Thursday, December 12, 2013

Pre Game: Isles @ Coyotes

 photo by itinerantfan

Tonight, our Islanders look to build on Tuesdays shootout win as they travel to Phoenix to finish their 5 game road trip taking on Mike Smith and the Coyotes.

The goalie match up tonight features Kevin Poulin for the Islanders and Mike Smith between the pipes for the Coyotes.  Evgeni Nabokov will serve as the Islanders backup goalie tonight after missing the last 11 games with a groin injury.

The Coyotes will be missing their captain Shane Doan tonight who is out with an injury.  Doan leads the Coyotes in goals with 12 and is second on the team in points with 23 behind Radim Vrbata who has 24.

The Islanders lineup will see a defensive change tonight as Brian Strait will go right into the teams lineup after being activated off IR earlier today.  Strait had been out since October 22nd with an upper body injury.  To make room for him Matt Carkner will be a healthy scratch tonight along with Peter Regin and Ryan Strome.  Strome is being held out tonight because the team was weary of playing him without him getting practices in first.

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