On the Islanders Beat

After receiving a call tonight from Islanders public relations head Chris Botta and reading some comments on the blog, it’s clear a post-game query to Ted Nolan raised questions about the physical condition of goaltender Rick DiPietro. That’s the problem with televising everything these days. It’s practically impossible to have an informal conversation with a coach or player without having every word broadcast.

So, let me clarify the exchange that took place so there is no misunderstanding. I wondered if DiPietro might be downplaying an injury even though he’s maintaining his usual iron-man pace. Nolan said there was a situation he could not “divulge” and added that DiPietro will be getting some rest.

Understandably, everyone jumped to the conclusion DiPietro might have to sit out because of an injury. That’s not the case.

In fact, Nolan was trying to be sensitive to a personal situation affecting DiPietro. He informed me, and I was going to keep it off the record. But Botta called to find what was going on and gave the go-ahead to clear the air.

There was a death in DiPietro’s family on Thursday. He was given the option to sit out the game and chose to play. That was the situation Nolan could not divulge on air. When he said DiPietro will be getting some time off, it’s not to rest an injury but to attend a funeral. The Isles play home games Saturday and Sunday. Nothing has been decided, but DiPietro might miss a game for personal reasons.

ISLANDERS INSIDER: The Islanders Insider is up. It contrasts this year’s trade by Pittsburgh to rent Marian Hossa with the Islanders’ rental of Ryan Smyth last season, and it includes sections on Miro Satan’s contract situation and a look at the development of Sean Bergenheim. Click here to read it.

By Katie Strang

Rob Davison, a defenseman acquired from San Jose before the trade deadline Tuesday, is working on gathering his bearings with his new team. Because the Sharks were in Columbus to play the Blue Jackets Wednesday, Davison was able to catch a flight in time to make it to the Isles' 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh. He arrived as the team was heading onto the ice for the start and was able to jump into the action after a timeout in the first period. He met Mike Comrie during a line shift in the first period and was introduced to many of his new teammates on the bench during the game.

Davison, who played in only 15 games for San Jose this season, said the deal was "absolutely" a welcome move. Given the injury situation to the Isles defensive corps, Davison sees it as a prime opportunity to create some playing time for himself and latch onto a spot in the lineup.

Although he's staying in a hotel in Garden City at the moment, he said he'll look into more permanent digs once things "settle down." Good thing the Sharks were in the midst of a 17-day road trip when the move was made; Davison said he was well-packed and has pretty much everything he needs to subsist for a while.

Bill Guerin assured there would be no hazing to initiate the newcomer, who has set up shop at defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron's old locker. No lingering awkwardness though, the nameplate was already replaced.

Nolan said it was nice for Davison to be able to jump into the action last night, and imparted the urgency with which he'll need to get acclimated.

"There's no time to get comfortable. I think this is when your hockey instincts take over. We have to have him get used to it right now."

If Garth Snow said it once, he said it half a dozen times after the NHL trade deadline passed this afternoon. Every question about the Islander general manager's reasons for trading enforcer Chris Simon to Minnesota for a sixth-round draft pick received some version of the following answer: “It sounds kind of simple, but to get Tambellini back on our team and create space for that move was it.”

It’s not just about Jeff Tambellini, but his season going back and forth between the Islanders and their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport is symbolic of the competing desires within the Islanders organization to put a product on the ice that can contend for a playoff spot now and to develop young talent as quickly as possible to raise the skill level for the future. Tambellini’s return tonight reunited the “Bridgeport Connection” with center Frans Nielsen and right wing Blake Comeau.

That line produced the Isles’ first goal while getting fourth-line minutes. Tambellini threw the puck at the crease from the deep right wing, and it deflected in off Nielsen in front of the net. Their speed adds a needed dimension to the Islanders’ attack.

When Snow was asked if he still might re-sign veteran forwards Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko before they become free agents on July 1, his answer suggested his thoughts are elsewhere. “Anything can happen, but we feel our young guys have emerged,” Snow said.

“Comeau is ready to be an NHL player as long as he keeps playing the way he is. Tambellini deserves that opportunity, and Frans Nielsen has just scratched the surface of what he can do. He’s got a tremendous amount of hockey sense and speed. Those are two key ingredients moving forward that we’re going to look for.”

If you look at the roster, the Isles also are developing young forward Sean Bergenheim and defenseman Bruno Gervais, and you can add defenseman Chris Campoli, who is out for the season because of shoulder surgery. Top 2006 draft pick Kyle Okposo also figures to compete for an NHL roster spot in training camp.

“I’m executing a plan we set forth on how to build a Stanley Cup championship team, and we’re going to do that as long as I’m here,” Snow said. “It’s not about buying or selling. It’s about building a championship-caliber team.”

This one’s going to hurt Islanders coach Ted Nolan. Moments before the 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline, the Islanders sent enforcer Chris Simon to Minnesota in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. The Isles also dumped defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to Anaheim for a third-round pick.

Simon and Nolan, of course, have a close, long-time relationship going back to Nolan’s days as coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, when he became something of a mentor to Simon. But apparently, Simon wore out his welcome with the Islanders after being hit with his second NHL-record suspension in as many seasons.

Simon’s 30-game suspension for stepping on the ankle of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu on Dec. 15 just ended, and he joined the lineup for the past two games. Last season, Simon was suspended for 25 games for hitting the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick. That cost him the final 15 games of the regular season, plus the Isles' five-game loss to Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs and the first five games this season.

Bergeron was acquired last February and helped boost the Islanders’ power play with his booming cannon shot from the point, but he was a loose cannon on defense. Maybe Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer can cover for Bergeron when he struggles in his own end.

The Simon move once again creates room in the Islanders’ lineup for forward Jeff Tambellini, who has been recalled for tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. As for the hole on defense, Rob Davison, who was acquired earlier in the day from San Jose, is expected to arrive from Columbus in time to play tonight. Veteran Brendan Witt skated today and is hoping to be ready to return from the injury list by Saturday.

The Islanders now have extra picks in the second, fifth and sixth rounds and no pick in the seventh round of this summer's draft.

It would be next to impossible to match the excitement generated by the Islanders when their acquisition of Ryan Smyth was revealed slightly past the 3 p.m. trade deadline, and they certainly don’t figure to make a comparable splash this season. But as the clock winds down in the final minutes to make a deal, the Isles still are active in the marketplace.

