Frans Nielsen missed the Islanders’ first six games — and much of training camp — with a knee injury, so he has a different perspective on the team’s winless start to the season.
“You want to make a difference,” the center said. “It’s the worst. It [stinks] sitting up there [and not playing]. There’s nothing you can do.”
That should change tonight, when Nielsen is slated to make his season debut against the Hurricanes at Nassau Coliseum (7:00, MSG Plus, WMJC 94.3 FM), centering a line with Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo. John Tavares will likely play between Doug Weight and Matt Moulson.
“We’ve gotta turn it around,” Nielsen said after practice. “When you’re on a winning team and you get behind, you don’t even care because you know you can come back. We’ve gotta believe that too.”
