Thomas Hickey finally gets back into Islanders' lineup

TAMPA, Fla. -- Thomas Hickey needed five weeks to recover from his left leg injury. That's the longest stretch the 26-year-old has missed since 2009-10, his first full pro season.

Durability had been Hickey's trademark since the Islanders claimed him off waivers from Los Angeles before the start of the lockout-shortened 2013 season. He was a healthy scratch nine times that year and missed a game last season because of illness, but that was it.

On Saturday night he played only his fifth game of this season, missing four games to a fractured thumb and the last 15 to the leg injury.

"You just count your blessings when you've been as healthy as I was for a lot of years," Hickey said.

He hasn't suddenly become injury-prone, mind you. The broken thumb was off a blocked shot in the preseason and the leg injury was the result of a Blues player rolling up the back of Hickey's leg on Oct. 24 in St. Louis.

What the Islanders needed with Hickey back and Brian Strait in street clothes was the strong skating and good positioning that Hickey brings to the third defense pair.

"He's not the biggest guy, but he plays big," Jack Capuano said. "When he's out there, our zone exits are better, our breakouts are better."

To make room for Hickey on the 23-man roster, the Islanders placed goaltender J-F Berube (lower body) on injured reserve.

Johnson out for Tampa

Tampa Bay was without Tyler Johnson (undisclosed injury), one of the NHL's breakout stars last season, who already had missed three games after an elbow to the chin last week. He joined regular forwards Ondrej Palat, Jonathan Drouin and Cedric Paquette on the sideline.