No other contract extensions are in the works, which means pending free agent forwards Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Josef Vasicek and Chris Simon still are available. Satan, of course, would have to waive his no-trade clause, and so far there is no word whether he has been approached by the Isles to do that.

If it turns out that all remain with the Islanders when the deadline passes, Fedotenko said yesterday there would be no hard feelings about being dangled as trade bait. “I learned the hard way that it’s a business for them, and you need to respect that,” Fedotenko said of general manager Garth Snow and the organization. “They’re trying to make decisions and put a winning team together.

“From Garth’s comments, it’s not necessarily a quick fix to make the playoffs. It’s the future of the organization. They’re trying to build with young talent. They have a job, and it’s not an easy job. Whatever they decide, I have no hard feelings at all. I enjoy it here. I love the organization, and I like the area. Do I want to be traded? No. But if that’s what is dealt, I had a great time here, and I’ll go someplace else. It’s just totally business at this point in my mind.”

Fedotenko and Vasicek actually have been part of the Islanders’ hottest line recently along with Trent Hunter, who was signed to a five-year extension. So, Snow has the option to hold onto his assets and hope this team can make a strong playoff run if he can’t get a worthwhile return in a trade.

As Fedotenko said, “We’re in the hunt right now. As long as we keep playing like we’ve been playing the last seven games, we’re making the playoffs. So, I don’t know if they’re a seller or buyer right now. I guess we’ll see.”

Half an hour to go.

Reporters covering the Islanders’ deadline day activity were enjoying lunch when the club announced its only trade of the day, a seventh round pick in this summer’s draft in exchange for San Jose defenseman Rob Davison. No one called their newspapers to ask for re-write.

But Dave Caldwell of the New York Times did pause long enough to make a wry observation about the new depth defenseman Davison. “No ‘d,’” Caldwell said.

Davison is a tough 6-3, 220 pounder who has no points in 15 games for the Sharks this season.

Now that Brad Richards has agreed to go to Dallas and Marian Hossa apparently is on the verge of a deal that will send him to Montreal, teams are going to have to move quickly to secure offensive help. That means pending Islanders free agent forwards Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko are very much in play.

Satan attended an Islanders team meeting this morning but left the Coliseum without taking part in the optional skate. Fedotenko went on the ice and seemed in good spirits when he came off, despite being on pins and needles today about his future. Agent Allan Walsh, who represents both players, said it’s “highly unlikely” that Fedotenko will receive a deadline-day reprieve with a contract extension.

Walsh had no comment on whether Satan has been asked to waive his no-trade clause because the Isles’ winger has asked him not to discuss negotiations. However, if Islanders general manager Garth Snow doesn’t find a satisfactory deal for Satan, it’s possible he could re-sign with the Isles.

One player who has re-signed is top-line center Mike Comrie, who agreed to a one-year extension for $4 million. “I’m excited, and I’m happy to be here,” Comrie said when he came off the ice this morning after the pre-game skate for tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. “It was a fairly quick deal.”

Explaining why he went for a short-term extension rather than the long-term deal that was offered for a lower average salary, Comrie said, “We did a one-year deal last summer. It gives both sides an opportunity to see where we’re at in a year. But I’m happy to be back, and I love being an Islander…I’ve had a lot of fun this year. Just because I signed a one-year deal this year doesn’t mean that I won’t be here longer. I’ve been trated fairly, and they’ve given me a great opportunity.”

Comrie said Snow never threatened to trade him if he didn’t sign an extension before the deadline. In fact, he added that one of the reasons he likes the organization is because “there’s always been great communication.” In this case, Comrie and Snow probably were on the same page because a deal allows Snow to plan further moves, knowing he has secured a top center and has a firm idea of his budget for next season.

The Islanders and Mike Comrie reached agreement around 1 a.m. today on a one-year contract extension worth $4 million. Just as he did last July, Comrie opted for the shorter term to give himself and the team greater flexibility going forward.

Comrie is making $3.375 million this season as the Islanders’ first-line center. When he signed with the Isles’ last summer, Comrie did so in tandem with team captain Bill Guerin, who has been his linemate most of the season. Through 63 games, Guerin has a team-best 19 goals, and Comrie has 18 goals and 27 assists for a team-leading 45 points.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow offered Comrie a long-term contract, according to multiple sources, but his priority was to make sure he’s in a situation where he has a chance to play a key role on a team with enough talent to contend for a playoff spot. Comrie becomes the second Islanders forward to agree to an extension following Trent Hunter’s five-year deal for $10 million.

One source involved in several high-profile negotiations today suggested Snow’s moves to lock down key players might be laying the groundwork to become a buyer later today. “It suggests to me he could be close to a deal or have received a counter back from a team that he might be prepared to act on if he knows what his budget is,” the source said of Snow.

Even so, Snow has said all along that he won’t sacrifice the Islanders’ first-round pick in what figures to be an exceptional draft.

If the Islanders didn’t care about sacrificing their first-round pick and a top prospect, maybe they would be one of the major players in the bidding for Tampa Bay center Brad Richards at today’s NHL trade deadline. But even though they need a true No. 1 center, general manager Garth Snow has said he’s committed to building the right way with a mix of draft picks, prospects and key veterans.

So, where does that leave things with their current top-line center Mike Comrie, who signed a one-year deal worth $3.375 million in July and has expressed his desire to remain with the Islanders? As of late Monday night, Comrie had not agreed to a contract extension with the Isles, and while both sides have said there’s no urgency to complete a deal by the 3 p.m. deadline, teams that are desperate to add a center for their playoff run might well come knocking hard on Snow’s door.

Colorado’s signing of Peter Forsberg eliminated one possible landing spot for Comrie, who might have lined up next to former Edmonton teammate Ryan Smyth. But Dallas, Vancouver and Columbus are said to be hot in pursuit of Richards. Only one can win. If Montreal outbids Ottawa for Atlanta forward Marian Hossa, maybe the Senators would have an interest in bringing back Comrie, who went to the Stanley Cup finals with them last June.

Once Richards and Hossa are snapped up, it will be interesting to see what value Comrie has to the rest of the league. It’s not easy to land a skilled center, and that holds true for the free-agent market this summer. Calgary’s Daymond Langkow is viewed by many as the top available center headed for free agency. He’s got 24 goals and 52 points while playing with the likes of All-Star Jarome Iginla. Comrie has 18 goals and 45 points playing with one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league.

