Milan Jurcina finally gets to play
The Islanders' Milan Jurcina, right, battles against Erik Condra of the Senators during the first period of a 2011 game. (Feb. 15, 2011) Credit: MCT
PITTSBURGH -- After using the same six defensemen for the first seven games of the season, Jack Capuano had a healthy Milan Jurcina available Thursday night and decided to make a switch.
Jurcina (groin) went in the lineup and Mike Mottau, who had played well on the third pair with Mark Eaton, was a healthy scratch.
"We have seven good NHL defensemen, and I'm the odd man out tonight," Mottau said. "It's important to be ready, whether it's next game or five games from now. You never want to be out of the lineup, but you still want the team to win, obviously."
Jurcina missed 36 games with a variety of injuries last season, including hamstring and groin problems. He suffered a groin injury in Calgary on Sept. 27 and hadn't returned to practicing fully until last week.
This is unknown territory for Capuano, who barely had six healthy bodies on defense last season, much less players with experience.
Choosing Mottau was simply strategic for now, allowing for all three pairs of defensemen to have left- and right-shooting players.
"Mike has played extremely well,'' Capuano said. "It's not a reflection on him."
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