Sure, the Islanders will take yesterday’s shootout win over the Penguins in which they got good performances from some of their young players who the team is counting on, but they could still use the help of the 27-year-old goalie who has had a hard time staying on the ice.
Yesterday, Rick DiPietro said that despite repeated setbacks, he expects to be a part of the team’s future – and a healthy one, at that.
“That’s what I’m banking on,” said DiPietro, who played in just five games this season before finally being shut down last month because of the swelling that resulted after two surgeries on his left knee since June. “Mentally, I can’t take much more of this.”
Standing outside the Isles’ dressing room following their 3-2 victory over the Penguins, DiPietro talked about coming back and performing at a high level in time for training camp.
“I don’t see any way I’m not,” DiPietro said after the Isles got Mark Streit back from a shoulder injury and snapped a five-game losing streak at a sold-out Coliseum. “I’m not giving a definitive answer either way. I don’t know what’s going to happen. So far so good.”
When he does return, the goalie intends to be fully recovered, despite the fact that last month, the team’s own orthopedist wouldn’t rule out the possibility that DiPietro could be permanently impacted by his knee woes.
“I’ve seen quite a few doctors who are pretty positive about the future,” DiPietro said. “That’s the whole point of season: to make sure I’m 100 percent and ready to fulfill my contract.”
There will be 12 years left on that deal next season, and for all the talk about the team’s youth movement, DiPietro is still the most important part of the organization.
“To look back and miss pretty much an entire season, it’s brutal,” DiPietro said.
Yesterday, the Isles beat a Pittsburgh team that was playing its first game under coach Dan Bylsma, a former Isles assistant. He took over for Michel Therrien, who was fired Sunday night after guiding the Pens to the Stanley Cup finals last season.
The Isles got shootout goals from Frans Nielsen and Jeff Tambellini, while Joey MacDonald saw Evgeni Malkin lose the puck on his attempt. Then he stopped Sidney Crosby with his right foot.
Islanders 3 Penguins 2