Michael Sauer will not play tomorrow night against the Islanders because of his shoulder. Wolski will most likely not play because of a lingering groin injury. At practice, the lines and defensive pairings appeared as follows:
Stepan-Richards-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust
Rupp-Christensen-Zuccarello
McDonagh-Girardi
Del Zotto-Erixon
Eminger-Woywitka
I'm so excited for this game. Hopefully, Stepan will play well on the top line, and possibly earn a permanent spot there (as permanent a sopt that is possible with Torts as the coach). If not, he can always go back to his old line when Wolski returns, but that still poses the problem of him not getting enough minutes. Also, the current lines keep the "Pack" line together. McD and Griradi should be solid (as always), and Woywitka and Eminger should be comfortable playing together like they did during the World Juniors. The only think that worries me is the possibly shaky pairing of Del Zotto and Erixon. Surprisingly, I actually have more confidence in Erixon than Del Zotto. During the first two games of the season, Erixon seems to be progressing steadily. Del Zotto continues to make bad decisions and passes. Hopefully he will improve as the season goes on.
In other news, Islander's goalie Rich DiPietro is out with a concussion. Incredible how many times he gets injured...
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