Evgeni Nabokov may not be playing against his old team on Saturday night, after all.
Nabokov made his third straight start for the New York Islanders on Thursday night against the Penguins, but was unable to finish the game. He played all of regulation and overtime before leaving with what he called a lower body injury and some fatigue, according to New York Newsday.
Nabokov made 30 saves, surrendering two goals, before Rick DiPietro had to enter for the shootout. He got beaten once to give Pittsburgh the extra point.
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Nabokov told Newsday: "I didn't have much power. It had been bugging me for a while, and I was getting more and more fatigued. Sometimes you have to be smart."
The article speculates it will be DiPietro who gets the start on Saturday against the Sharks.