Isles Day to Day: Parise Practices as Isles Prep for Nashville

The New York Islanders had five days to regroup after returning from a six-game, cross-country road trip that ended with back-to-back shutout wins in Arizona and Las Vegas.
They took three days off, two of them scheduled after a red-eye flight, and another earned, as Head Coach Barry Trotz rewarded his road-weary group for their resilience to end the trip. After two practices on Thursday and Friday, the team is ramping up ahead of a trip to Nashville.

"We definitely feel well rested after a few days off," Adam Pelech said. "It was nice to have a break after a long road trip. We know we have to come out quick and ready tomorrow because they're a team that gets off to a fast start in their own building. It's imperative that after a long break we come out ready to go right from puck drop."
While the five-day break between games may have halted the momentum of the Islanders four-game point streak, Trotz said his team is confident they can pick it up when the puck drops against the Predators.
"I don't know if there's momentum carry over, but I think just a confidence that we can grind through some games, maybe not our best games, but we've ground through it," Trotz said. "There's no momentum, we just have to look at it as going into Nashville against a very good team. They play a high-pressure game very similar to the Carolina's or the Vegas' we've played recently and it's a 12-o-clock start so we have to be ready to go against a team that plays well in that barn. The last couple of times we've been there, we haven't had any success, zero success so it'll be a good test for us to go there and see if we can do that."

PARISE PRACTICES, WILL TRAVEL TO NASHVILLE

Zach Parise was back on the ice on Friday after missing Thursday's practice with back tightness.
Trotz said Parise is going to make the trip to Nashville and his status will be evaluated after warmups on Saturday.
"For whatever reason his back tightened up," Trotz said. "Yesterday he went out for a little bit and we said let's get you off and get you worked on. He felt much better today. As of right now, he's making the trip and is anticipating playing. He felt good enough… but we'll make that determination tomorrow after warmups."
Parise has appeared in all six games for the Islanders this season and while he's yet to record a point, he's an effective player for the Isles. Parise recorded a team-high tying four shots against Vegas, along with a pair of takeaways and three blocked shots in the Islanders 2-0 win. Trotz said he's seen Parise settle in more with his new team, transitioning from what the coach called a mental checklist, to more instinctual reads with his new teammates.
"I looked at the sheet and how many minutes I played him [against Vegas] and thought what am I thinking, I should have played him more because he had a real strong game," Trotz said. "He's getting more comfortable with the group, it always takes time, new situation… But he's fit in really well and hopefully he's good to go tomorrow. He's an important player for us. He's one of the best net front guys, he's dependable on the wall, there's not a shift that he takes off."

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Video: Practice 10/29: Barry Trotz