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103 points. Best in the NHL. Well, tied for best. And that means 4th place for Detroit following their 1-0 victory over the Ducks on Monday night. The Wings are tied with Nashville for the most points in the NHL, but they don’t have the best record and therefore still stand in 4th place in the Western Conference.




But the big news on Tuesday is again out of Long Island as Rick DiPietro is out indefinitely (again, I say again) with post-concussion syndrome. This announcement should come as no surprise to Frog readers. DiPietro’s original symptoms had me thinking concussion all along and it surprised me how fast Franchise Rick was cleared to return.

In two of the four games he’s played since returning, I’ve seen DiPietro take a number of hits to the head-area. As we know, each subsequent concussion you receive so soon after your first comes easier and can inflict more damage. I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen this in sports so many times before and even have a little personal experience with this on my own. The Islanders have been risking the future of their 15 year contract goaltender. Chances are, DiPietro will not or should not be allowed to play for the rest of the season.

For Tuesday night, two huge games in the East highlight a full slate: CAR at TOR, and NYR at MON. I’ll consider the Islanders all but done at this point. They face the Devils tonight as New Jersey welcomes the return of Patrick Elias.

Join the Swamp discussion on the fate of the Islanders.