New York Islanders Daily: Tavares Good To Go After Off Day
The New York Islanders captain John Tavares is ready to play tonight after needing an off day on Wednesday to recuperate.
The New York Islanders medical and coaching staff thought it was necessary to give John Tavares a day off on Wednesday. They’ve played a good portion of games already, 32 to be exact, and Tavares has taken a beating at times this year.
In particular against the Boston Bruins, JT took a hit from Kevan Miller in the third period. He seemed to jam his arm a bit, which could be why the staff figured he could use a day.
As a precaution the Islanders called up Stephen Gionta. Gionta was looking like he could earn a 13th forward spot during training camp but a foot injury kept him on the shelf.
Tavares isn’t the only one banged up. We are still unclear how long Casey Cizikas will be out for, in reality it’ll be most likely until next week. So Gionta adds insurance on the Isles bottom two lines.
The Islanders are looking for their second win in a row, this time against the Buffalo Sabres. It’ll be Kyle Okposo‘s return to New York, which I’m sure the video tribute will be great for him.
After a great performance, against Boston in which he stopped 48 of 50 shots against him, Thomas Greiss is expected to start again tonight.
Isles Tweet Of The Day
If the #Isles truly love Tavares and envision him here another 10 years, I cannot imagine them actually believing team is fine as is.
— Jeff Capellini (@JCapWFAN) December 23, 2016
Our Stuff
The one that got away (Eyes On Isles)
Is Nino Niederreiter the forward the Islanders are missing? Eric Vogel explains why they could use him at the moment.
Islanders sign and recall Gionta (Eyes On Isles)
What’s the point of calling up a poor man’s Casey Cizikas says Mitch Anderson. You know what, it’s hard to find an answer for that one.
Other Stuff
Islanders visit kids in the hospital (Islanders)
Despite not playing well on the ice, at least the Islanders are doing the right thing off the ice. Glad to see this kind of stuff from the team.
More from Eyes On Isles
This article originally appeared on