The Islanders lost a game last night and perhaps lost Rick DiPietro for two games.
DiPietro, returning after missing three games with a sprained left knee, used some new white goalie pads against the Panthers that were confiscated after the first period because they hadn’t been inspected by the league, an apparent violation of a rule could result in a two-game suspension.
“I thought we did the right thing,” DiPietro said after Florida’s Jassen Cullimore scored 1:33 into overtime to give the Panthers a 4-3 win over the Isles at the Coliseum. “Usually, before I get them, they’ve been sent to the league. I guess it’s my fault. I was under the impression they had been approved. Once we found out that they hadn’t been approved, we called and let them know it’s their call.”
It remains unclear as to why the issue was initially raised, but the referees told equipment manager Scott Boggs that a change needed to be made after the first.
DiPietro didn’t know exactly what the problem was, but insisted he didn’t intend to circumvent any rules.
“I think [NHL uniform officials] Kris King and Kay Whitmore know me well enough that I’m not trying to sneak anything by anybody,” DiPietro said and that when he Isles measured his new pads, they met league regulations.
That might not matter.
According to Rule 11.8, “a goalkeeper who plays with equipment that has not been inspected and approved by the League’s Hockey Operations Department,” will incur a two-match penalty, his team will be fined $25,000 and the team’s equipment manager would be fined $1,000.
The Islanders said that GM Garth Snow spoke with Colin Campbell last night and will speak again with him today.
“Garth will deal with the league,” Ted Nolan said. “There are a lot of distractions in this game. When it involves the goaltending situation, it’s a little more magnified.”
DiPietro said he felt fine coming off of his layoff due to the knee injury, but added: “(it) would have been nice to wear the same set of pads the entire game, but that’s how things happen.”
And the Islanders have to live with an overtime defeat in which they came back from one-goal deficits three times before Cullimore’s game-winner, as Mike Comrie, Mike Sillinger and Bill Guerin all scored, with the Isles scoring a pair of power-play goals one game after notching three of them against Carolina.
The Islanders, who had won five of their last six going into last night’s match, now begin a five-game road trip, starting tomorrow in Colorado.
OVERTIME Panthers 4 Islanders 3