Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak out for season opener
NEW YORK (AP) Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak will miss the team's first regular season game in Brooklyn on Friday night because of an undisclosed upper body injury.
Halak left New York's preseason opener on Sept. 21 after two periods and was sidelined for most of training camp. He took part in practice all week and was on the ice before the morning skate on Friday, but coach Jack Capuano said Halak wasn't ready to play.
''Jaro's not 100 percent right now,'' Capuano said. ''(He's) progressing well, I can tell you. He's day-to-day and we'll see how he is as we move forward.''
Halak was 38-17-4 with six shutouts and a 2.43 goals-against average last season in his first year with the Islanders.
Thomas Greiss will start against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks when the Islanders open their first season in Brooklyn after spending 43 years on Long Island.
Greiss, signed in the offseason after going 18-9-6 with a 2.59 GAA with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, knew he might be called if Halak couldn't go.
''You always see what's going on,'' Greiss said. ''You prepare anyway, you don't know what happens. It doesn't really affect me too much with what I do, anyway.''
Jean-Francois Berube, claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week, will serve as Greiss' backup.
