NEW YORK (AP) -Rick DiPietro didn’t practice with the New York Islanders on Tuesday morning, following his grandmother’s funeral, and coach Ted Nolan said the All-Star goalie wouldn’t play that night against the New York Rangers.
DiPietro left immediately after the Islanders’ home loss to Philadelphia on Saturday to attend the wake on Sunday and the funeral on Monday.
Wade Dubielewicz played in DiPietro’s place on Sunday and made 29 saves, when New York lost 1-0 to Florida despite recording 53 shots. He was in line to start again against the Rangers in the opener of a home-and-home series that concludes Thursday on Long Island.
“Ricky won’t be there tonight,” Nolan said Tuesday after the team’s pregame skate at Madison Square Garden. “It’s just an unfortunate thing happening with his family, so he is going to take care of that first. Dubielewicz played quite well for us last time so we’ll go with Dubie.”
The Islanders will again be without defenseman Bruno Gervais, who sustained a concussion and a bruised thigh Sunday when he took a high, hard check from Florida’s Branislav Mezei late in the first period.
Gervais was injured in the first period and didn’t return to the game.
“He got re-evaluated, but it’s still kind of iffy,” Nolan said. “One thing with concussions, they can be anywhere from two days to two weeks. Who knows. He’ll be evaluated on a daily basis. We’ll want to make sure, especially with concussions, that he’s 100-plus percent before he comes back.
“I think he’s going to try something in the next couple of days to see where he’s at. Right now he’s shut down completely.”
Defenseman Aaron Johnson was expected to rejoin the Islanders lineup Tuesday night against the Rangers.
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