Right after the Islanders completed all the post game interviews last night following their 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs, they began their shuffle off to Buffalo. Only it was more then just moving their equipment.
See, there are several key players who did not make the trip with the rest of the team. Goaltender Rick DiPietro was left behind, despite his win – as was veteran forward Mike Sillinger. The club was erring on the side of caution with both players and felt it would do more harm then good should they play in back-to-back games.
Yann Danis will replace DiPietro and Jeremy Colliton will replace Andy Hilbert who fractured a foot blocking a shot last night. Both DP and Sillinger are projected to be back in the lineup for Monday nights game against the Rangers at MSG, but Hilbert is day to day – but it has been speculated that he could be out anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Another difference, Jon Sim in for Mike Sillinger – no Mitch Fritz.
Tonight, they face a team in the Sabres who are coming off a loss to the Capitals last night and have also been in a bit of a slump themselves. If they have the same chemistry they did last night – they shouldn’t have any problem and could potentially string together a decent batch of games to close out December.
Not really sure about Doug Weight, but I suspect that he is another scratch tonight.
Enjoy the game!