Because of his lack of size and strength, it’s hard for Snow to pay Comrie the big bucks some No. 1 centers command. But the Isles would love to have Comrie remain as their second-line center and have offered him a long-term deal to do it. Unlike most players, Comrie isn’t concerned with long-term security as much as he wants to play a key role with a team trying to build a serious Stanley Cup contender. But if he’s going to play top-line minutes, a source close to him said, he should be valued accordingly.

If Snow doesn’t sign Comrie or trades him, then what do the Islanders do at center? Do they start over again this summer? They could be one of several teams vying to overpay Langkow, but odds are they’d lose that bidding war.

Some criticized Snow for overpaying Comrie in July, but he’s on pace for about 24 goals and 60 points. It makes sense for Snow to try and re-sign Comrie even if he has to pay a little more than he’d like, especially if it’s a short-term deal. Maybe he’ll figure out a way to trade for another capable center before next season. San Jose’s Patrick Marleau hasn’t performed well in the shadow of Joe Thornton. Possibly, he’s a candidate for a change of scenery.

But that’s a subject for another day. This is trade deadline day, and we’ll all find out soon enough where Comrie fits in the Islanders’ scheme of things. In the meantime, Comrie had a good line yesterday in which he offered a realistic view of how players should view the trade deadline.

“Really, if you look at it, probably 80 percent of the league is expendable,” Comrie said. “There’s about 20 percent of guys that sleep well the night before a trade deadline. That’s the facts of sports. But it’s something I don’t think too many guys are worried about in here. Whatever happens, will happen.”

Long-running rumors of a deal that would send Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe back to the Islanders simply will not die. Last summer, the gossip was on the order of wishful thinking by Maple Leafs management and the Toronto media, but despite sending conflicting signals recently, McCabe has indicated he would consider waiving his no-trade clause.

During an interview on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night, McCabe said he would consider accepting a trade. A report in the Toronto Star said McCabe would agree to go to the Islanders, Rangers or Philadelphia. His wife, Roberta, is from Long Island, and the couple maintains its summer home here.

But a Toronto Sun story said McCabe backtracked on his earlier comments after the Leafs’ win over Atlanta. “I want to stay,” McCabe was quoted as saying. “I signed here and choose to stay here because this is where I want to be…There are no guarantees, but I don’t want to move. My wife is seven months pregnant. We don’t want to go anywhere.”

The Sun report said McCabe did not give interim general manager Cliff Fletcher a list of teams he would consider. But he did leave the door ajar. If Fletcher came to him with a trade offer, McCabe said, “I’d consider it.”

Islanders general manager Garth Snow can’t discuss players from other teams, but he has the salary cap space to take McCabe’s onerous contract, which averages $5.75 million and runs for three more seasons after this one. Snow said he regards his salary cap space as a valuable commodity on a par with players, prospects and draft picks. As such, any deal that helps another team dump salary would require that team’s first-round draft pick as part of the package.

No doubt, Fletcher would resist giving up what figures to be a high first-round pick in what is regarded as one of the most talent-laden drafts in years. His efforts to rebuild the Leafs' roster suffered a serious blow when captain Mats Sundin refused late Sunday night to waive his no-trade clause. If Fletcher had been able to trade Sundin he would have gotten another team's first-rounder in the package, and it might have been easier to part with his own No. 1 to unload McCabe. Now, Fletcher has a tough decision to make.

“Look at San Jose and Vladimir Malakhov,” one Western Conference personnel expert said, referring to a deal in which the Devils sent Malakhov and a first-round pick to the Sharks before last season because they had to clear salary cap space. “There’s a precedent. That’s been real. If I worked for the Islanders, that’s what I’d preach.”

A deal sending McCabe to the Islanders remains a longshot at this point, but if Fletcher yields his first-round pick, it could become a real possibility.

With the NHL trade deadline just four days away, the Islanders took one of their key pending free agents off the market this evening when they reached agreement with forward Trent Hunter on a five-year contract extension worth $10 million. As a two-way power forward who has shown a scoring touch in the past, Hunter had attracted interest from other playoff contenders, but general manager Garth Snow made a long-term commitment to a player he wanted as part of the Islanders core group.

It was a significant move because of the message it sends to other Isles in line to become free agents this summer that now is the time to decide if their future is on Long Island. No one wanted that more than Hunter, who is in his fourth full season with the Islanders.

“We definitely wanted to stay here,” Hunter said. “I talked it over lots with my wife, Teri. We decided this is where we want to be. Snowy knew that, and my agent knew that. I was excited to hear the news today. We were looking for a longer term, and now, we’ll be here for a long time.”

Following last season, Snow described Hunter as the “quintessential Islander” because of his hard-working nature and his dedication to the team. That assessment didn’t change even though Hunter’s goal production has dropped off to just eight so far this season.

“Trent is 27 years old and would have been one of the youngest unrestricted free agents out there,” Snow said. “Most important, he brings to our team and our fan base exactly what we’re looking for in a New York Islander. He was one of our best players in the playoff series last year. Everyone knows he’ll finish every check, and I think he’s going to regain his scoring touch.”

Hunter now has a longer deal than any other Islander with the exception of goaltender Rick DiPietro, who is in the second season of a 15-year deal. So, he becomes one of the pillars of the contender Snow is trying to build.

“The big thing for us is that Snowy has made it clear our main focus is on winning the Stanley Cup,” DiPietro said tonight. “They felt Trent is a big piece. I feel great for Trent and his family. I know it’s been his goal to stay on Long Island.”

Just two weeks ago, the Islanders had lost seven straight games to fall to 13th in the Eastern Conference, and the buzzard scouts were hovering over the carcass in anticipation of picking the bones of a team that clearly was destined to be a seller at Tuesday’s NHL trade deadline. Six straight wins later, the Isles are hovering on the playoff bubble, still in ninth place but only one point out of a sixth-place tie.

So, what will Islanders general manager Garth Snow do come 3 p.m. Tuesday? Is he a buyer or a seller?

“Neither,” Snow said after returning from the recent league GM meetings. “I’m a builder.”

With a laugh, Snow said he got that line from a more seasoned GM who told him to say that if he didn’t know what the heck he was going to do at the deadline. But there’s truth in jest, and the line perfectly captures Snow’s position.

