East Meadow, NY– The New York Islanders have maintained that forward Kyle Palmieri is day-to-day as he nurses an undisclosed injury that he suffered during unofficial workouts before the start of training camp.
Palmieri has continued to skate on his own, according to team officials, but is still yet to practice with the team and isn’t expected to play in tonight’s preseason game against the New York Rangers.
With only three exhibition games left after tonight and two weeks until the start of the regular season, it’s time to question whether or not Palmieri will be ready for opening night.
“You can only do what you can do…and he can only do what he can do,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. “He’s in all the meetings, and he’s involved that way. But it’s not easy if you miss training camp or a good portion of training camp. At the same time, he’s been skating, so we don’t expect that transition period to be very difficult at all.”
In Palmieri’s absence, the Islanders have used several players in his place alongside Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall.
“It’s no different than any other time we have an injury,” Lambert said. “It’s next man up, and this has given us a good opportunity to see a couple of guys in that type of role.”
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Hudson Fasching will get that opportunity tonight.
Fasching impressed as a depth signing last year for the Islanders and has continued to do so thus far in training camp.
With his new contract that he signed at the end of last season, Fasching was expected to be a regular in the Islanders’ lineup this year. However, Palmieri’s absence has opened the door for players like Julien Gauthier, Simon Holmstrom and William Dufour to make the team out of camp.
Dufour has gotten a look on the Islanders’ second line, most recently in their 4-2 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday, when he started the game next to Nelson and Engvall and scored on the power play.
Although Gauthier and Holmstrom haven’t appeared in Palmieri’s spot in the lineup, both have a case to make after they each potted a goal in the Islanders’ victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
No matter what, though, Palmieri is still the Islanders’ best option in that spot as a veteran who has proven his ability to score in the NHL. If he’s not in the lineup come opening night, his chemistry with Nelson and Engvall will be sorely missed.
“He’s a big piece to our team,” Lambert said. “We look forward to getting him back.”
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