DiPietro Injury Caps Dreary Year on the Island

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Islanders netminder Rick DiPietro underwent hip surgery in Vail, Colo., yesterday and will miss the remainder of the 2007–08 season. After the Isles were eliminated from the postseason last spring, he had surgery on his left hip; this time, it’s the right hip in need of repair. He was injured during the All-Star skills competition that took place in Atlanta in January, and he has played through the pain for nearly two months. Without question, the injury will provide even more fodder for stars looking to beg out of the midseason exhibition.

The good news in all of this is that DiPietro is expected to make a full recovery and be ready in time for training camp in September. But the fact that he’s having chronic hip trouble is cause for serious concern.

Core flexibility is absolutely critical, especially for an athletic goaltender like DiPietro, whose ability to make acrobatic saves is one of his biggest assets. And given that the Islanders have committed to him for the long term (15 years, $67.5 million), it’s mission critical for the franchise that he not only be healthy enough to play, but healthy enough to perform at an elite level. Not surprisingly, the Isles have slipped to 27th in this week’s rankings.

1. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 1): Swedish forward Johan Franzen has taken full advantage of Tomas Holmstrom’s absence (groin injury), tallying eight goals in his last seven games.

G REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
73 47-20–6 100 224 160 18.53% 85.02%

2. San Jose Sharks (2): The white-hot Sharks are 12–0–1 in their last 13 games, including a spectacular nine-game road winning streak that has them right on the Wings’ heels.
73 43–21–9 95 189 164 15.52% 88.21%

3. New Jersey Devils (5): Martin Brodeur reached 40 victories for a record seventh time on Saturday; his unique combination of skill and durability makes him arguably the finest netminder in league history.
72 42–24–6 90 183 165 14.08% 84.89%

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (6): The Pens were easily pushed around by the Rangers in Tuesday night’s loss, a performance that doesn’t bode very well for their Cup hopes.
73 41–25–7 89 215 197 18.13% 82.02%

5. Montreal Canadiens (4): Alexei Kovalev is demonstrating tremendous maturity this season. He released a training DVD this week, with all profits going to the Gift of Life Foundation (helping children with heart disease), and has emerged as a respected leader on and off the ice for the Habs.
74 40–24–10 90 229 198 23.53% 82.94%

6. Anaheim Ducks (8): Chris Pronger’s eight-game suspension for stomping on the leg of the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler will keep him out of the lineup until the Ducks’ final regular-season game.
74 41–25–8 90 182 169 14.50% 85.03%

7. Dallas Stars (3): The reeling Stars are going to have to do without Sergei Zubov (foot surgery) for a bit longer than expected; he won’t start skating until the end of this week.
74 42–27–5 89 213 183 16.13% 90.16%

8. Ottawa Senators (7): Only 4–4–1 since their general manager, Bryan Murray, took over behind the bench, it’s clear that the team’s troubles ran far deeper than their departed coach, John Paddock.
73 40–26–7 87 228 211 17.77% 85.71%

9. Minnesota Wild (13): The Mikko Koivu-centered checking line shut down Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg on Monday night in what might have been a first-round preview.
73 39–26–8 86 192 189 15.00% 85.47%

10. New York Rangers (10): Next on the docket for the up-and-down Rangers is a home-and-home series against the Flyers, with three days’ rest in between the contests.
73 38–26–9 85 186 173 14.85% 84.64%

11. Vancouver Canucks (11): Super-tough rearguard Willie Mitchell took a puck to the face on Saturday that required his teeth to be held in place with plastic, but it didn’t stop him from suiting up for Monday’s win over the Coyotes.
73 37–26–10 84 187 175 15.69% 85.41%

12. Calgary Flames (9): The Flames have lost three of their last four, and with their nine remaining games, all against division rivals, it’s made what lies ahead matter even more.
73 37–26–10 84 202 201 13.92% 83.24%

13. Boston Bruins (14): Avoiding a season sweep by the Habs is critical for the Bruins’ confidence; if the playoffs started today, they’d have to face Montreal in the first round.
73 37–27–9 83 183 197 15.73% 80.84%

14. Colorado Avalanche (12): Two straight losses have left the Avs in eighth place, with a not-so-comfortable four-point lead over the hard-charging Predators.
74 39–29–6 84 197 192 12.34% 82.16%

15. Carolina Hurricanes (16): The ‘Canes are 14–3–1 in their last 18 games, no easy feat considering they’ve done it without captain Rod Brind’Amour (knee surgery, out for the season).
74 39–30–5 83 224 227 14.97% 78.98%

16. Philadelphia Flyers (15): Netminder Antero Niittymaki was stellar in Tuesday night’s win over the Thrashers, a performance that might have won him the starting job.
74 36–28–10 82 222 211 20.68% 86.82%

17. Buffalo Sabres (18): Two straight wins — and the possibly imminent return of defenseman Teppo Numminen (heart surgery) — have the Sabres within striking distance of the eighth-place Flyers.
73 34–28–11 79 225 205 16.26% 86.13%

18. Washington Capitals (23): Alexander Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (58) and points (102), and he’s led the hard-charging Caps back into the playoff picture with four straight wins.
74 36–30–8 80 213 211 17.49% 81.82%

19. Nashville Predators (17): J.P. Dumont is just two points shy of his career high (66) set last season; the Preds were wise to ink him to a four-year contract extension last month.
74 36–30–8 80 210 208 12.73% 86.58%

20. Edmonton Oilers (22): The Oilers have surged back into the playoff picture while reducing the value of the first-round pick they bequeathed to the Ducks (compensation for signing RFA Dustin Penner).
74 37–32–5 79 196 223 14.70% 86.69%

21. Columbus Blue Jackets (21): Though the playoffs are a long shot at best, this season has represented a huge step forward for the Blue Jackets’ organization and emerging star netminder Pascal Leclaire in particular.
73 33–29–11 77 177 184 14.38% 86.87%

22. Florida Panthers (24): The Panthers have won seven straight in March, and tonight’s four-point tilt with the Hurricanes can fairly be termed a “must-win” situation in their late rush for a playoff spot.
74 35–31–8 78 195 200 18.93% 82.20%

23. Phoenix Coyotes (19): The much-improved Coyotes won’t reach the playoffs, but like the Blue Jackets, they’ve gained some valuable momentum heading into the off-season.
74 36–33–5 77 189 199 14.65% 84.31%

24. Chicago Blackhawks (20): Star-crossed winger Martin Havlat is scheduled to undergo surgery on his injured left shoulder today for the third time.
73 34–32–7 75 206 209 13.76% 85.76%

25. Toronto Maple Leafs (25): With an impossibly steep uphill climb and captain Mats Sundin out of the lineup (groin injury), the Leafs must start looking toward next season.
74 33–31–10 76 205 225 14.87% 79.74%

26. St. Louis Blues (27): The Blues snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over the Canadiens on Tuesday night; they’re not playoff-bound, but their long-term future is quite bright.
73 30–32–11 71 177 208 10.60% 84.52%

27. New York Islanders (26): Power forward Kyle Okposo made his NHL debut on Tuesday night, registering two shots on goal in the Isles’ 3–1 loss to the Maple Leafs.
74 32–35–7 71 173 220 10.44% 84.68%

28. Atlanta Thrashers (28) : Ilya Kovalchuk reached the 50-goal mark for the second time on Tuesday night, and is just two shy of his career high (52) set in 2005–06.
75 31–36–8 70 189 243 14.33% 82.28%

29. Tampa Bay Lightning (29): Netminder Mike Smith has stopped 55 of 56 shots en route to wins in his last two starts, masking Tampa’s porous defense with his stellar play.
72 29–35–8 66 201 229 17.12% 83.82%

30. Los Angeles Kings (30): It’s been a season to forget for the Kings, but landing top prospect Steve Stamkos in June’s draft would provide a nice salve for their wounds.
74 28–40–6 62 201 237 16.47% 82.85%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


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