Rick DiPietro News

Nathan Horton scored three times for his second career hat trick and the Florida Panthers routed the Islanders 7-1 on Monday night.

There won't be any Rick DiPietro sightings tonight at the Arena at Harbor Yard. It'll just be the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, back to normal, grinding their way through a division-heavy schedule.

Scott Gordon has spent much of his second season as Islanders coach trying to get his young team to be more trigger happy.

Islanders' Frans Nielsen cheers his breakaway goal 24 seconds into the extra season with Blake Comeau.

According to a Newsday.com report, New York Islanders goaltender and franchise player, Rick DiPietro , is close to rejoining the club after making his second start in less than a week for the Islanders' American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers .

Few if any goalies are more competitive than Rick DiPietro. A pass misses connection in the neutral zone: audible displeasure.

Blake sinks Islanders Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala goes down to make a save on New York Islanders centre Frans Nielsen in Toronto on December 9, 2009.

Still looking for his first win as the Flyers' head coach, Peter Laviolette hopes that the third time will be a charm.

BRIDGEPORTBy MIKE MADARHour CorrespondentBy making his first start at the Arena at Harbor Yard in more than six years, New York Islanders franchise goalie Rick DiPietro returned to game action for the first time in 11 months.The results weren't pretty.

New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is back in action for the first time in nearly a year.

Rookie defenseman Victor Hedman scored his first NHL goal and Mike Smith made 30 saves to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the New York Islanders 4-0 on Saturday night.

Rick DiPietro has made it through months of practice and drills without getting hurt.

The remaking of Rick DiPietro comes to Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday night. The Islanders' franchise goaltender will play in a game for the first time since Jan.

Sound Tigers coach Jack Capuano said it best: Both his team and Providence had "surges" in the Bruins' 2-1 shootout win Wednesday night.

Rick DiPietro has had some disappointing comeback attempts, so it's no surprise he wants to downplay his likely return to game action on Saturday, when he is scheduled to play for the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Rick DiPietro has led off the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' "Born in Bridgeport" video for a couple of years.

Dwayne Roloson #30 of the New York Islanders skates against the Carolina Hurricanes .

The laughter in the visitors dressing room at Air Canada Centre went up a notch Monday, so I knew Martin Biron had surely come off the ice.

Doug Weight hasn't seen the Islanders play in person too many times lately. Not with the team having just completed a seven-game road trip and Weight still recovering from a shoulder injury.

It has been 18 years since a goalie had a night like Islanders netminder Dwayne Roloson.