DP flies back to NY to have injury evaluated
Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Wednesday. (Dec. 29, 2010) Credit: Jim McIsaac
DENVER - Rick DiPietro's groin strain might be more serious than it originally seemed.
The goaltender, who in his words "tweaked" his groin during Monday's 5-2 win over Calgary, did not practice Friday. Instead, he flew back to New York, where he will be evaluated and rest for the remainder of the Islanders' road trip.
"My understanding is he wasn't going to play the next two games, anyway, because there's not going to be a lot of practice time,'' coach Jack Capuano said. "He's going to go back and continue to work it and have the doctors take a look at it."
This latest setback in the goalie's well-documented injury history comes just a day after Capuano said DiPietro was "feeling much better.''
Also puzzling is the fact that DiPietro skated Thursday morning but did not dress against the Oilers later that evening.
A similar situation unfolded earlier this season. DiPietro skated the morning of Dec. 18, when the swelling in his surgically repaired left knee prompted the Islanders to call up Nathan Lawson and award him his first NHL start against Phoenix. DiPietro served a brief stint on injured reserve shortly afterward.
"To my knowledge, just with talking to the trainers, he felt pretty good [Thursday],'' Capuano said. " . . . We just didn't want to chance anything with back-to-back games."
In the wake of DiPietro's injury, Bridgeport call-ups Lawson and Kevin Poulin both saw action against Edmonton. The latter relieved Lawson after he gave up two goals in the first 5:17.
Although it was only last week that Lawson and Poulin were splitting reps with Finnish prospect Mikko Koskinen in Bridgeport, the two now will comprise the team's goaltending duo for the foreseeable future.
"I feel comfortable with both guys," said Capuano, who coached them with Bridgeport earlier this season. "They are both rookies, but they have both played well."
Notes & quotes: The Islanders recalled Bridgeport forward Jeremy Colliton, who has eight goals and eight assists in 32 games for the Sound Tigers. Capuano said Colliton will play against Colorado on Saturday and that Frans Nielsen, who suffered a groin strain Monday, is "definitely questionable."
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