Lawson put on IR, expected to miss 2-4 weeks
Nathan Lawson #52 of the New York Islanders surrenders a second period goal to Zack Smith (not pictured) of the Ottawa Senators. (Jan. 13, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
ATLANTA - The Islanders placed goaltender Nathan Lawson on injured reserve yesterday, retroactive to Jan. 21.
The 27-year-old was originally slated to miss 1-2 weeks with an MCL strain in his left knee, suffered in the Islanders' 5-2 loss to Buffalo. He is now expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Kevin Poulin and Rick DiPietro will continue to split goaltending duties.
According to the Islanders, Lawson did not suffer a setback, but the team believed it needed to be more cautious. Lawson skated before practice Monday but did not accompany the team on the two-game road trip.
Grabner on a roll
It was a good week for rookie Michael Grabner.
The speedy 23-year-old winger not only claimed the fastest skater title in last weekend's All-Star Game skills competition, he also was named the league's third star of the week.
Grabner entered last night's game with nine points (six goals, three assists) in eight games. Eric Staal of the Hurricanes earned first-star honors and Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was named the second star.
Destination Uniondale?
According to a recent survey conducted by the CBC/ NHLPA, the Islanders had the dubious honor of being the least desirable team to play for among the 318 players polled.
In response to the question, "Which team would you least like to play on?" the Islanders ranked first with 27 percent of the votes (Edmonton was second with 20 percent).
Islanders center Frans Nielsen was named the second most underrated player in the league, just behind Loui Eriksson of the Dallas Stars.
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