Before their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday at 10 PM ET, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello provided some injury updates.
All information is courtesy of the New York Islanders (islanders.nhl.com).
Collectively, it’s good news for the team.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who has not played since suffering a lower-body injury in the Islanders’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Nov. 30, is taking shots and is expected to be back on the ice with his teammates when the Islanders return home.
The 36-year-old was placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 3 and is eligible to be activated when he’s ready, as long as the Islanders have the necessary cap and roster space for him. They do not as of now.
Third-string goaltender Marcus Hogberg has made one start in Varlamov’s absence.
The hope is that forward Simon Holmstrom, who suffered a lower-body injury in their 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 29, could be back practicing in a week. He’s on injured reserve, retro to the game against Pittsburgh.
Defenseman Isaiah George, who suffered an upper-body injury after taking an elbow to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs’ Max Domi in their 2-1 loss on Jan. 2, is on the same timeline as Holmstrom.
George is considered day-to-day and has not been placed on IR or LTIR. Grant Hutton was recalled from Bridgeport to serve as the seventh defenseman, with Dennis Cholowski back in the lineup.
Forward Hudson Fasching, who suffered an upper-body injury in their 5-4 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 5, will miss around two weeks. He is considered day-to-day, with Matt Martin slotting back into the lineup.
The Islanders do not have the cap space or roster space to recall a forward from Bridgeport.
The last update is on defenseman Mike Reilly, who hasn’t played since Nov. 1. In that game, a 4-3 win over Buffalo, Reilly suffered a concussion, which led to a heart defect discovery.
Reilly has undergone a procedure since and has taken part in a few team skates but, per Lamoriello, has not been cleared for contact yet.
Per Lamoriello, the goal is for Reilly to be able to return this season but there’s no timetable as of yet.
With those updates out of the way, here’s their projected lineup against Vegas on Thursday:
#Isles lines at Tuesday’s practice:
Lee-Nelson-Barzal
Duclair-Horvat-Palmieri
Tsyplakov-Pageau-Cizikas
Martin-MacLean-EngvallRomanov-Dobson
Pelech-Pulock
Cholowski-MayfieldE: Hutton
Sorokin
Hogberg— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) January 7, 2025
