NHL

ANOTHER INJURY FOR ISLANDERS

If the Islanders’ disastrous season could be summed up in one game, last night might be the one.

Where else could you find a team whose franchise goalie seemed closer to returning from knee surgery two months ago than he does now, and the new starting goalie got hurt just 5:11 into a match against the Rangers, forcing a player with nine previous NHL games into net and the goaltending coach in search of equipment in case they needed him to play?

All of that was on display last night at the Nassau Coliseum during the Isles’ 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

And while Rick DiPietro continues to recover from swelling in his knee, Joey MacDonald waits until today to find out how serious the groin strain is he suffered last night. Yann Danis played and former goalie – now coach – Mike Dunham prepared to suit up. GM Garth Snow was reportedly in talks to bring back another old Islander, Wade Dubielewicz.

When asked if he could believe MacDonald had gotten hurt, Isles coach Scott Gordon laughed and said, “Yeah, I can believe it.”

With the injury woes the Islanders have suffered, you can’t blame him.

According to Bill Guerin, Dunham was “half-dressed in the weight room” between periods. The Isles would have needed league permission to allow him to actually play.

Dubielewicz left for Russia in the offseason, but was bought out of his contract last month and has reportedly been in contact with three teams, including the Isles, about a potential return.

His reappearance on Long Island might be one of the few things fans would be able to look forward to the rest of the way. Last night, Isles fans were repeatedly drowned out by chants of “Let’s Go Rangers.”

Dubielewicz became a favorite at the Coliseum two years ago, when he helped get the Isles into the playoffs at the end of the regular season, filling in for an injured DiPietro.

Neither Dubielewicz – nor Patrick Roy in his prime – would figure to be able to do that this time around, now that the Isles have still won just two games since the beginning of December.

dan.martin@nypost.com