseason surgery -- felt the need to protect his teammate and dropped the gloves with de Haan. Drouin left the game and did not return.You cant get into penalty trouble against good teams, Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. Right from the start, we took the penalty and it just snowballed. . Special teams was a huge factor in tonights game for me.Boyle and Travis Hamonic also fought later in the contest.Hamonic said his team did little to quell the Lightning attack and was eager to get to the Islanders next game, a divisional matchup with the Flyers.They just kept coming and we certainly didnt answer, he said. Its certainly a frustrating night for everybody collectively. We have a quick turnaround. Its a long year. Well right back on it.Game notesA week ago, the Islanders had the leagues best penalty-kill at 95.5 percent (21 for 22) over their first six games. Since then, New York has allowed six goals on 16 power plays over four games. ... Casey Cizikas skated in his 300th career NHL game. ... Islanders rookie Anthony Beauvillier played in his ninth career NHL game. Once the 19-year-old plays his 10th NHL game, it will accelerate his entry-level contract by one season. New Yorks other 19-year-old rookie, Mathew Barzal, has only played two games. ... Tampa Bay scratched C Cedric Paquette and D Nikita Nesterov. . Lightning F Slater Koekkoek made his season debut after being recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Monday.UP NEXTLightning: Host Boston on Thursday night.Islanders: Host Philadelphia on Thurday night.Islanders: Host Philadelphia on TJerseys[/url] ' ' '