With a lineup perilously thin on talent, wins for Bowness and the Senators were few and far between, and Ottawa finished with a league-worst 10–70–4 record, earning 24 points and a tie for last place in the overall NHL standings with the San Jose Sharks. Bowness returned to the Senators for the 1993–94 season. Though Ottawa boasted a somewhat stronger lineup and improved its season total by 13 points, the team nonetheless finished in last place in the NHL with 37 points. Under Bowness' leadership, the Senators continued to go through some growing pains but also steadily improved. In the team's lockout-shortened third season, Ottawa finished with a 9–34–5 record in the shortened 48 game schedule, finishing in last place in the league for the third straight season. Bowness began a fourth season with the Senators in 1995–96. After a promising start which saw Ottawa record a 6–5–0 record after 11 games, the club fell into an eight-game losing streak and fell to 6–13–0, and Bowness was relieved of his duties. He was replaced by Dave Allison, who would ultimately win only two of 27 games and be himself fired mere weeks later. Bowness joined the New York Islanders as an associate coach for the 1996–97 under head coach Mike Milbury. After the Islanders got off to a rough 13–23–9 start, Milbury resigned and Bowness became the new head coach of the Islanders. On January 22, 1997, Bowness coached his first game with New York, leading the team to a huge 8–1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Islanders went 16–18–3 under Bowness; however, they failed to reach the playoffs. Bowness returned as the Islanders' head coach for the 1997–98 season; however, the club struggled to a 22–32–9 record, and he was fired, as Mike Milbury replaced him behind the bench. Bowness joined the Phoenix Coyotes (the former Winnipeg Jets) coaching staff as an assistant under Bobby Francis for the 1999–2000 season. The Coyotes had a strong season, going 39–31–8–4, earning 90 points and third place in the Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Coyotes lost in five games to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Despite finishing with a 35–27–17–3 record, earning 90 points, the Coyotes failed to reach the playoffs in the 2000–01, as Phoenix finished in ninth place in the Western Conference.