The Islanders will welcome defenseman Janne Niinimaa to their lineup tonight with open arms, but their reception for the officials for tonight’s game in Edmonton won’t be quite as warm.

Coming off a loss due in large part to a whistle blown Tuesday night by referee Don Koharski in Vancouver, the Islanders remain four points ahead of the No. 9 Rangers with two games in hand. They could have had a chance to get at least a point Tuesday against the Canucks, as Shawn Bates faked goalie Peter Skudra out of his pads for an apparent game-tying breakaway goal with 5:58 left in regulation.

But Koharski, three zones behind the play and watching an injured Radek Martinek try to get off the ice, blew the whistle and killed the play as the Islanders, unknowing, celebrated the “goal.”

“Just to get a point, it would have been a tie game, so, yeah, we feel cheated in a way,” Bates said.

Niinimaa, acquired at Tuesday’s trade deadline for Brad Isbister and Raffi Torres, will wear No. 44.