On the Islanders Beat

Fresh off his first victory as an Islander in Saturday night’s 5-2 decision over St. Louis in the home opener, backup goaltender Joey MacDonald was on the ice and working hard in an optional practice this afternoon at the practice facility in Syosset. I didn’t see Rick DiPietro, but I know he was at Iceworks for treatment of the undisclosed condition that has restricted him to backup duty to start the season.

Based on the fact DiPietro hasn’t skated since Friday morning before the season opener in New Jersey, it appears likely MacDonald will be back in goal for the Islanders’ 2 p.m. Kids’ Day game against Buffalo tomorrow at Nassau Coliseum. Speaking hypothetically on Saturday night, coach Scott Gordon mentioned a scenario in which DiPietro missed the first three games in order to build his base of conditioning to prepare for a two-game Florida trip later this week. It’s a good bet that hypothetical will become reality. Yes, DiPietro is that close to being ready to start.

Injury update

Rehabbing defenseman Chris Campoli and center Mike Sillinger were among the players who skated today. Others on the ice included defenseman Jack Hillen, who was a healthy scratch Saturday night, and forwards Sean Bergenheim, Andy Hilbert, Nate Thompson and Blake Comeau, another healthy scratch the first two games.

Defenseman Radek Martinek, who suffered a first-period right shoulder injury against the Blues, was scheduled to be examined by the medical staff today. An update on his status is expected tomorrow. Most likely, Hillen will replace Martinek in the lineup. Campoli, who suffered what is believed to be a shoulder separation on Sept. 23, just got back on the ice. In the absence of definitive information from the Islanders, my best guess is that Campoli will be ready within a week at the most, maybe sooner now that he’s skating. The fact that Sillinger was taking part in a practice and has been working on his shot also represents major progress for him, but there’s no telling how long it will be before he’s cleared to play.

Rookie center Josh Bailey also was at the facility for treatment today. When Gordon announced a timetable of two to four weeks for his return from an undisclosed lower body injury Saturday night, he said, “I talked to Josh about it, and two to four weeks, to me, means two weeks before you go back on ice [ready to practice].” As for the rules governing Bailey’s eligibility to return to juniors, the official clarification is that it depends on games played, not games spent on the roster. So, if he plays nine NHL games or fewer, he still can return to juniors. It doesn’t matter how long he remains on the NHL roster while rehabbing his injury. The key is games played.

Gordon’s take on Comeau

Because so many readers have asked why Comeau hasn’t been in the lineup, I’m going to post here the item that topped the Islanders notebook in today’s edition of Newsday to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to see Gordon’s very informative explanation:

“Blake hasn’t had the benefit of defining what kind of player he’s going to be at the American League level to show what kind of player he could possibly be at the NHL level,” Gordon said. “He had some moderate success last year, but at the time he got called up, I don’t think anybody thought he was really ready to play. We’re asking him to be more accountable in different areas than maybe he was last year.

“I want him to play with the same desperation that a guy like Richard Park or Andy Hilbert plays with. They play every shift like it’s their last. I don’t think that Blake has conditioned himself to play that way yet.”

Gordon says he’ll be patient with Comeau and work with him, but he has to be more physical to merit a bottom-six forward role. “I was told that [Comeau] was a really physical player for his first 10 games last year,” Gordon said. “We didn’t see that with the consistency that I was told it was going to happen. He knows that, and he knows he’s capable.”

The coach added that, if Comeau’s offensive side eventually blossoms, he might earn consideration for a top-six forward role at that point. But first, he must show that he can play an energy role on the third or fourth line.

Kids’ Day

The now-traditional Kids’ Day matinee on Columbus Day begins with fan fest activities outside the Coliseum box office at noon Monday. The Islanders announced that the popular Long Island band “Push Play” will perform for 10 minutes before the game and for 30 minutes after the game on the flying stage that was utilized at Saturday night’s home opener. Kids also will be allowed on the ice after the game to shoot pucks.