A year ago at this time, the Islanders were in the middle of a tremendous February playoff push that had carried them solidly into sixth place and had them thinking about gaining home-ice advantage in the playoffs. When the opportunity arose to pluck Ryan Smyth from Edmonton in the final hours before the deadline, Snow sacrificed his first-round pick and two former first-round prospects to make the biggest blockbuster deal of the day. It turned out to be a 24-game rental including the Isles’ first-round playoff loss.

That type of move won’t happen this year. Snow is committed to keeping the Islanders’ first-round pick in a very deep draft this June, and generally speaking, the top prospects who remain in the organization are ones he declined to part with last year.

But that doesn’t mean Snow won’t make some noise at the deadline this year. With forwards Miroslav Satan, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko, Trent Hunter, Josef Vasicek and Chris Simon all in the final year of their contracts, he’s certain to receive some attractive offers, and if there’s a chance to add a first-round pick and a useful player in exchange, he could sell.

At the same time, Snow has managed his salary cap so that the Islanders have plenty of room to take a big-ticket player. If he finds a trading partner who needs that salary flexibility and will take one of his pending free agents in return rather than picks and prospects, Snow could end up as a buyer.

Although the Islanders’ winning streak has placed them solidly back in the playoff picture, it hasn’t altered the principles on which Snow’s approach to the trade deadline is based. He’s a builder.

“It’s weird,” Snow said. “A six-game winning streak changes a lot for us in some ways. But what I’m focused on is how we’re going to build a team that can win the Stanley Cup someday on Long Island. When you focus on that, the extraneous variables fall by the wayside. They get eliminated from your thought process. My only focus is on what’s best for the organization for the long haul.”

In the third season under the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, many top contenders find themselves bumping up against the salary cap and forced to act accordingly. That’s why Anaheim couldn’t match Edmonton’s offer sheet to Dustin Penner last summer and had to trade Andy McDonald to St. Louis this season. To Snow, his cap space should be valued as a trade asset in the same fashion as draft picks and top prospects, but many old-line GMs might have trouble accepting an approach that has become standard procedure in the NBA.

“I firmly believe that, if you want my cap space, you better give me a good asset for it,” Snow said. “We’ve managed our cap in a pretty good manner, and if somebody wants some of it, there’s a price to pay for it. It does have a value…It is a new system. Who says I’m right? Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s what I believe.”

Snow can’t comment on players who belong to other teams, but if you apply his logic to some of the trade rumors out there, it hints at how his strategy might unfold. The Isles need a top-line center, and Tampa Bay’s Brad Richards, who carries a price tag just under $8 million per season is rumored to be available. Richards is widely regarded as overpriced at that salary, but he would be attractive if the cost doesn’t include top draft picks and key prospects. Another overpriced player linked in rumors to the Islanders is Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe, who has a no-trade clause. The Leafs have been desperate to unload him for more than a year. Are they willing to pay a price to do it? That remains to be seen, but it might take the Leafs' first-round pick to get the job done.

What can’t be overlooked is that the Islanders’ cap space remains a valuable asset to them, too, when it comes to making moves in the free agent market this summer. There might not be as many big-time free agents available because so many have signed long-term extensions already, but Snow is in position to compete for those who are unsigned and he won’t sacrifice his own flexibility lightly.

In that regard, the Islanders’ pending free agents would do well to study how Snow handled last season’s free agents. He made what he believed were fair offers to Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Tom Poti and Viktor Kozlov and didn’t negotiate up. Smyth took less money to return to the Western Conference, and while Blake received twice as much as the Islanders offered, his contract now is regarded in Toronto as an albatross. Poti and Kozlov got slightly more money, but their performances haven’t justified anything beyond the numbers Snow offered.

Asked about the progress of negotiations with his pending free agents this season, Snow said, “We’ve made offers. That’s as far as I’ll go.”

Obviously, Snow has a price and a role designated for his pending free agents. It’s up to them to decide whether they fit in the Islanders’ scheme. If they’re not signed by Tuesday, they certainly could be vulnerable to a trade. The exception is Satan, who has a no-trade clause, but he’s hot now and is bound to attract the most interest as a proven 30-goal scorer. One rumored destination is Dallas, but Satan, who has built a home on Long Island, would have to agree to any deal. Snow declined comment on the offers he has received.

Hunter, Fedotenko and Vasicek all have value to the Islanders, but all went through prolonged scoring droughts until they were put together on the same line. Now, they are performing exceptionally well, but where do they fit in the big picture for the future? That might be determined in the next few days.

If Snow has decided he’s a builder right now, then, he could go any number of directions in managing his assets. What will he do? “Whatever is in the best interest of the organization to build a Stanley Cup champion,” Snow said. “We’re not going to mortgage our future to try to get a quick fix. That’s why it’s going to be exciting. You never know what’s going to happen.”

ISLANDERS INSIDER LINK: Starting today, the lead item for the online-only Islanders Insider will be posted on the Islanders Beat blog. To make it easier for readers of the blog to access Insider, which is posted elsewhere on Newsday’s main sports web site, I will add a link to the full Insider once it is posted every Friday morning. For the rest of today’s Insider, including comments from Ted Nolan and Miro Satan on the trade deadline, please click here.

After scoring only one goal in his latest eight-game stint with the Islanders, forward Jeff Tambellini was sent down to Bridgeport today to make room for the return of enforcer Chris Simon against Tampa Bay tonight at the Coliseum. Simon is coming off an NHL-record 30-game suspension for stepping on the ankle of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu on Dec. 15.

Although the Islanders are on a five-game winning streak, coach Ted Nolan said he has no qualms about shaking up the lineup. “I’m not one of those superstitious guys that says, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep the same lineup,’” Nolan said. “We want to make sure we have the best lineup on the ice on a given night.” Explaining his decision-making process, Nolan said, “. There would be a factor of someone not playing as well as we think and putting Chris back into that position to upgrade it.”

Tambellini received 13:46 of ice time in the first game of his eight-game stretch but saw that dwindle to a low of only 6:44 on Monday against San Jose. His demotion means the end of the “Bridgeport Connection” line with Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau for the time being. That combination helped jump start the Islanders when they were fighting their way out of a seven-game losing streak, but they were reduced to fourth-line minutes after failing to generate much offense.

