The captain's taking full responsibility.
The New York Islanders dropped their fourth straight - and the sixth out of their past seven - courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, and John Tavares pointed the finger right at himself.
"(It's an) important time of year and we're not playing our best," Tavares said, according to Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. "It starts with myself and leading the way. I know I have to be better."
Related: Islanders' Tavares suits up in 500th game
Head coach Jack Capuano, however, is looking further down the roster.
Capuano said his secondary scoring is "non-existent" and that his team has "4-5 guys struggling" and they can't have "passengers." #Isles
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) March 22, 2016
Still, Tavares, who's without question the Islanders' best player, has recorded only three goals and three assists in 11 March games, while his team now holds only a three-point advantage over the Flyers in the race for a wild card spot.
With 11 games remaining for both clubs, Tavares needs to start making good on this personal exhortation.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.