Through the final three games of the regular season, the New York Islanders took the ice without defenseman Noah Dobson, putting his status in question for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But just before the team boarded a flight to Carolina on Friday, they held one final practice at Northwell Health Ice Center, where Dobson was a full participant.
Dobson suffered an upper-body injury during the first period of an April 11 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens and did not return.
It is not yet clear if Dobson is clear to play in Game 1 against Carolina on Saturday. Nevertheless, his return to practice is a big step forward and signals his return to game action will be sooner rather than later.
Dobson’s eventual return will be a huge boost for the Islanders. With 70 points in 79 games, Dobson set a new career high this season and was the most impactful defenseman along the Islanders’ blue line. His ability as a puck mover will prove especially helpful in a best-of-seven series against Carolina, a team that’s notorious for dominating possession in the attacking end.
Along with Dobson, Anders Lee, who missed the team’s last game due to personal reasons, was also at practice, as was rookie Ruslan Iskhakov. However, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was absent.
The veteran center suffered an injury on Wednesday during the Islanders’ final regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the game, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy did not have an update on Pageau’s status, which is still not yet known.
The Islanders will begin their series with the Hurricanes on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST. Games 1 and 2 will emanate from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., before shifting back to Long Island for Games 3 and 4 at UBS Arena.
This story will be updated.
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