Nolan has been a strong Comeau backer this season, and he has praised the intelligent play of Nielsen as fourth-line center. But he remains lukewarm to Tambellini. Despite going back to the Sound Tigers, where he leads the AHL with 28 goals, it might not be long before Tambellini rejoins the Isles. If they move a veteran forward at Tuesday's trade deadline, Tambellini likely would make a u-turn to the Island.

In the meantime, the Islanders can use Simon’s toughness, especially with defensemen Andy Sutton and Brendan Witt on the injured list. Simon has been a controversial figure in two seasons with the Islanders after being suspended twice for a total of 55 games. But he underwent anger management counseling after the latest episode and said he’s received a warm response from Islanders fans.

“You make mistakes, but my teammates and the fans have been so supportive,” Simon said. “It’s been amazing. I’ve been running into people all over Long Island, and they welcome me back and they’re excited to see me. I’m happy for the support they gave me through all of this.

“My family has always been behind me 100 percent. But being around the guys is a big part of your family, too. They’re a huge part of your lifestyle. It was great to spend time with my wife and kids. It was great to take them to their school events and not miss anything. That was a lot of fun, but playing hockey is what I do and I’m so happy to be back.”

Defenseman Drew Fata was recalled today from Bridgeport to take the roster spot of Andy Sutton, who suffered a pulled hamstring at the end of the Islanders’ 3-2 comeback victory over San Jose Monday afternoon at the Coliseum. Sutton is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with a partially torn hamstring.

Fata played three regular-season games for the Isles last season, including one against the Capitals team he will face tomorrow night in Washington. He also was the player called up for Game 5 of the Islanders’ first-round playoff series last spring in Buffalo after Sean Hill was suspended for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

So, there at least should be a degree of familiarity between Fata and the five remaining healthy defensemen out of the nine who began the season on the NHL roster. Chris Campoli is out for the season; Bruno Gervais (strained rib muscle) is day-to-day, and Brendan Witt (sprained knee) still is 1-3 weeks away from playing.

Sutton previously had moved up to the top pairing with Radek Martinek in place of Witt after he was injured. Freddy Meyer, who has been playing with Aaron Johnson, might fill that role. The offensive pairing of Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard might be split up with one moving up and one playing with Fata. But no determination on pairings has been announced yet.

Asked about the loss of Sutton, Meyer said, “We’ve got injuries already and guys are stepping up and making plays. That’s what’ going to have to continue to happen. Another guy is going to have to step up and carry the load.

“Going into the season, we all thought it was crazy having nine defensemen around. It’s kind of worked out as planned, unfortunately, with the injuries. Another guy is going to have to come up, and everyone has to bond together as a six-pack and play as strong as we can.”

Until the injury toll reached the point where it eliminated lineup decisions on defense, coach Ted Nolan was betwixt and between when it came to deciding when to play offensive defensemen Bryan Berard and Marc-Andre Bergeron to boost the power play and when to bench them to limit turnovers.

If Brendan Witt and Bruno Gervais were healthy, Berard and Bergeron still might be on the bench because it seemed Nolan had reached the point where he was ready to sacrifice the power play in favor of playing tighter defense. Then along comes a game like the Isles’ 5-4 win Thursday in Toronto in which they score a season-high four power-play goals, and it reminds you how much they can do for the attack.

Considering how little he played over the previous two seasons because of back problems, it has been particularly frustrating for Berard to be limited to just 30 games played at a time when he’s trying to regain his feel for the game. “It’s been frustrating, that’s for sure,” said Berard, who was No. 1 star at Toronto with a goal and two assists. “This year, I’ve been healthy enough to play, and the back hasn’t been an issue. Being in and out of the lineup is tough, but I try to hang in there and work hard during practices.

“It seems like I get going pretty well and get my confidence, and then, I’d be back out of the lineup. That’s where it’s been a little frustrating. But those are the coach’s decisions. I like being part of this team; I like being here. It’s something you just deal with.”

Berard said he could understand Nolan’s dilemma because there have been times when both he and Bergeron were in the lineup and the power play still wasn’t clicking. At those times, in particular, any mistakes they make defensively or trying to move the puck become magnified when it leads to a goal by the opposition.

“They talk about turnovers where I’m trying to force something offensively,” Berard said at the pre-game skate before tonight’s game against Atlanta at the Coliseum. “That’s where my game comes in, and when I’m not playing with my confidence, I might try to force things more. The turnovers stick in Teddy’s head. I can’t go out and stop playing my game, but I’ve just got to be a little more careful and make smarter decisions with the puck.”

In Toronto, the Isles avoided egregious giveaways and limited the Maple Leafs to just 13 shots on goal through the first two periods before allowing 18 in the final period. The power play absolutely was on fire, converting four of seven opportunities. Berard said his opening goal came on a set play where he jumps in front of the net if the defense goes to cover Bill Guerin. He was right there for the rebound, and the other three goals, two by Ruslan Fedotenko and one by Mike Comrie, also came on rebounds.

Explaining why the power play worked so well, Berard said, “Movement for one, not even puck movement, but we were moving our bodies around, especially the guys on the half-wall down low seemed to be moving their bodies and switching positions. And then, just get pucks to the net. Fedotenko’s goals were both from us getting pucks to the net and getting rebounds.

“When we do get hot, we do score some power-play goals. Hopefully, at this time of the year, we can stay that way. We’re moving the puck a lot better right now.”

If nine NHL-caliber defenseman seemed like a crowd when the Islanders broke training camp, it’s turned out to be just enough now. Defenseman Brendan Witt has been ruled out for the next two to four weeks with the sprained medial collateral knee ligament he suffered Tuesday night against Philadelphia.

Witt has been the backbone of the Islanders defense in his two seasons with the club, so, his loss is a major blow at a time when they just broke a seven-game losing streak and face an uphill climb in the standings to get back into playoff contention. Bruno Gervais (strained ribcage muscle) remained on Long Island with Witt, and Chris Campoli was lost for the season with a shoulder injury last month.

That leaves the Isles with six healthy defensemen out of the original nine for tonight’s game in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are in the same boat as the Islanders, fighting desperately to get back into contention, and with their size, you can count on them to go hard early at goaltender Rick DiPietro even though it’s their second game in as many nights.

