A Game 5 on Tuesday night follows a Sunday afternoon Game 4. That would have seemed to make Monday a perfect practice day for the Islanders.
"You assumed wrong, we didn’t practice," coach Barry Trotz said. "We had an optional with some guys. Some guys are getting treatment so we’re unable to have a full practice."
The Islanders are down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination in their Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning.
But Trotz does not believe practice will make perfect — or even be an aid in making adjustments to the Islanders’ approach or line combinations — this late in the playoffs.