Islanders get Noah Dobson, Hudson Fasching back in lineup
Noah Dobson #8 of the Islanders looks on against the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Elmont. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PHILADELPHIA — The Islanders’ lineup, bolstered by the acquisition of Bo Horvat, got a further boost in Monday night’s 2-1 win over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Defenseman Noah Dobson and right wing Hudson Fasching returned from lower-body injuries.
Fasching, who missed six games, played a yeoman 9:13 skating on fourth-line center Casey Cizikas’ right wing with Matt Martin.
Dobson, who missed four games, got the primary assist on Mathew Barzal’s second-period goal for his 100th career point. He had a shot and two blocked shots in 16:34 as he quarterbacked the first power-play unit.
“I thought he was good,” coach Lane Lambert said. “He made a great play to Barzal; it was an outstanding look by him. Clearly, he hasn’t played for a while, so there was always going to be some little stretch to get back into it.”
The eight-day All-Star break/bye week kept both from even longer absences.
“You never want to miss time,” Dobson said. “But I was grateful when it happened with the break.”
Isles files
Defenseman Alexander Romanov will wear a full face shield for the next six weeks after taking a puck to the mouth Jan. 28. He suffered a broken jaw, lost a tooth and suffered additional bone damage above two of his upper teeth. He can chew food only on the left side. His wife, Sofia, just gave birth to the couple’s first child . . . Brock Nelson’s secondary assist on Barzal’s goal extended his point streak to seven games (four goals, four assists) . . . Kyle Palmieri’s first-period power-play goal extended his point streak to five games (one goal, five assists) since his return from an upper-body injury . . . Josh Bailey’s primary assist on Palmieri’s goal was his first point in six games . . . Ilya Sorokin is expected to start Tuesday night against the Kraken at UBS Arena after getting an extra day’s rest following his All-Star appearance
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Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