It will be up to 6-6, 245-pound defenseman Andy Sutton to try and back the Leafs off a bit. Coach Ted Nolan decided Sutton’s size was needed in place of Witt on the top defensive pairing with Radek Martinek. Most likely, Aaron Johnson, who was a healthy scratch last game, will replace Sutton on the second pair with Freddy Meyer. Those four should see the majority of ice time with power-play specialists Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard forming the third pairing.

“It’s tough,” Nolan said. “You look at every team in the league, and you take three of their top defensemen out of the lineup [Witt, Gervais, Campoli], and it’s tough to replace those guys. But somebody’s injury is somebody else’s opportunity.”

Ever since enforcer Chris Simon received his 30-game suspension, it largely has been up to Sutton to be the policemen standing up for his teammates. Now, he has to be the tough guy Witt was while facing the opponents’ top lines most of the time.

“It’s going to affect us dramatically,” Sutton said of Witt’s loss. “He’s a great defenseman and a leader for our team. He was a real presence out there. But I play my game, and if that fits, it fits. I’m not going to try to be Brendan.”

Since growing comfortable in the Islanders’ defensive system, Sutton has become the physical force general manager Garth Snow hoped he would be when he was signed as a free agent. But the Islanders are a team that tries to play tight defensively and avoid taking penalties as much as possible.

Asked if he thinks some opponents have tried to manhandle the Islanders recently, Sutton disagreed. “No, I don’t think it’s something that’s focusing specifically against the Islanders,” he said. “Teams are doing that across the board, especially in the second half of the season. We just have to play solid defensively…With the nature of the game, you can’t bully teams anymore because you’re going to be in the box all night and you’re going to lose. You have to be physical, but to a point. Overall team toughness and competitiveness is the thing that wins in the long run.”

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Look for Islanders Insider posted online before noon Friday in Newsday Sports. It will feature Nolan’s take on what the return of Simon’s presence to the lineup might mean. Campoli, who spent the past three weeks resting after shoulder surgery at his Toronto-area home, will return to Long Island tonight on the team charter to begin the rehab process, and he describes what he endured playing with a separated shoulder. Also, Miro Satan discusses the frightening injury his friend and former Isle Richard Zednik suffered when his carotid artery was sliced open by a skate blade, and much more.

The major question facing Islanders general manager Garth Snow at the end of the first day of free agency on July 1 was how he was going to make up for the loss of goal scorers Jason Blake, Ryan Smyth and Viktor Kozlov plus the buyout of Alexei Yashin. In hindsight, the answer is that it was impossible.

Even if he had retained Blake, Smyth and Kozlov, all are scoring at a pace well below last season, and that was true even before Smyth suffered a long-term ankle injury. Yashin was so desirable that he couldn’t land an NHL deal and was forced to return to Russia to play.

Under the circumstances, Snow did well to recover by signing Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko, Josef Vasicek and Jonathan Sim at forward, as well as defensive defenseman Andy Sutton to replace offense-oriented defenseman Tom Poti in the top four. Even so, there’s no getting around the fact that the Islanders are the NHL’s lowest-scoring team, and Snow doesn’t deny they have performed below his expectations.

“We’re at the bottom of the league in scoring,” Snow said recently. “Obviously, that’s a disappointment. But you can still win hockey games. Other teams have proven you don’t have to be the highest scoring team. You can still pay attention to defense and play within the gameplan and the system. We’ve proven we can win. We’ve beaten some of the best teams in the league. We’ve just got to get back to playing the correct way.”

Just seven games ago, the Isles were playing well enough to rank seventh in the Eastern Conference, but seven straight losses going into their game against Philadelphia tonight at the Coliseum has a way of magnifying their glaring weaknesses. If you break it down, Guerin and Comrie are performing close to what was expected. Comrie leads the team with 41 points, which is on pace for his career-high of 60 points, and his 16 goals are slightly behind his career-best 30. Guerin’s team-high 19 goals put him just behind the hoped-for 30-goal pace.

But Fedotenko hasn’t produced; Vasicek got off to a fast start and then went downhill, and Sim suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the season. Combine that with declines by veterans Miroslav Satan, Trent Hunter and Mike Sillinger, and the lack of offense placed the defense and goaltender Rick DiPietro under more pressure than they have been able to withstand at this point.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Snow made no long-term commitments last summer, and the Islanders can take this opportunity to evaluate the young players in their system before moving forward from here. Blake Comeau and Sean Bergenheim have shown promise in regular roles, and Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen are getting their chance now with Sillinger on the injury list. Kyle Okposo is getting his feet wet at Bridgeport and might get a look near the end of the season.

Asked if he needs to add more skill, Snow said, “You look at the skill guys we have -- Mike Comrie, Miro Satan, and Bill Guerin is a proven goal scorer. You look at our depth chart, and we have some good young prospects – Tambellini, Okposo, and I think Frans Nielsen will surprise people with how good a hockey player he is. We have good young players who are stepping right in and have proven so far that they belong at this level.

“You can see the energy it gives the lineup when a young guy like Comeau comes up and plays well…You see them in Bridgeport at the AHL level, and you see them in training camp and at the mini-camps. But to get the opportunity to play during the season in a much more intense situation, to me, it really bodes well for this organization, not just for today but for the future that we have young kids that are stepping in and playing well.”

By no means have Snow or coach Ted Nolan given up on making the playoffs this season. But with a talent-rich draft pool coming up in June, Snow isn’t about to trade away high draft picks at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. He understands the need to replenish a farm system that traded away some premium assets in recent years. The mistakes of the past can’t be undone, but as difficult as this season is turning out to be, it might be a chance for Snow to set the table for the future.

CORRECTION: Headlines on the Islanders article today in both the print and online editions of Newsday implied that Nolan threatened to trade players who didn’t produce in a team meeting on Monday. That was not the case. As the writer of the piece, I obviously did not communicate that adequately to the copy editors who write the headlines.

When it was suggested to Nolan yesterday that the team basically has two weeks before the trade deadline to get back in the playoff hunt before Snow has to make the decision to be a buyer or a seller, Nolan said, “Yeah, we talked about that this morning. With the situation we’re in now, it’s going to be tough, but tough situations require tough attitudes and tough desire to work and compete and battle for that. As far as trades and all that stuff, we’ll leave that to Garth.”

I paraphrased the first sentence of the quote, saying that Nolan mentioned the situation to the team in that day’s meeting. It was meant to convey the urgency of the circumstances facing the Islanders. In no way was it intended to suggest Nolan threatened jobs. That’s simply not his style. I regret the misunderstanding.

