On the Islanders Beat

In a surprise last-minute decision, the Islanders are starting Joey MacDonald in goal rather than Rick DiPietro for their season opener against the Devils tonight at Prudential Center. No reason was given for the change of plans, but a club spokesman said coach Scott Gordon will address the issue after the game.

DiPietro took part in the morning skate, ending by taking some hard shots from Trent Hunter. He was the first goaltender to leave the ice, which was an indication that he would be starting. The rest of the team ended the skating by firing away at MacDonald at the other end.

Earlier this week, DiPietro indicated he had every intention of starting even though he played only the final exhibition game on Monday after coming off an offseason of rehab for hip and knee surgery. DP cut short his practice on Thursday, but Gordon said that was by design and others around the team pronounced him ready to go.

DiPietro was on the ice for pre-game warmups, but he came on after starter MacDonald. He’s in uniform and apparently ready to serve as MacDonald’s backup if called upon.

It’s all speculation at this point, but it’s possible team doctors were worried about the prospect of DiPietro playing three games in less than four days, including tomorrow night’s home opener against St. Louis and the Monday matinee against Buffalo at the Coliseum. Maybe it was decided there was no point in asking him to play the opener on the road when DiPietro could start the season with two home games with a day of rest in between followed by two days of rest before a road trip to Tampa Bay and Florida.

As soon as the answers are available after the game, expect to see it posted here.

Hey Isles fans! Katie Strang to blog the Isles' season opener here at The Rock. Big news of the day is that DP will not be making his season debut tonight. Joey MacDonald will start in goal. I'm sure that's enough to chew on for awhile. Talk amongst yourselves.
Feel free to leave your comments, just keep 'em clean...even if the going gets bad...:)

Normally, I’d skip the pre-game skate for a road game against the Devils because it means spending the whole day and night in Newark. Nothing against Newark because I usually skip the skate at the Garden before Rangers games because, unlike other road games, I’m not staying in a hotel a short distance from the arena.

But tonight’s game is the season opener against the Devils, so, I made an exception. Since the Prudential Center opened a year ago, I’ve heard about all the dining options within the arena, but I was curious where fans might go in the surrounding area. On the recommendation of Devils beat writers, I walked no more than a block south to the Green Street Café, which is directly across the street from police headquarters and the court house.

If you like traditional Italian food in what I would call a comfortable “Old World” atmosphere, you’re home. The tough part might be tearing yourself away to go to the game. I had a simple meal, sampling the homemade Manhattan clam chowder and eggplant parm, but you can get as fancy as you like for a reasonable price, especially by Long Island standards.

The music from the jukebox, featuring ’50s doo-wop, classic R&B (loved hearing “little” Stevie Wonder), classic rock and jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughn and Eartha Kitt was great, and the service is geared to folks headed to the game. If you get a chance to talk to “Jack the Wack,” who runs the place, be prepared to be entertained. He has a colorful background – something about once being involved with the “nefarious side of sports.”

There are other good restaurants in the vicinity, including the Arena Lounge one block south of the Pru at the corner of Green and Mulberry and an Irish pub named Scully’s a few blocks north on Clinton Street. But something tells me I’ll be back for lunch at Green Street Café before this season is over.

It would be hard for anyone to have a better Islanders debut than Mike Comrie did last season on opening night in Buffalo. Playing as the new top-line center, Comrie had two goals and two assists in a 6-4 win, prompting him to joke about being on pace for 328 points.

But under new coach Scott Gordon, the Islanders’ leading scorer from last season appears set to begin the new season against the Devils tonight at left wing on what many would view as the fourth line with Richard Park and Andy Hilbert. Of course, the first to take issue with that perception is Gordon, who said of his lines this morning: “I don’t have an order. Other than Dougie, Billy and Jon, right now, that would be our perceived No. 1 line. But after that, I think it’s pretty well balanced. We have the same elements on each line. To me, there’s a lot of uncertainty as to what we’re going to get from different players.”

In other words, the line centered by Doug Weight with wingers Bill Guerin and Jon Sim is first, and where everybody else is slotted has yet to be determined. With so many young forwards in the lineup, this is very much an experiment in progress for Gordon. Although newcomer Nate Thompson is slated to start at center with wingers Kyle Okposo and Sean Bergenheim, Gordon said Comrie could wind up centering that line or playing any number of other roles before the night is over.

“I had a conversation with Mike Comrie that I would like him to have that versatility to be able to do those things,” Gordon said. “That will be his strength for us. Obviously, he had some success in Ottawa playing on the wing. He’s going to be on the power play, and who he plays with during the game will change based on the situation and what I feel we need.”

Assuming Thomas Pock plays instead of Bruno Gervais on defense tonight, the Islanders opening 20-man lineup includes 10 new faces compared to last year’s lineup in Buffalo. Five new forwards are Weight, Okposo, Thompson, Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen. Four new defensemen include Mark Streit, Jack Hillen, Freddy Meyer and Pock, and the new backup goaltender is Joey MacDonald.

And of course, there is the change behind the bench to Gordon from Ted Nolan.

After one practice and a morning skate with the Islanders, waiver wire pickup Nate Thompson is in the starting lineup for the opener against the Devils tonight at Prudential Center. Thompson will center a line with Sean Bergenheim at left wing and rookie Kyle Okposo at right wing.

