Islanders activate Ryan Pulock off injured reserve
Ryan Pulock #6 of the New York Islanders celebrates his third period goal against the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 in Elmont, New York. Credit: Jim McIsaac
For the better part of an hour, Patrick Roy’s voice and piercing whistle filled the mostly empty rink.
Break time was over. Time to go back to work.
And when it was done, the Hall of Famer assessed the Islanders’ Sunday afternoon practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in this way:
“I was very pleased,” Roy said of a 45-minute practice during which the Islanders worked on neutral-zone play and special teams.
They will get their first chance to put his teaching into action on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena against the Maple Leafs.
And they could get some reinforcements for the game.
Before the start of practice, general manager Lou Lamoriello briefed reporters about the team’s player personnel moves.
Julien Gauthier was loaned to AHL Bridgeport on Saturday and Ryan Pulock was activated off Long Term Injured Reserve before practice. In the corresponding roster move, Robert Bortuzzo and Casey Cizikas were moved from injured reserve to LTIR.
Pulock, Adam Pelech and Cizikas (who wore a non-contact jersey) participated in Sunday’s practice. Pelech and Pulock traveled with the team to Toronto, but Roy was unsure if one or both will play. He termed Cizikas “day-to-day.”
“I cannot answer at this moment because they will not tell me we’re 100% sure,” Roy said when asked about the shutdown pair.
Pulock hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in the 7-3 win over the Blue Jackets on Dec. 7. Pelech suffered an upper-body injury when he was elbowed in the head by the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher in the 4-3 loss to Montreal on Jan. 25.
Getting one or both back would be significant for the Islanders (20-17-12), whose 52 points have them in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and, more broadly, ninth in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders are four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the division. They trail Toronto and Detroit by six points for the first and second wild-card berths in the East.
In the eight full seasons under the NHL’s current format, in which the top three teams in each division earn playoff berths and each conference receives two wild-card berths, the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division has averaged 101.5 points. Moreover, the wild-card teams in the era have averaged 98.7 and 96.1 points, respectively.
Based on those historical trends, the Islanders likely would have to win between 22 and 25 of their final 33 games to be in position to clinch a playoff berth.
“We need points,” Matt Martin said. “We need to win.”
The practice was Benoit Desrosiers’ first day as an assistant coach with the team. The Islanders announced the hiring of Desrosiers, who served as Roy’s assistant coach with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL from 2017-18 to 2022-23, on Friday.
“The time I spent with him in Montreal, I was very impressed with his knowledge, his delivery and his personality,” Lamoriello said. “He’s very upbeat and they’ve certainly worked well together. They’ve had success together and comfortability with each other in that area. It’s a no-brainer.”
According to Lamoriello, Desrosiers will work with Doug Houda, who coaches the defensemen. Interestingly, after practice, Desrosiers was seen working with Bo Horvat on faceoffs.
Notes & quotes: During practice, a team spokesman said Hudson Fasching is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