On the morning of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against Buffalo last April 20, tough-guy defenseman Sean Hill stood up in front of his Islanders teammates and told them he wouldn’t be joining them for what turned out to be their season-ending elimination game. He would be serving the first game of a 20-game suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Hill looked them in the eye and said he didn’t do it, didn’t take the steroid for which he tested positive.

This afternoon at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Hill will be face-to-face with his former teammates again. After sitting out with an ankle injury since Jan. 11, he’s been told by Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire he will play against the Islanders. If anyone from last season’s team asked him again, Hill would tell them the same thing he did last spring.

Not all of them would believe him, and Hill understands that. Recalling that emotional morning in Buffalo during an interview with Newsday last night, Hill said, “That’s something I felt I had to do. I’m sure a lot of them believed in me. I know some didn’t, but the ones I care about a lot believed in me. I know what I’ve done and what I have not done. I had a [drug] test right after the season, and I had no trace of anything.

“I took a lie detector test right after the season, and I passed. I don’t know how [the positive drug test] happened, but I can tell you I have no problem going to sleep at night.”

As far as the NHL is concerned, a lie detector test doesn’t trump a positive drug test. Hill was a free agent at the end of last season, and just the day before Game 5, he said he hoped and expected to return to the Isles. That didn’t happen. No offer ever was made. So, Hill went into free agency with the remaining 19 games of his suspension hanging over his head and a stain on his reputation as the kind of tough, team-oriented player teams want defending their blue line.

“I took the lie detector test going into free agency for people who had a problem believing in me,” Hill said. “I thought it would help my credibility.”

Hill doesn’t dispute the validity of his positive drug test. But he’s steadfast in his assertion that he didn’t intentionally take a performance-enhancing substance and has no idea how it found its way into his system. Some might describe that as “the-dog-ate-my-homework” defense. That’s why Hill took the lie detector test.

Still, he will live forever with a cloud of suspicion as the first positive under the NHL’s performance-enhancing drugs program. “To this day, it definitely comes into my mind almost every day,” Hill said. “I try to make sense of it. I’ve exhausted myself trying to figure it out. What did I do? Why did it happen? There is no explanation.

“I had a ‘therapeutic use’ exception to use a testosterone cream. I knew the league would be paying attention. What sense does it make for me to do something else? It’s ridiculous.

“I’ve messed up a lot in my life. But if I made a mistake, I’d own up to it. I wish I had a reason I could give you for what happened. The scary part to me is that it could happen again. When you have no idea why it happened, what happens the next time? That’s what really scares me. Why couldn’t it happen to a young player? What if he got blackballed from the league? Why couldn’t it happen again?”

Hill said he was informed late last February that he had tested positive. Under the rules of the NHL program, he had the right to an appeal. Because of confidentiality provisions, Islanders management wasn’t informed of the process until about two weeks before the suspension was handed down. The players first learned of the situation on the morning of Game 5.

“I thought it best to appeal rather than sit out 20 games in the middle of the season because we were making a playoff push,” Hill said. “I knew the appeal would buy me some time for the playoff push. I thought I owed it to them. I could do the most for the team in that regard. But I knew I wasn’t going to win. They test the B sample after the A sample. They came from the same sample, so, it wasn’t going to change.”

After the season ended, Hill declined to speak with the media about his situation on the advice of his attorney. He felt it was necessary for his survival in the NHL. That decision wasn’t popular with reporters or many of his teammates with the exception of Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro. “I talk to Ricky quite a bit,” Hill said. “He’s a close friend.”

In Hill’s situation, it takes a leap of faith to believe his story. His track record as a “character guy” in the locker room is one argument in his favor. Islanders coach Ted Nolan said he loved coaching Hill and hoped he was telling the truth.

But in this day and age with the scandal in baseball over steroids and the use of human growth hormone in the spotlight, it’s tough for an athlete in Hill’s position to find comfort.

Asked for his thoughts on former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, who is pleading his case before a Congressional committee, Hill said, “You hear guys say, ‘I never knowingly took anything.’ It’s like saying, ‘A trainer gave it to me,’ and they pretend not to know what they were taking.

“Before this happened to me, I just assumed, ‘Oh, yeah, he must be doing that.’ Now, I’m very careful to judge. It’s hearsay from somebody. But I know what I haven’t done, and it doesn’t add up to me.”

Islanders coach Ted Nolan had to smile today when he was asked about the way Pittsburgh has compensated for the loss of injured superstar Sidney Crosby. It must be nice, Nolan suggested, for the Penguins to have another budding star in Evgeni Malkin to plug into that scoring and leadership role.

“We haven’t got that type of team,” Nolan said. “We have a team that has relied on effort from everybody.”

With Miroslav Satan and Mike Sillinger out with injuries against the Penguins tonight at Mellon Arena, Nolan has no proven substitute for their talent and experience. But the Islanders coach sounded genuinely excited about the opportunity to experiment with Bridgeport products Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen as his second scoring line even if it was forced on him by the circumstances.

Asked if the kids finally would get some serious ice time, as well as power-play time, Nolan said, “No question about it. As far as looking forward to a hockey game, you look forward to see how that line reacts. They’ve got some speed, and they’ve got some hockey ability. The only thing they’re lacking is experience, and there’s no better way to get experience than to throw them right into the fire and let them sink or swim.

“Tambellini has been up here a number of times now, so, it’s not new to him. Frans Nielsen, it’s exciting for him to get another opportunity. Comeau has been here. It’s not like we’re throwing three kids out of junior hockey into the National Hockey League. These guys have a little bit of experience, and now they’ve got to seize the moment.”

Jeremy Colliton is another callup from Bridgeport who will be in the lineup as a checking center. But Nolan indicated Colliton will be restricted to more of a fourth-line role. Sillinger led the checking line the past two seasons, but his frequent linemates Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert will be with center Josef Vasicek. Of course, it’s tougher to match lines on the road when the home team has the last change, but Nolan said he no longer has a checking line as such. Top line center Mike Comrie, Nielsen and Vasicek all could be called upon to face the opponents’ top line.

“Whoever is out has to be aware defensively because we haven’t got that one big shutdown line,” Nolan said. “With the situation we have right now, we’re going to be putting Comrie in more of a position to play against top lines than previously when we had a checking line. It’s just because of his experience and circumstances. This is what we have.”

