Thomas Hickey skates but appears to be at least a week away
New York Islanders' Thomas Hickey skates at training camp on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Thomas Hickey skated on Friday morning with the Islanders' healthy scratches, but the defenseman still appears to be at least a week away from returning to the lineup. He's been out since Oct. 24 with a left leg injury suffered in St. Louis.
"Things are progressing well for him and we'll have a better update in the next 48 hours or so of what his status is going to be," Jack Capuano said.
Hickey had two goals in four games after the start of his season was delayed because of a fractured thumb, an injury suffered during the preseason.
Adam Pelech, who's been up with the Isles from Bridgeport since Nov. 9, was a scratch for the fourth time in five games since his recall.
Hamonic still here
With Travis Hamonic's pending trade request, the Islanders' defense could seem a bit unsettled, but Capuano assured reporters that as long as he is an Islander, he'll be in the lineup playing major minutes.
"You can't rush these things," Capuano said. "It's got to be the right guy or guys coming back. And Travis knows this. So we move forward and see where it takes us."
Hamonic entered Friday night's game leading all Islanders in ice time, averaging 23:20 a game. "He's a top player in this league. He plays in every situation for us," Capuano said.
Isles filesJaroslav Halak's 20-minute start -- he was pulled after allowing three first-period goals -- was the shortest outing of his Islanders career. He was last pulled from a regular-season game with 6:17 left in a 6-4 loss to the Canadiens on Jan. 17, 2015, in Montreal . . . Brock Nelson's first-period score gave him goals in four straight games.
