Isles lose Comeau to concussion
Blake Comeau #57 of the New York Islanders battles for the puck against Michael Grier #25 of the Buffalo Sabres. (Jan. 23, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Islanders' 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday was costly beyond the loss of goaltender Rick DiPietro to facial fractures after a fight with opposing goalie Brent Johnson.
Blake Comeau also is out with a concussion suffered in the first period of that game. There is no immediate timetable for him, the Islanders said.
Comeau suffered the injury after taking a hard blind-side hit from Max Talbot. Talbot was not given a penalty.
Comeau did not miss a shift during the game but did not feel well during practice Saturday, forcing him to leave early.
"He showed signs that he was fine and that nothing was wrong, and then yesterday he said he wasn't feeling well," coach Jack Capuano said.
With Comeau out of the lineup, enforcer Trevor Gillies played last night.
Streit practices some
Defenseman Mark Streit, who suffered a preseason shoulder injury in September that required surgery, skated Saturday and took a few shots.
Streit, who has yet to play a game this season, still cannot practice slap shots but said he felt good.
The 33-year-old alternate captain said he has a doctor's appointment later this month, after which a timeline for his return might be determined.
Isles files
Bridgeport goaltender Mikko Koskinen, called up by the Islanders Saturday, backed up 20-year-old rookie Kevin Poulin Saturday night against the Senators.
The arrival of the 6-6 Koskinen, 22, came on the heels of Friday's news that DiPietro will miss four to six weeks with facial fractures and knee swelling.
Koskinen, selected by the Islanders in the second round of the 2009 draft, is 5-15-0 in 20 games for Bridgeport this season. He has a 3.64 goals-against average and .883 save percentage.
Milan Jurcina returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury . . . The Islanders signed goaltender Riley Gill to a professional tryout; Gill backed up Joel Martin in Bridgeport's game against Springfield last night. Gill played one game for the AHL's Worcester Sharks and 11 for the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL this season.
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