Isles prospect Strome suffers facial injury from punch

TORONTO -- The Islanders have another injured top prospect, but Ryan Strome's facial fractures don't seem to be a chronic problem, just the result of a sucker punch.

Strome had surgery on Wednesday to repair a broken nose but does not need a plate inserted for the other fractures he suffered on Jan. 13 for Niagara of the Ontario League when Sudbury's Brody Silk cold-cocked him. Silk got a 10-game suspension for the punch.

While 2009 first-rounder Calvin de Haan is out for Bridgeport with an injury to his surgically repaired shoulder, it appears Strome will miss only three more weeks.

"I've only played [28] games, so this season has really flown by," said Strome, who spent the first week of the NHL season as a healthy scratch with the Islanders and was part of Canada's bronze medal-winning team at the World Junior Championships earlier this month. "I just want to get healthy and help my team go on a long playoff run."

Strome, who has 18 goals and 22 assists in those 28 games for Niagara, popped down to the Air Canada Centre for Monday night's game.

"I know what the challenge of a long camp is like now," said Strome, who doesn't turn 19 until July 11. "I really came back to juniors aware of what I needed to work on. I feel like I just got back [from Islanders training camp] the other day, so I'm trying to enjoy this season."

Montoya possible

With the quick turnaround to Tuesday night's Coliseum end of the Isles-Leafs home-and- home, goalie Al Montoya might make his first start since suffering a concussion in Winnipeg on Dec. 20. Evgeni Nabokov started for the 15th time in 16 games Monday night.