And then there were seven…
Question is, how many of the seven will Rick DiPietro miss? TSN first reported today that DiPietro failed a neurological exam and has post concussion syndrome. His diagnosis is that he will be out indefinitely, and that couldn’t come at a worse time for the Islanders.
Starting tonight, there are three games this week for the Isles vs. the beasts of the East. Tonight is a contest with the Devils, followed by a back to back set of games in Buffalo Friday and back home against Ottawa Saturday. Three teams that have, to put it mildly, owned the Islanders recently.
When DiPietro went down with his “general body soreness” (coughcoughCONCUSSIONcoughcough), it started a tailspin for the Isles that saw them start a four game roadtrip in 7th place in the East and ended with them in 12th. A set of back to back wins against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia threw them right back in the thick of the hunt. The weekend ended with a big game against the Rangers, where an undisciplined penalty late in OT cost the Islanders an extra point.
Currently deadlocked with Carolina and Montreal in the 8th spot, Toronto lurks just two points behind. All four teams are in action tonight, and points are at a premium this time of year.
It will most likely be Mike Dunham in net tonight, despite the fact he surrendered 15 goals in the three game span DiPietro missed 2 weeks ago. Dunham will have to be sharp and steal a few points if the Islanders hope to keep the ship afloat.