Coach Scott Gordon, who had Thompson the past three seasons at Providence, confirmed the decision after the skate. “I was open to anything,” Gordon said. “I talked to the assistant coaches after watching the pre-game skate, and they felt he could bring something to our team and it might be the right mix for the lineup we’re up against tonight. Also, Nate’s experience with me will help whoever he’s playing with.

“Even though he’s only 24 years old, he’s been a captain, and he gets the leaderrship part of it. Being so familiar with everything, I think he will complement whoever he plays with.”

You never know how Devils coach Brent Sutter will match lines, but it’s not hard to envision his bruising fourth line of Mike Rupp, Bobby Holik and Dainius Zubrus going against the Islanders’ young but physical combination of Bergenheim, Thompson and Okposo. However it works out, Thompson’s mission is simple.

“Just bring energy,” he said. “All three of us can skate really well. Both Bergy and Okie obviously have some good skill. I’m going to try and crash and bang and create some room for them and get them the puck. Bergy sees the ice really well. You can tell by the way he skates. And Okie’s a big strong guy also. We’re just going to bring energy, get in their zone, cycle down low and get some shots on net.”

ISLES FILES: Gordon was not as forthcoming about the starting defense, calling it a “gametime decision.” But Bruno Gervais was the last defenseman off the ice this morning, suggesting that newcomer Thomas Pock will be paired with Freddy Meyer. It only makes sense because Gordon has been using that pairing on the second power play behind pointmen Mark Streit and Jack Hillen on the top unit…As if you didn’t already know, Rick DiPietro will be starting in goal for the first time since March, when he underwent hip surgery prior to his June knee operation…Back later with Gordon’s comments on some other interesting topics, including Mike Comrie’s new role at left wing on a line with penalty killers Richard Park and Andy Hilbert.

First-round draft pick Josh Bailey has been ruled out of the season opener tonight in New Jersey with an undisclosed lower body injury.

Possible replacements Blake Comeau and Nate Thompson both are on the ice at the morning skate, but no decision has been announced on the starting lineup.

Back with more following the skate.

-- Greg Logan

With Josh Bailey’s status for the opener tomorrow night in doubt, center Nate Thompson’s arrival in a waiver deal turns out to be a very timely acquisition. It’s uncertain whether Thompson will be in the lineup against the Devils because Blake Comeau also can step in, but if coach Scott Gordon wants to use Thompson, he doesn’t have to worry about him learning the system.

Thompson spent three seasons under Gordon in Providence, so, he had no problem stepping on the ice and fitting in during practice today at Nassau Coliseum. “Obviously, everything is probably second nature,” Gordon said of Thompson. “He’s not that far removed from it. I know I don’t have to sit down and talk to him about what the systems are. It’s not like we picked up somebody who never played for me before.”

When word of the Islanders deal reached him, Thompson was headed back to Providence in the AHL. To suddenly find himself on an NHL roster playing for a coach who knows him was a godsend. “It was a whirlwind of a day yesterday,” Thompson said. “It was crazy and exciting at the same time. I’m really happy. It’s a fresh start for me, and I’m moving on. It’s a great opportunity. I’m going to make the best of it.”

Thompson’s two-way contract worked against him in Boston, but his combination of skating ability and fighting ability could make him a valuable addition for the Isles. Asked about Gordon’s message to him, Thompson said there was no need for the coach to define his role and expectations.

“He knows what role I take, and I know what role I take,” Gordon said. “You don’t really have to say much about it. I know where he stands, and he knows where I stand. So, I just come in and buy into the system right away and get to know the guys. I’ve only been here a few hours, and they’ve been very welcoming. I’m looking forward to it.

“I want to be looked at as a guy who will stick up for his teammates and fight when necessary, but at the same time, I want to be able to play and be able to chip in offensively every now and then. I had a great opportunity last year in Providence to play that role, and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully, I can chip in in every area of the game.”

Thompson said he received no indication from Gordon regarding his playing status Friday night. But Bailey left practice after 10 minutes after apparently reinjuring himself, so, there’s likely an opening.

ISLES FILES: Russian forward Nikita Filatov, who was passed over by the Islanders when they traded down twice in the draft, didn’t stick with Columbus for the opener. The sixth overall choice had one goal in two exhibition games but was limited by a lower-leg injury. The Blue Jackets are awaiting paperwork from the Russian federation that will allow Filatov to join a junior team in the CHL, but in the meantime, he has been assigned to Syracuse in the AHL. That means Toronto’s Luke Schenn and Mikkel Boedker of Phoenix are the only two players passed by the Isles when they traded down to ninth who will start the season on an NHL roster…Florida’s Rostislav Olesz, whose hit from behind caused Isles defenseman Chris Lee to be removed from the ice on a stretcher, received no suspension. Wonder if the fact that Lee was pronounced healthy the next day factored into that decision? I haven’t seen the hit, so, I can’t say how dirty it was or wasn’t. But it obviously endangered Lee. The league made a good offseason move to clean up the cheap shots when the puck is iced because it leads to injuries on a relatively meaningless play. Hits from behind should be next in cases where the intent is more to injure than to gain possession of the puck.