With Michael Dal Colle injured, Kiefer Bellows back in Islanders' lineup
Islanders left wing Kieffer Bellows skates during training camp at Northwell Health Ice Center on Jan. 13. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
With Michael Dal Colle out with a lower-body injury, Barry Trotz changed his Islanders lineup by necessity in Saturday night’s 6-3 road loss to the Penguins.
Rookie Kieffer Bellows, inserted into Dal Colle’s spot the previous three games on Brock Nelson’s second line with Josh Bailey, logged 11:54 and was a minus-1 after a three-game absence.
Bellows has three goals in 13 games, with all three scores coming in the first two games of a four-game audition on top-line center Mathew Barzal’s left wing (Anders Lee is out for the season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament).
Trotz said Bellows brought the energy and "grunt work" needed for that line in his first two games but couldn’t sustain it.
"I thought he failed a little bit in the last two. He didn’t have that same energy, that same sort of bite that has to drive that line," Trotz said.
Trotz said Dal Colle, who had been in the lineup for 12 of the previous 15 games, also will miss Monday night’s game in Pittsburgh.
"He’s a player getting some traction," Trotz said. "It’s unfortunate he got injured. That takes a little momentum from the player."
Isles files
Josh Bailey logged 18:13 with an assist as he played in his 900th career game. He tied Bobby Nystrom for third on the Islanders’ all-time list of games played behind Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier (1,123) and Denis Potvin (1,060) . . . Anthony Beauvillier extended his goal streak to four games as he lifted a rebound at the crease to bring the Islanders within 5-2 at 5:23 of the third period . . . Barzal’s assist on Beauvillier’s goal gave him his first multi-point effort in 11 games and his sixth of the season . . . Defenseman Ryan Pulock took a game-high seven shots . . . The Islanders were 0-for-4 on the power play with six shots.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
More Islanders