Tambellini and Nielsen were brought up to play together, as they did so well for the Sound Tigers this season, but they only were on the ice together in the third period against Anaheim on Tuesday night. Things will be much different tonight, and they’ll have the benefit of playing with Comeau, who has earned respect for his strong play on the puck and for his hockey sense since his callup.

Captain Bill Guerin suggested after the loss to the Ducks that Comeau has been the Isles’ “best player for the last two weeks,” and Nolan didn’t disagree. Guerin said the Islanders need a dose of youthful enthusiasm and added, “Like it or not, they’re a big part of our team now. No growing pains. They’ve all been around before. They know what they’re doing.”

ISLES FILES: Satan accompanied the Islanders on this two-game road trip that continues Saturday in Minnesota. He acknowledged that he has a sprained right knee with partially torn ligaments. When he suffered the injury on Jan. 8 in Vancouver, he was told it was a six-to-eight-week injury. After missing one game at Calgary, Satan relied on pain pills to play the next 11 straight.

Tonight’s game is only the second he’s missed since being hurt, and he doesn’t plan on staying out long. “I didn’t really want to take time off, but I was kind of ‘convinced,’” Satan said with a smile. “We’ll see how I feel day by day. I expect to be back soon. I don’t want to say any number, but I seriously expect to be back shortly.”

FRIDAY’S INSIDER: Before noon on Friday, Islanders Insider will be posted online at Newsday.com. It will feature a look at Mike Comrie’s season and his thoughts on the Feb. 26 trade deadline and a look back at the Sean Hill suspension for Game 5 of the Isles’ first-round playoff loss to Buffalo last spring because of performance-enhancing substances. Hill signed with the Wild, and while he hasn't played since Jan. 11, he will see his former teammates for the first time since then on Saturday.

As much as Mike Sillinger’s hip injury is hurting him, you can believe it hurts the 36-year-old center a lot more to leave the lineup for a minimum of three weeks. He did all he could to avoid sitting down because of an injury he’s been living with since early December, but the medical staff essentially gave him no choice.

“It’s to the point where I just can’t move any more,” Sillinger admitted this morning at the pre-game skate for tonight’s game against defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim at the Coliseum. "If I try to push, I just have no power. I have no lateral movement. Medically, the doctors knew this could be a possibility, and here we are. It’s bad timing. Obviously, I love playing, and I want to be in the lineup each and every night. I want to contribute. I just can’t perform the way Mike Sillinger can perform right now.”

Putting Sillinger on the injured list is one of the moves that allowed the Islanders to call up Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen from Bridgeport to add a little spark to a lineup that is flat-lining on offense. There’s no doubt they need an infusion of youth, speed and enthusiasm, and Tambellini and Nielsen have more than paid their dues waiting for a shot.

The sad part is that Sillinger is the odd man out because his condition is the worst of several Islanders playing with injuries. He took four days off near the end of December, missing only the New Year’s Eve game in Carolina, in an effort to rest his hip. Starting with the Jan. 11 game in Calgary, where he scored two goals and a shootout goal in the Islanders’ victory, Sillinger scored six goals in eight games.

The gung-ho alternate captain managed to produce despite his injury, and his 14 goals are tied for second on the team behind captain Bill Guerin’s 18. If it simply were a matter of production, the Islanders have plenty of other candidates stuck in long slumps who could have been replaced by Tambellini and Nielsen.

And, as Sillinger noted, they have a few others doing all they can despite compromising injuries. “I’m not the only guy playing through these injuries,” Sillinger said. “There’s a lot of guys doing it.” Joking about his ability to generate some offense while playing hurt, he added, “I didn’t feel great, but I never feel good anymore.”

Sillinger called it the “hockey mentality” to try and soldier on through pain. “Guys want to play through injuries all the time and see what they can do,” Sillinger said. “But when it affects your performance and you can’t play to your potential, you’re not only hurting your team, you’re hurting the organization and you’re hurting yourself. It makes no sense to do. That’s the point [I’m] at. It’s just not fair to the organization, not fair to my teammates and not fair to myself [to keep playing]. It’s time to produce.”

GAME NOTES: Too bad Islanders Insider doesn’t appear online until Friday because there was information overload today at the pre-game skate. Some of it can hold until then, but here’s a summary of developments pertinent to tonight’s game. First, although it’s officially a gametime decision, it’s clear Teemu Selanne will make his season debut with the Ducks tonight.

Asked how he would decide if he’s ready to go after “retiring” for the first 56 games of the season, Selanne said, “It’s easy. There’s only so much you’re going to get from practicing, and the games are next. I have to get it back, so, I’m ready. I feel pretty good, and I’m excited…We’ve lost a lot of games lately, so, it’s time to turn this whole thing around.”

Despite a similar recent return by defenseman Scott Niedermayer, the champion Ducks are stuck in a six-game losing streak (0-5-1) and have been shut out in their past two games. The timing couldn’t be better for the 37-year-old Selanne to return. He scored 48 goals and 94 points last season when he became the first player in NHL history to have back-to-back 40-goal seasons after turning 35.

The Islanders also have a gametime decision to make on forward Richard Park, who is battling the flu bug. If Park plays, coach Ted Nolan indicated he will be on the second line with center Josef Vasicek and right wing Guerin. That means Tambellini and Nielsen would get fourth-line minutes with either Sean Bergenheim or enforcer Kip Brennan. If Park can’t go, Tambellini moves up to the second line, leaving Nielsen with Bergenheim and Brennan…Offensive defensemen Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard both will sit out in favor of Bruno Gervais and Aaron Johnson as the third pairing. Obviously, the Isles are intent on reducing turnovers, especially in their own end. That means the top defensive pairing of Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt also could wind up playing the points on the power play. So could forward Miroslav Satan and maybe defenseman Freddy Meyer…Don’t expect to see Nielsen on the power play, but Tambellini might get a shot at some point, especially if Park is out…Guerin spoke briefly with the players near the end of the skate while the coaches busied themselves on the other side of the ice. That talk comes on the heels of a meeting on Sunday in which Nolan asked the players for suggestions on what needs to be done to end their 1-5-1 slide. “A lot of good things have been said, and a lot of things have been pointed out,” Guerin said. “We’ve got to take action tonight. It’s two desperate hockey clubs. They haven’t won in a little wh