Islanders looking forward to a 'huge boost' with return of Ryan Pulock

The Islanders have dealt with numerous lineup absences this rocky season. None has had the long-term impact of Ryan Pulock being unavailable.

But the top-pair defenseman was activated off long-term injured reserve and finally made his long-awaited return after missing 25 games as the Islanders faced the Senators on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

"He’s such a big piece of our team," Matt Martin said. "He’s been a dynamic defenseman for us the last number of years. That’s going to give us a huge boost. He’s a rock back there for us on both sides of the puck."

Rookie defenseman Robin Salo was re-assigned to the Islanders’ taxi squad to create a roster spot.

Pulock suffered what is believed to be a foot injury on Nov. 15 — before the Islanders opened their new $1.1 billion arena — and was initially expected to miss four-to-six weeks. Instead, it turned into two and a half months.

"He’s got a great shot, for starters," Martin said. "I think it’s something that other teams really focus on, trying to take [it] away which can open up other things for everyone else. He’s a veteran defenseman who plays big minutes. So, with him out of the lineup, it makes everybody on the back end, especially, have to take on a little bit of a different role.

"The guys that have filled in have done the best they can do to fill his shoes. Having him back will be a big boost for us getting back to the way we’re accustomed to playing."

Pulock had two assists in the 12 games he played before getting injured. Coach Barry Trotz split up his usual top pair of the right-shooting Pulock with lefty Adam Pelech after just three games as the Islanders struggled defensively team-wise early in their season-opening, 13-game road trip.

Pulock, the 15th overall pick in 2013, has developed into a player who makes an impact in all three zones and has the hardest slap shot among the Islanders. He had a career-high 37 points in 2018-19 and matched his career high with 10 goals the following season. Pulock agreed to an eight-year, $49.2 million extension last offseason.

Salo, also a lefty, had settled into a regular role the previous 11 games. Pulock’s return allows left-shooting Andy Greene, who had been paired with Salo, to return to his natural side. Pulock and Greene were paired together Tuesday.

"He’s been pretty solid," Trotz said of Salo, in his first North American season after two in Sweden and five previous seasons in his native Finland. "What he’s learned is you can’t always make something happen on every play. But what you can do is make good decisions so something may happen. He’s not trying to force things. He’s been pretty calm.

"The biggest thing in the North American game versus the European game is the transition from offense to defense is a lot quicker. The size of the ice is a big factor in that."

Salo had a goal and three assists in 18 games and had been used quarterbacking the second power-play unit.

Pulock reclaimed that role and Trotz has also used him on the penalty kill. But Trotz said he will try to manage Pulock’s minutes, at least to start.

Pulock was averaging 21:07 of ice time, which was tied with defenseman Noah Dobson for second on the Islanders behind Pelech’s 21:17 entering Tuesday.

"We’re going to monitor that," Trotz said. "You’ll see him play five-on-five and maybe a little bit of the power play. We’ll probably limit his minutes and just allow him a chance to catch up. We’ll see how he feels."

Notes & quotes: Casey Cizikas returned after a one-game absence because of a non-COVID-19 illness…Bridgeport’s Jakub Skarek, the Islanders’ third-round pick in 2018, was named the AHL goalie of the month after going 5-0-2 with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in January.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.