The players were ready and the ice was prepped for Islanders practice Wednesday morning. Until, that is, Barry Trotz told them to take all that stuff off and head on home.
In a last-minute decision, Trotz – who spent the morning with his team looking at film and stressing mental focus in what should be an emotional game against the Maple Leafs on Thursday – called off a scheduled noon practice, leading to a slow trickle of Islanders leaving the Northwell Health Ice Center around the same time they would be warming up.
“I don’t think we need the exercise, we need a little bit of the mental focus,” Trotz said.