Tambellini and Biron continue to sit
Jeff Tambellini and Marty Biron continue to sit.
Tambellini has not played since Jan. 2 and coach Scott Gordon has no immediate plans to insert him into the lineup anytime soon. "He’s our 13th forward," Gordon said after Monday’s 90-minute practice at Nassau Coliseum. "That’s nothing against Jeff, that’s just the way our depth chart is. Until somebody clearly doesn’t deserve to be in the top 12, then I’m not going to make a change for the sake of making a change. I'm under the belief if a guy has a bad game that he’s going to respond and play well the next night. Until that changes, you don’t make a change just to make a change."
As for Biron, Gordon reiterated that he would stay with goalies Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro. "Right now it’s just Rollie and Ricky," Gordon said. "I’ve had that conversation with Marty." Biron is likely to be traded before the NHL trading deadline of March 3. Plans for Tambellini, who has seven goals and six assists in 24 games, are unclear.
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On the injury front, Brendan Witt (knee) is back skating but no timetable was offered for his return. "It’s the first day [of Witt practicing], there’s nothing even to figure out," Gordon said. "The hardest part is the fact that we don’t have a lot of practices, so he’s got to get a lot of quality time with the assistant coaches mixed in with what practices we have."
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With Andy Sutton back from his two-game suspension for a hit on Penguins’ wing Pascal DuPuis, the Islanders returned defenseman Dustin Kohn to Bridgeport.
