diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/IndexShardRoutingTable.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/IndexShardRoutingTable.java
index ce7087bb3d769..4339607860ad7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/IndexShardRoutingTable.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/IndexShardRoutingTable.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.google.common.collect.UnmodifiableIterator;
 import jsr166y.ThreadLocalRandom;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNode;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNodes;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.MapBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
@@ -430,22 +431,9 @@ private AttributesRoutings getActiveAttribute(AttributesKey key, DiscoveryNodes
         if (shardRoutings == null) {
             synchronized (shardsByAttributeMutex) {
                 ArrayList<ShardRouting> from = new ArrayList<ShardRouting>(activeShards);
-                ArrayList<ShardRouting> to = new ArrayList<ShardRouting>();
-                for (String attribute : key.attributes) {
-                    String localAttributeValue = nodes.localNode().attributes().get(attribute);
-                    if (localAttributeValue == null) {
-                        continue;
-                    }
-                    for (Iterator<ShardRouting> iterator = from.iterator(); iterator.hasNext(); ) {
-                        ShardRouting fromShard = iterator.next();
-                        if (localAttributeValue.equals(nodes.get(fromShard.currentNodeId()).attributes().get(attribute))) {
-                            iterator.remove();
-                            to.add(fromShard);
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
+                ImmutableList<ShardRouting> to = collectAttributeShards(key, nodes, from);
 
-                shardRoutings = new AttributesRoutings(ImmutableList.copyOf(to), ImmutableList.copyOf(from));
+                shardRoutings = new AttributesRoutings(to, ImmutableList.copyOf(from));
                 activeShardsByAttributes = MapBuilder.newMapBuilder(activeShardsByAttributes).put(key, shardRoutings).immutableMap();
             }
         }
@@ -457,28 +445,34 @@ private AttributesRoutings getInitializingAttribute(AttributesKey key, Discovery
         if (shardRoutings == null) {
             synchronized (shardsByAttributeMutex) {
                 ArrayList<ShardRouting> from = new ArrayList<ShardRouting>(allInitializingShards);
-                ArrayList<ShardRouting> to = new ArrayList<ShardRouting>();
-                for (String attribute : key.attributes) {
-                    String localAttributeValue = nodes.localNode().attributes().get(attribute);
-                    if (localAttributeValue == null) {
-                        continue;
-                    }
-                    for (Iterator<ShardRouting> iterator = from.iterator(); iterator.hasNext(); ) {
-                        ShardRouting fromShard = iterator.next();
-                        if (localAttributeValue.equals(nodes.get(fromShard.currentNodeId()).attributes().get(attribute))) {
-                            iterator.remove();
-                            to.add(fromShard);
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-
-                shardRoutings = new AttributesRoutings(ImmutableList.copyOf(to), ImmutableList.copyOf(from));
+                ImmutableList<ShardRouting> to = collectAttributeShards(key, nodes, from);
+                shardRoutings = new AttributesRoutings(to, ImmutableList.copyOf(from));
                 initializingShardsByAttributes = MapBuilder.newMapBuilder(initializingShardsByAttributes).put(key, shardRoutings).immutableMap();
             }
         }
         return shardRoutings;
     }
 
+    private static ImmutableList<ShardRouting> collectAttributeShards(AttributesKey key, DiscoveryNodes nodes, ArrayList<ShardRouting> from) {
+        final ArrayList<ShardRouting> to = new ArrayList<ShardRouting>();
+        for (final String attribute : key.attributes) {
+            final String localAttributeValue = nodes.localNode().attributes().get(attribute);
+            if (localAttributeValue != null) {
+                for (Iterator<ShardRouting> iterator = from.iterator(); iterator.hasNext(); ) {
+                    ShardRouting fromShard = iterator.next();
+                    final DiscoveryNode discoveryNode = nodes.get(fromShard.currentNodeId());
+                    if (discoveryNode == null) {
+                        iterator.remove(); // node is not present anymore - ignore shard
+                    } else if (localAttributeValue.equals(discoveryNode.attributes().get(attribute))) {
+                        iterator.remove();
+                        to.add(fromShard);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return ImmutableList.copyOf(to);
+    }
+
     public ShardIterator preferAttributesActiveInitializingShardsIt(String[] attributes, DiscoveryNodes nodes) {
         return preferAttributesActiveInitializingShardsIt(attributes, nodes, pickIndex());
     }