Decisions on lineup await as Michael Grabner returns to practice

There was some excitement among the Islanders with Michael Grabner returning to practice.

Perhaps some of that excitement was nervous energy. Grabner's pending return from hernia surgery means that the Islanders have a big decision to make: Who leaves the lineup and who leaves the roster to make room for a one-time 34-goal scorer?

"We don't have to make that decision quite yet," Jack Capuano said, "but it's going to be a tough one."

Grabner barely had a few days of training camp before he was forced out by a hernia that required surgery on Oct. 9, an unfortunate way to alleviate some of the crowding among the forwards.

The Islanders bring their 11-6-0 record into Tuesday night's rematch with the Lightning at the Coliseum -- the Lightning beat the Islanders 5-2 in Tampa on Saturday -- and their solid start doesn't really cry out for roster shuffling.

"You have to look at it as putting the best lineup out there that you can," John Tavares said. "Grabs is an impact player, as we've seen over the years."

Monday was Grabner's first practice with the team after skating with skill development coach Bernie Cassell the past two weeks. So a return still seems to be a week away, most likely after a home-and-home with the Penguins this weekend.

The Islanders have two forwards, Ryan Strome and Anders Lee, who don't require waivers to be removed from the roster and sent to Bridgeport. Strome is fifth on the team with 11 points; Lee only has two goals in 11 games since he was recalled, but Capuano seemed to indicate Lee isn't going anywhere, even though Grabner skated some drills on the Lee-Strome-Brock Nelson line Monday.

"He doesn't have the point production, but he's doing a lot of good things," Capuano said of Lee. "We've been playing well and if we continue to play that well there could be other tough decisions to make [besides with Lee]."

Notes & quotes: Cal Clutterbuck, who sat out Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, practiced fully and Capuano said Clutterbuck is good to go for Tuesday night's game, which likely means Cory Conacher will be scratched . . . Johnny Boychuk and Frans Nielsen supplanted Lubomir Visnovsky and Strome on the top power play unit in Monday's practice, reuniting the first unit that began the regular season. "Johnny knows what he needs to do back there," Capuano said of Boychuk, who had power-play goals in two of the first three games of the season.