This time, Rick DiPietro’s comeback lasted one game.
The oft-injured goalie was forced to sit out last night’s 5-4 loss to the Rangers at the Garden because of a strained groin, calling into question the decision to have him play against Toronto on Friday after only one full practice following his recovery from his most recent knee surgery.
Scott Gordon said he didn’t regret the move to play DiPietro, despite the fact that the last-place Islanders had no need to rush him back into the lineup.
“He got clearance from the doctors to play,” Gordon said before DiPietro missed his second straight game. He was again replaced by Joey MacDonald. “Once we get the OK from them and he feels good, he’s ready to go.”
Gordon pointed to the fact that DiPietro had been on the ice for two weeks prior to playing in the game against the Sabres.
Still, with a player that has the injury history that DiPietro does – a hip surgery and two knee surgeries this year alone – it seemed a reckless move to let him play so soon. And Gordon wouldn’t guess when the goalie might return.
“It’s not like you can put a timetable on a strain,” Gordon said. “If you hurt it again, you’re worse off than when you started . . . it’s not anything major.”
DiPietro missed the early part of this season recovering from offseason knee surgery and had to go under the knife again less than three games later.
*
Trent Hunter suffered a scary-looking injury early in the third, when a door opened while being checked into the boards by Ryan Callahan and Hunter slammed into a metal post. Hunter stayed down on the ice for several minutes and said that he was unable to catch his breath. He wound up not being seriously injured. . . . Andy Hilbert will be out 2-4 weeks with a hairline fracture in his foot. . . . Leading-scorer Doug Weight returned to the lineup last night after being out with a groin injury and missing the previous three games.