NHL: Anybody Want To Be a Goaltender? Contact the New York Islanders

There is a revolving door in goalie for the New York Islanders, and it has no plans of stopping any time soon.

The Islanders seem to be playing a new game called, "Name Tonight's Starting Goalie." Not only do the viewers not know who will be in goal this Thursday in Montreal, but the coach and general manager don't know either. 

With Dwayne Roloson being traded on January 1st, Rick DiPietro was the sole number one goalie, while the Bridgeport Sound Tigers backup goalie, Nathan Lawson, was recalled to back-up.

DiPietro got the bulk of the work, while Lawson started a few games, which were mostly unimpressive performances.

Time to take a breath and take everything in.  It gets much better. Ok, back to the script.....DiPietro comes down with the flu, and 20 year old prospect Kevin Poulin is recalled.  

Nathan Lawson becomes the starter. Lawson starts a game in Buffalo, doesn't give up a goal in the first period. Maybe some stability in goal for at least a little while, right?  No. Lawson gets injured, and Kevin Poulin starts the second period and finishes the game.

The Islanders are left with one healthy goalie at the moment, and a rookie who needs to work on his game in Bridgeport, not the NHL.  Garth Snow then decides to claim Evgeni Nabokov off waivers from the Red Wings, with whom he signed a contract with.

Smart move by the GM, he gets an all-star goalie and only has to pay him $500,000 for the rest of the season. One problem however, Nabokov won't play for the Islanders. The team eventually suspends Nabokov, and decides to ride it out with Poulin and DiPietro.  

Poulin plays extremely well, and doesn't look like a deer in headlights playing in the NHL.

Fast forward to last Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.  The Islanders are losing 3-0 with 17 seconds remaining in the game. DiPietro, frustrated with the fact he is going to get another loss, decides to take a run at Matt Cooke, and invites his counterpart, Brent Johnson, to engage him in a fight.  

The fight took two seconds (that is being polite).

Johnson threw one punch and connected, knocking DiPietro to the ice.  Two days after this debacle, it is announced that the Islanders goaltender will be out 4-6 weeks with facial lacerations due to the altercation with Johnson. Just one more embarrassing event for DiPietro.

The Islanders have no choice but to call up another goalie from Bridgeport, highly regarded, but not yet ready for prime-time, Mikko Koskinen.  

Koskinen backed up Poulin in a 5-3 win over the Senators on Saturday, and Poulin was again scheduled to get the start last night against the Leafs. During the pregame skate, Poulin hits a rut in the ice and falls awkwardly. He can't move and needed to be helped off the ice.  

He did not play, and it appears as if he will not be playing for a while, if at all this season. Nope, you can't make this stuff up.  

By NHL rules, the Islanders needed to have another goalie to backup Koskinen.  They put in a call to 28 year old veteran Joel Martin, who was just signed last week to a minor league contract, and has been playing for Bridgeport.

Martin arrived in time for the start of the third period.  Koskinen played a very nervous and shaky game, and the Islanders went on to lose 5-3.  There you go.  I told you it was a great script.

The Islanders and Garth Snow are now left with the options of Koskinen and Martin.

There is a good possibility that Nathan Lawson will be back in time for the game tomorrow in Montreal.  Whatever the case may be, all three are not NHL caliber goaltenders.  

Koskinen probably will be at some point, but not now, not this season.

The unfortunate part of this for the Islanders and Koskinen is he may have to be ready, no matter what the consequences.

Will Snow sign a goalie? Will he try one more attempt at calling Nabokov and ask him to do what he wouldn't do before?  Will Koskinen, Martin, or Lawson be in goal tomorrow? If not, who will be in goal?  That's that new game show, right?  Must see television!