Islanders forward Shawn Bates will be out 4-5 weeks with a strained hamstring suffered in the final moments of the Islanders' 5-2 win in Florida on Saturday night. Bates, one of the Islanders' most versatile players and a leading penalty killer, had eight goals in his last seven games.

"It's a loss, no doubt," said Islanders head coach Steve Stirling. "Shawn had been one of our best players of late. But every team goes through injuries and it won't be an excuse for us. Shawn played a lot, so this means opportunity for other players."

In 17 games this season, Bates is the Islanders' fifth-leading scorer (with ten goals and two assists) and is averaging 17:19 of icetime. His ten goals came on 39 shots, with a league-leading shooting percentage of 35.7.

The Islanders have recalled 2003 second round pick Jeremy Colliton from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. A former member of Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, the 6-2, 195-pound Colliton had four goals and four assists in 18 games with the Sound Tigers. Colliton will wear No. 27 when he makes his NHL debut on Wednesday when the Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres.