Robin Lehner, a former Islanders goaltender, caused a stir on Wednesday when he criticized the NHL and NHLPA for allegedly not following through on a promise to loosen COVID-19 restrictions after players are vaccinated.
Lehner, now a Golden Knight, called that a “blatant lie” and argued the league must take players’ mental health into consideration in setting its policies. Lehner long has been public about his own battles with mental health.
The NHL countered that it had made no specific promises about post-vaccination changes such as those implemented by the NBA and MLB.
Islanders wing Kyle Palmieri acknowledged before Thursday’s game against the Capitals the ongoing challenge of restricted behavior. But he supported how the NHL and Islanders have handled the matter.
“I think in the grand scheme of things, the challenges that we face as professional hockey players are pretty pale in comparison to the rest of the world,” he said. “I think as hockey players we obviously want to get back to what normalcy is perceived to be.”
He added: “As far as the restrictions, I think it’s tough. We want to spend time with our teammates and our families and do things outside the rink that make teams close and bring us together.
“But the world we live in right now, the health and safety of everyone, including our families, is the most important thing whether or not those restrictions loosen up a bit as we go.”
Zajac sits out
Cal Clutterbuck returned after missing three games with an injury, and Travis Zajac did not dress.
The Zajac decision was intriguing, given the key role he has been expected to play after being part of a trade with the Devils earlier this month.’
With Zajac out, Leon Komarov re-joined Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle on the first line. The second line featured Michael Dal Colle, Brock Nelson and Palmieri, followed by Anthony Beauvillier, J-G Pageau and Josh Bailey.
