Islanders shuttle off to Boston without Noah Dobson, expecting to play Bruins on Thursday

The Islanders will almost certainly have a hockey game on Thursday, but Noah Dobson won’t be in it.

After their Tuesday game at Boston was postponed due to the Bruins’ COVID-19 issues, the Islanders got the travel go-ahead Wednesday when negative tests cleared the Bruins to practice, meaning they'll likely play the next day.

The Bruins had five players on the COVID-19 list and had to push back two games in the process. As of Wednesday, two of those players — Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly — remained on the list.

Dobson was cleared from the COVID-19 list Wednesday but will still not play. He’s missed five games so far and will miss at least three more on this upcoming road trip. "He’s going to stay back and just go through his normal tests and the protocol," Trotz said. "Hopefully he’ll join us when we get back."

Thomas Hickey, who returned to the Islanders Saturday after a nearly year-long absence, will likely plug the hole in Dobson’s stead.

"It’s been rewarding putting in the work and finally getting to be with the guys," said Hickey, who had two assists in the Islanders 6-1 win over the Flyers Saturday. "We’ve got a great group here and you always feel a part of it, but I think there’s an extra added later when you can do something physically to chip in."

And though Thursday will (mostly) be business as usual, there’s no doubt that the constant adapting lends an extra layer of difficulty to an already difficult game. Barry Trotz said the league informed him Tuesday that the Bruins will likely be cleared to play, but the news wasn’t confirmed until 5 p.m. Wednesday, hours after the Islanders got on their flight to Boston.

"That’s the one thing that’s a little bit awkward or weird, I would say, is that we don’t know if we’re playing," Mathew Barzal said after practice, long before the Bruins announcement. "We obviously are preparing like we are."

He did say, though, that he wasn’t overly concerned about the physical risk of playing a team that had so many potential cases.

"I know the league is doing their best to make it as safe as possible for everyone and obviously, we’re not going to take any risks as a team and neither would they, I would assume," he said. "That kind of stuff is out of our hands and we let the people in that field determine whether or not we’re safe enough."

Attendance protocols

The Islanders announced further protocols for in-fan attendance at Nassau Coliseum. Beginning April 1, fans must present either proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR taken within 72 hours of game day, a negative antigen test taken within six hours of the start of the game, or proof of full vaccination, with the final dose having been administered 14 days before the game. Fans will also receive a "health pass" to their phone once they’ve completed a survey on game day. Tickets will be digital and fans will be asked to present identification.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.