Josh Bailey off COVID list and in lineup for Islanders
Josh Bailey of the Islanders skates during the first period against the Devils at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The streak continues for the Islanders’ Josh Bailey.
More importantly for the right wing, his stint on the NHL’s COVID-19 absence list lasted only one day.
Bailey logged 15:38 and had an assist in Thursday night’s 4-1 win over the Devils at Nassau Coliseum, extending his streak of consecutive games to 157 after missing Wednesday’s practice because of COVID protocols.
It allowed Barry Trotz to keep his lineup intact for the fourth straight game, although he said he had Plans A, B and C ready.
"We did all the right things in the NHL protocol," Trotz said. "He did all the right things. We know we’re going to have challenges and we’re going to have to make some last-minute decisions."
Nelson OK
Brock Nelson needed stitches above his right eye after the stick of Devils defenseman P.K. Subban got under his visor late in the second period. He returned to start the third period. "I didn’t think I was caught right away, it just kind of jogged my neck a bit," Nelson said. "All of a sudden, I saw blood coming out of the visor."
Isles files
Defenseman Noah Dobson had the first multi-point game of his career with two assists and blocked seven shots . . . The Islanders were 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and are 14-for-15 overall . . . The Islanders won 38 of 60 faceoffs (63%) . . . Semyon Varlamov’s shutout streak of 142:10 to start the season is the eighth longest in NHL history . . . Sebastian Aho, Cory Schneider and Leo Komarov remained the extras . . . Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said his four players in COVID-19 protocol — Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov, Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov — likely will miss at least the next four games. That would include the Islanders’ two games in Washington on Tuesday and Thursday . . . Michael Dal Colle (undisclosed) remained on injured reserve despite skating on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. "We’re really close," Trotz said of Dal Colle being activated . . . Trotz matched current Islanders MSG Networks analyst Butch Goring for eighth place on the franchise’s games-coached list at 153.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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