Nick Leddy back in Isles’ lineup after quick recovery
Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy guards agains the Minnesota Wild during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Barclays Center on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Nick Leddy returned to the lineup after a one-game absence because of an infected finger, a quick recovery the Islanders needed with Ryan Pulock sidelined at least a month with a broken right foot.
Leddy again was teamed with Travis Hamonic and, though they weren’t on the ice for a Wild goal in the Isles’ 6-3 win Sunday night, that top defense pair had its hands full with Minnesota’s top line of Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu. That trio totaled 28 shot attempts and 14 shots on Thomas Greiss, 10 of those from Parise, who had the Wild’s first two goals.
“On the page, they haven’t looked great,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said of the Leddy-Hamonic pairing. “But when you watch the video, looking at the way they get the puck up the ice, we want to go back and try it again.”
Leddy (21:36) and Hamonic (21:09) led the Islanders in ice time, even with Hamonic missing the final 4:53 of the game after a scrap with the Wild’s Charlie Coyle.
Bad break for Pulock
Capuano lamented the loss of Pulock, 22, who started the season with Bridgeport and logged only 3:54 in the first period on Friday night against the Coyotes before leaving with the broken foot. He suffered the injury on a blocked shot on the second of his three shifts. He also started a play that ended with Dennis Seidenberg’s goal on that shift.
“He had an impact,” Capuano said.
Odds & ends
The Isles killed off all three Wild power plays, giving them a streak of 17 consecutive kills dating to the season opener. The Islanders failed on their only power play, leaving them 1-for-15 on the season . . . The bad ice talk cooled off Sunday night, with players demurring after the game. “We’re not going to talk about that too much more here,” Capuano said before the game. “Both teams have to deal with it.”
