The New York Islanders were facing an uphill battle in their third preseason game of the year, taking the ice against the New York Rangers .
Because it was the Rangers' final preseason game, they used it as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, going with a veteran-laden lineup that will closely resemble what will be used on opening night.
That wasn't the case for the Islanders, who used a lot of young players in the lineup, which led to a lopsided 6-1 affair. However, the final score wasn't what was most important to the team; it was getting young players ice time and seeing several veteran players returning from injury make it through the game unscathed.
Two of those players returning from injury were defensemen Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock . Both were seeing their first preseason action of the year, returning to the lineup after surgery.
Nov 23, 2022; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) celebrates with defenseman Ryan Pulock (6) and defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) after defeating the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports
Romanov suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last November. He said that if New York had made the playoffs, he would have been able to suit up at some point in the first round, so he at least was afforded a normal offseason not focused entirely on rehab.
Challenged by the team to come into training camp in great shape, he achieved that goal by all accounts. He was leaned on heavily by head coach Peter DeBoer against the Rangers, recording 20:24 of ice time in his return.
That was the third most on the team, behind only Kashawn Aitcheson with 22:27 and Tony DeAngelo with 21:11.
"I just have to get used to it," Romanov said via Shannon Bickert of NHL.com . "Just [the] speed and how fast you have to think, skate well and shoot. I think in the third, I played not bad. [The] first two [periods] I was struggling, but the third one, I liked."
Pulock also battled a shoulder ailment throughout the 2025-26 season, but still managed to play in 76 games, recording 27 points. He had 24 assists and three goals scored with a plus/minus of +9.
Apr 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (6) carries the puck in the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The veteran underwent offseason surgery in May and made his preseason debut against the Blueshirts as well, and was on the ice for 18:29.
"I felt good from a recovery standpoint, from a battle standpoint," Pulock said. "I thought I was in a lot of positions where you know I was engaged, and obviously it felt really good."
It was great to see both players out there along with goalie Semyon Varlamov . He made his return to the ice in the second preseason game of the year but got his first start on Friday .
Getting through the game unscathed is what was important. He played the entire contest and looks poised to be the No. 2 goalie behind Ilya Sorokin after surgery for partial replacements in both knees.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/islanders/onsi as NY Islanders Defensive Duo Has Successful Returns to Ice .
