Islanders Anders Lee is back after missing a game (lineup update)

The New York Islanders will have their captain back as they welcome the Colorado Avalanche to UBS Arena. Lee was out in the Islanders' last game for personal reasons. No word on what that reason was exactly. So we'll all leave it at that.

Lee hasn't been his usual self for a while now. Over his last seven games, he's recorded a single goal and eleven shots, or 1.6 shots on net per game. Which is a little low for someone like Anders Lee who routinely gets a lot of pucks on the net. Perhaps this break, so to speak, will help get Anders back to his former game.

New York Islanders lineup update for tilt against Colorado

Lee was on the third line at practice with Zach Parise down the middle and Oliver Wahlstrom on the right side. That's not a bad line. It has all the characteristics that Barry Trotz looks for in a line. It's got a sparkplug down the middle with Parise, a skill guy and volume shooter like Wahlstrom, and then he's got a "bull-in-a-china-shop" player like Anders Lee.

I don't expect this line to dominate, but I exact they play a strong Barry Trotz game tonight. On the lineup, here's what the rest of it looked like:

There aren't too many surprises there considering that Barzal and Chara are still out of the lineup for now. Neither has yet to begin skating per Barry Trotz.

There is one change from that lineup Andrew Gross spotted at morning skate and that was in net. Ilya Sorokin won't be starting. Semyon Varlamov will be in the net tonight.

We know this for a fact because Barry Trotz stated it. Which is a 360 degree flip from the norm. Barry has always played the "you'll see who I start when they start" card. What changed exactly isn't clear but I'm all for this change.

I've been on this for a while now. It makes no sense to be coy with who's starting. It won't change much of anything for the other team so it serves no purpose to hold that information back. Hopefully, we don't have to worry about the goalie game going forward now.