
Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro during training camp at Nassau Coliseum. (Sept. 21, 2010) Credit: John Dunn
DiPietro gets his second straight start, with Al Montoya backing up. Evgeni Nabokov skated this morning at the Coliseum and said his lower-body injury is close to healed. "I think I should be ready to go, after (skating) yesterday and today," Nabokov said.
Mike Mottau will be a healthy scratch for a third straight game.
The Jets come in 2-1 on their current seven-game road trip -- they face the Devils on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday -- but very banged up. Regular D Derek Meech and Ron Hainsey are on IR, and top-pair D Tobias Enstrom was injured in Sunrise on Monday and headed back to Winnipeg.
Given that depletion -- former Isles farmhand Mark Flood was recalled yesterday by the Jets and may play -- along with Winnipeg's 26 goals allowed at even strength, things may loosen up for the Isles at 5-on-5, where they've only scored 10 goals in nine games.
Isles coach Jack Capuano also snuck into the locker room while reporters were in there to post a list of the shots on goal leaders in the league -- the Isles have no one among the top 50 in that category, with John Tavares' 33 SOG putting him 55th.
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