Already deprived of Mathew Barzal on Friday in Buffalo, the New York Islanders added the names of Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly to the injured list on Saturday morning, in addition to announcing that Barzal will be absent for a period of 4 to 6 weeks due to an upper body injury.
Pelech will also miss 4 to 6 weeks. The defenseman received a wrist shot from Henri Jokiharju’s blue line directly in the face in the second period on Friday night.
Two minutes after Pelech’s departure, it was defender Reilly who fell in action after a solid check from Jordan Greenway.
The stretcher was brought onto the ice, but after a few moments on the ice, Reilly was able to get up and return to his team’s locker room with the help of teammates. There was nothing illegal about the check. His state of health will be reassessed on a daily basis.
The Islanders then found themselves with only three defensemen when Romanov left the game momentarily. However, he returned a little later and is also considered day by day.
The Islanders have recalled defensemen Samuel Bolduc and Grant Hutton from their American League subsidiary, the Bridgeport Islanders.
Chychrun on the sidelines
The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Jakob Chychrun on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the National Hockey League team announced Saturday.
To replace him in the lineup, the Capitals recalled fullback Vincent Iorio from their Hershey farm club in the American Hockey League.
Chychrun hasn’t played since leaving Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers after just four appearances on the ice. He obviously then missed Thursday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Technically, Chychrun will be eligible to return to play on November 9, when the Capitals face the Saint Louis Blues. He has two goals and two assists in eight games so far this season, his first with the Capitals.
The latter obtained his services from the Ottawa Senators last July in exchange for defenseman Nick Jensen and a third-round draft pick in 2026.
Demko back soon?
Goaltender Thatcher Demko was seen on the ice before the Vancouver Canucks practice. The American has not played since Game 1 of the first-round series against the Nashville Predators last playoffs due to a knee injury.
The 28-year-old goaltender had a 35-14-2 record with a 2.45 goals-against average and .918 save percentage last season in 51 games, helping the Canucks finish first rank of the Pacific division.
By winning 68.6% of his games, Demko was the best in the NHL in this regard last season among starting goaltenders. Demko finished 2nd in the voting for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the best goaltender on the Bettman circuit.
The Canucks have done well so far this season without their star goaltender. With a 4-2-3 record, Vancouver ranks 11th in the NHL with a points percentage of 61.1%. It is notably the newcomer Kevin Lankinen who has done very well with four victories in six starts.