Practice turned serious as defenseman Matt Carkner; left, sought to stop forward Thomas Vanek from scoring on goalie Evgeni Nabokov.
Donovan Berthoud/Herald
Dusting off the rust from the Olympic break were from left, defenseman Brian Strait, forwards Colin McDonald, Casey Cizikas and Michael Grabner and defenseman Calvin de Haan.
Donovan Berthoud/Herald
Islander defensemen Travis Hamonic, left and Calvin de Haan, during drills as the team held practice at Grant Park in Hewlett on Monday.
Donovan Berthoud/Herald
The Islanders practiced at Grant Park in Hewlett on Feb. 24. The assistant coaches also conducted two clinic for youth hockey players on that Monday and Feb. 25.
For two hours Grant Park’s outdoor ice rink was home to a full-fledged New York Islander practice, where the team went through its typical warm-ups and drills in Hewlett on Monday. Team officials called it a “change of scenery” for the National Hockey League squad that got back together following the Olympic break. The Islanders return to action with a home game on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition to the practice at the county park, team coaches Matt Betrani, Mike Dunham, Brent Thompson and Bernie Caseel conducted two free by invitation-only clinics for seven to 12-year-olds on Monday and Tuesday.