Pillow talk

Rick DiPietro's white pads could put a black mark on the Islanders' playoff chances. Melanie Bennett/Getty Images

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It was all a misunderstanding. At least, that's the way Rick DiPietro is characterizing the situation after being forced to change his leg pads after the first period of Thursday night's game against the Panthers.

The new, all-white pillows worn by the Isles stopper to start the contest were replaced before the second period, reportedly at the request of the NHL. According to two sources, DiPietro was asked to remove them because they were in violation of league rules. That doesn't mean they were illegal, per se. Instead, they just hadn't been approved by Kay Whitmore, the league's goaltender equipment consultant, who vets all armor before it can be used in a game.

It may have been a simple mistake, but as in the case of the guy who carelessly flips the puck out of play, there can't be leeway granted based on intent. The rules are clear: Equipment has to be approved first, to prevent the kind of cheating that was prevalent in the pre-lockout days. Since his pads weren't cleared, DiPietro deserves the mandated two-game suspension.

As tough as this is on DiPietro, who just returned after missing three games with a sprained knee, it could be worse on Scott Boggs. The Islanders' equipment manager is ultimately responsible for securing the league approvals, and is subject to a $1,000 fine for failing to do so -- not an inconsiderable amount on a workingman's salary. And given how tight the race for the playoffs will be in the Eastern Conference, the Isles can scarcely afford to go two games without their best player. I'd hate to be the guy responsible for his absence...

Samsonov's luggage

If you'd been inclined to cobble together a list of players likely to benefit from the new rules implemented by the league in the wake of the lockout, odds are you'd have included smooth-skating Russian winger Sergei Samsonov. So it's sad, and somewhat surprising, to see the NHL career of the former Calder Trophy- winner come to such an abrupt, ignominious end this week.

The Blackhawks assigned Samsonov to Rockford on Wednesday, two days after he cleared waivers. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, he's likely to play out the string in the AHL to finish collecting on his $3.25 million contract -- a cap hit that no team would take a chance on even at 50 cents on the dollar.

It's been an amazing freefall for Samsonov, a former 70-point man who failed to score a single goal in 23 games with the Hawks after being acquired from the Canadiens during the offseason. Chicago gave him every opportunity in the early going to get his career back on track after an equally rough single season in Montreal, but the speed and hockey sense that defined his early success deserted him.

"He used to be willing to go north/south," one scout said. "But for the past few years he's always gone east/west. He was too predictable, too easy to defend. And he really didn't do enough in other areas to justify the ice time...or that contract."

Jamming The Crease

Also on the waiver wire: Carolina goalie John Grahame, whose league-worst 3.83 GAA and $1.4 million salary ensure that he'll be spending the rest of the season in Albany. The Canes called up the well-traveled Michael Leighton to replace not just Grahame, but also possibly Cam Ward, who watched five of the 14 shots fired at him by Atlanta on Wednesday hit the back of the twine. Although that effort was especially dismal, Ward has slowly opened the door for Leighton over the last two weeks, posting a woeful .750 save percentage in his last six starts. With goaltending like that, it's little wonder that Carolina has the 30th-ranked penalty kill . . .

With some clear cap space, the Hurricanes may join the Lightning, Penguins and Kings as suitors for Curtis Joseph, who went 5-0 as Team Canada won the Spengler Cup last week. The 40-year-old was solid -- especially considering his six-month layoff -- giving up just 10 goals in the tournament. With playoff spots still there for the taking, at least in the East, it's hard to imagine why one of those three teams wouldn't take on a player who could stabilize their netminding at low cost, and provide a solid presence in the dressing room . . .

After a brutal start that saw them win just five of their first 13 games, it's startling to see the Vancouver Canucks tied for the third-best record in the NHL. Credit their rise to the top on some home cooking, and the return to form of Roberto Luongo. After Thursday night's 3-0 whitewashing of the Rangers, the Canucks are 11-0-2 in their last 13 home games. Luongo, stingier than at any point of his career, has allowed just 11 goals during that stretch . . .

The most underrated skill in today's NHL? How about the ability to fake a shot. The way most defensive systems are designed, shot blocking is the key to clogging up the lanes and taking away scoring opportunities. But when an offensive player can effectively mix in a fake, the defender takes himself out of the play, allowing for a temporary man advantage. No wonder that some of the game's most effective scorers -- Ilya Kovalchuk, Sergei Zubov and Vincent Lecavalier, among others -- are some of the most proficient practitioners of the fake.