DiPietro's new pads pass NHL inspection

Goaltender Rick DiPietro's new pads, having passed NHL inspection, arrived just in time for the pregame skate at 11:30 a.m. Mountain time before the Islanders played Colorado Saturday. DiPietro's credibility survived NHL scrutiny intact, as well Newsday reported.

Asked if he felt vindicated that his pads conformed to NHL rules, thus preventing a two-game suspension, DiPietro said: "I didn't think there was going to be a problem at any point. It was just a misunderstanding. It's nice to see everything checked out."

At the same time, DiPietro wasn't about to deny how strange it was for a player to be hassled by the league during the course of a game. The call came from NHL headquarters in Toronto for DiPietro to remove his new pads after the first period of what became a 4-3 overtime loss to Florida on Thursday night.