Islanders Team Report: Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

The Islanders aren’t likely to name a captain for the rest of this season after dealing veteran leader Bill Guerin just before the March 4 trade deadline.

Guerin finally was dealt to Pittsburgh for a conditional 2009 draft pick after he waived the no-movement clause in his expiring contract and was held out of the Isles’ final two games before the deadline to avoid injury.

“I did not know it would be Pittsburgh,” Guerin told Newsday. “I thought it was another team. It was hard because I was in limbo. With everything that happened, I’m glad to be in Pittsburgh. I had a great experience on Long Island, but this is business, the ugly side.”

GM Garth Snow said no deal was in place involving Guerin when the Isles removed their captain from the lineup following warm-ups before their Feb. 28 game against Buffalo. Snow said he discussed the situation with Guerin and his agent, and all parties agreed “the risk of injury was something we wanted to avoid.”

“It was the first time (in three years) as GM we were in this situation as sellers,” Snow said. “I was trying to get the best possible deal for the organization. As the weekend and today unfolded, that was the best deal.”

The Isles will receive Tampa Bay’s 2009 fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh, but their compensation will improve to Pittsburgh’s 2009 fourth-round selection if the Pens make the playoffs and a third-rounder if they advance past the first round, assuming Guerin plays in 50 percent of their playoff games.

Rangers 4, Islanders 2: Due to injuries and trades, more than half of the Islanders’ lineup Thursday had played for their AHL Bridgeport affiliate this season.

The kids played like they all want to stay in the NHL, but a couple of costly breakdowns led to a two-goal loss to returning agitator Sean Avery and the rival Rangers in the first game since the trade deadline for both teams—and the closest to a playoff atmosphere the Isles will experience this season.

“There wasn’t anybody who had an off night tonight. From top to bottom we were pretty solid,” coach Scott Gordon said. “The guys played with tremendous energy and all the guys that came up from Bridgeport played well. It was a great environment to be a part of. I think our players should be able to feed off this and realize how passionate the fans are at these games and what this building can be like when you go out and put forth that type of effort.”

Notes, Quotes

• LW Jon Sim, who had three assists in his previous game Monday against Colorado, cleared waivers for the second time this season and was assigned to AHL Bridgeport. Sim is owed $1 million for next season, and appears to be a candidate for a summertime buyout.

• RW Joel Rechlicz, a 21-year-old enforcer with 332 penalty minutes in 100 career minor-league games, was recalled from AHL Bridgeport and made his NHL debut Thursday against the New York Rangers.

Quote To Note: “He plays his role well and he’s a good player, as well. We knew he was going to be fired up in his first game back and we just wanted to play hard. He likes to get involved and under guys’ skin and we wanted to play physical, not just against him, but with everyone on their team. It just so happened that when he got the puck he got hit a few more times than the other guys out there.”—Isles forward Blake Comeau, who tangled with returning NHL bad boy Sean Avery a few times in a 4-2 loss Thursday to the New York Rangers.