Islanders Activate Matias Maccelli

According to Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters, the New York Islanders are expected to activate winger Matias Maccelli from the injured reserve ahead of tonight’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings. Additionally, although he was never placed on the injured reserve, Rosner reported that defenseman Ryan Pulock will return tonight as well.

Maccelli, 26, is in his first season with the Islanders. The former fourth-round pick signed a one-year, $2.25MM contract with New York after being non-tendered by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his lone season in Toronto, Maccelli scored 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games with a -23 rating, while averaging 14:34 minutes of ice time.

On October 17th, in his second revenge game against the Maple Leafs, Maccelli left the contest in the first period after getting tangled up with Toronto defenseman Darren Raddysh. A few days later, the Islanders announced that Maccelli was expected to miss the next two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. Returning tonight, Maccelli will have missed just under four weeks.

Maccelli had gotten off to a nice start with his new club before the injury. Through his first eight games, the Turku, Finland, native scored two goals and six points with a +3 rating, averaging 14:28 of ice time per game.

Meanwhile, Pulock will return to the lineup after a four-game absence. The 12-year veteran suffered an upper-body injury in the Islanders’ October 29th win over the Minnesota Wild. Pulock was originally given a two- to four-week recovery timeline like Maccelli. However, he’ll return after missing exactly two weeks. Pulock has registered one assist in 13 games for New York this season.

Unfortunately, the Islanders are dealing with new injury concerns. According to Rosner, New York will be without center Jean-Gabriel Pageau tonight as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Still, it’s only a minor ailment for Pageau, and he’s not expected to have a multi-week absence like Maccelli and Pulock.