UNIONDALE, NY — Trevor Smith raced near the left circle and fired a hard shot that hit Panthers backup goalie Craig Anderson in the chest two minutes into the third period. Making his NHL debut, Smith came close to registering his first career goal. Instead, the 23-year-old had to settle for a 4-2 Islanders victory over Florida Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum.Smith was called up after the Islanders after veteran center Mike Sillinger was placed on injured reserve as he tries to recover from a hip injury that limited him to seven games this season and 52 during the 2006-07 campaign.Wearing No. 77, Smith played left wing on a line with veteran center Doug Weight and Richard Park. The rookie logged 10:58 of ice time, going minus-1 thanks to his time on the ice when Brett Mclean put the Panthers up by a goal to start the contest.

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UNIONDALE, NY — Before the Islanders took the ice to face the Florida Panthers in a New Year’s Eve matinee, the club introduced mascots of comic book heroes like Spiderman and the Hulk.Ironman was also in attendance, though he did not take a picture with Rick DiPietro. The snapshot would have marked a dichotomy of durability, since the Isles franchise goaltender was once again unavailable for duty.DiPietro was scratched from the lineup and Joey MacDonald got the start as DiPietro continues to battle a groin problem. It marked the second straight game he sat out after picking up his first win of the season Friday, when the netminder with a 15-year contract made his temporary return following his October knee surgery to repair a meniscus.

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