Bailey sits out again as precaution

SUNRISE, Fla.- Josh Bailey missed his second straight game with a hip pointer last night. Though Bailey has skated the past three days, the Islanders do not want to risk a setback if he gets hit and re-injures himself.

Bailey now has three days off until the next game on Wednesday in Montreal.

Grabner faces old team

Michael Grabner faced his former team, the Florida Panthers, last night. The 23-year-old Austrian forward was traded from Vancouver to the Panthers in the Keith Ballard deal during the draft in June but subsequently was waived after a poor training camp.

"It's not their fault," Grabner said before the game. "They had to do what they had to do. I'm just trying to get my game back to where it needs to be and help this team win."

Grabner had two goals and an assist for the Islanders going into the game.

Hillen gets a chance

Defenseman Jack Hillen replaced the injured Andrew MacDonald in the lineup . MacDonald had surgery Friday to repair a broken hand and is expected to be out four to six weeks.

After being scratched for five of the first seven games this season, Hillen hopes to make the most of this opportunity.

"[Coach Scott] Gordon talked to me and just told me to keep it simple," Hillen said. "I'm just going to try to not do too much, and if I get the opportunity to jump into the play, I have to do that smartly."

Torrey honored

The Panthers honored their first team president, Bill Torrey, by raising a commemorative banner for him in a pre-game ceremony.

Torrey, the architect who assembled the Islanders teams that won four straight Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s, served as Panthers president from 1993-2002. He remains an alternate governor for the Panthers.