Just as the New York Islanders had gotten back to full strength, it appears they could be dealing with yet another injury scare as defenseman Alexander Romanov was absent from the team’s practice on Friday morning at Northwell Health Ice Center.
According to Islanders head coach Patrick Roy, Romanov was undergoing maintenance and is considered day-to-day, leaving his status for tomorrow’s game against the Calgary Flames in question.
Romanov had 13:34 of ice time during the Islanders’ 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night. His final shift of the game came with 10:16 remaining in the third period.
In 51 games this year, Romanov has 13 points with five goals. Alongside his partner defense, Noah Dobson, the 24-year-old Romanov has made immense strides in his development this season, as the young duo has become the Islander’s bonafide top defensive pairing.
A Romanov absence of any kind would be a significant blow to the Islanders, who’ve lost a combined 128 man-games due to injury this season and are just getting back to full health with the recent returns of Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Casey Cizikas.
Fortunately, the Islanders have a few options they could insert into the lineup if Romanov is unable to play against Calgary.
Either Samuel Bolduc or Sebastian Aho would fit in seamlessly alongside Dobson, as they’re both left-handed shots.
In an unlikely scenario, the team could activate defenseman Robert Bortuzzo off long-term injured reserve, who rejoined the Islanders at practice for the first time on Friday since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 2.
The Islanders face the Flames in a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena.
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