Poulin back as Isles shuffle off to Buffalo

Kevin Poulin was brought in from his Christmas vacation in Quebec to back-up Chad Johnson on Tuesday. Tonight, just 24 hours after blanking the Providence Bruins in an AHL game, Poulin will get a chance to be in an NHL net for the first time in 11 months as the Isles play Buffalo.

Poulin played in 28 NHL games last season, going 11-16-1 with a 3.29 GAA (89.1 save percentage).

At Bridgeport this season, Poulin has gone 10-6-4.   His  2.41 GAA and 92.8 save percentage are his best in the AHL since he had a 2.19 GAA and a 93.2 save percentage in 15 games in 2010-11. Both he and the Sound Tigers were off to great starts this season -- Poulin was 7-1-1 in his first 9 games, but his win last night was only his 3rd in his last 11 decisions (3-5-3).

Jaroslav Halak was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to December 20th. Since NHL players must stay on IR for at least a week, he is eligible for reactivation at any time.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick