John Tavares is among the handful of Islanders regulars sitting out Wednesday night’s split-squad games in Brooklyn and Allentown, Pennsylvania, though the Isles captain did get in a full skate after the two game squads finished their morning work.
Tavares, Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas and Thomas Hickey were not on either roster for the games against the Flyers, though all four skated along with defense prospect Kyle Burroughs. Stephen Gionta, who had a big collision in Monday’s game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, did not skate for a second straight day.
Without two of the projected four opening-night centers in Tavares and Cizikas, the line combinations for the two games were jumbled from the first few days of camp.