The New York Islanders were able to find some offensive rhythm in the second game of their road trip, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 for their fourth win of the season.
However, the victory still felt like a loss. Early in the first period, center Cal Ritchie was forced out of the game because of an injury; he played only 28 seconds before his evening came to an end.
Later in the first period, it was forward Matias Maccelli who had to exit the game because of a lower-body injury. He needed some assistance from teammates to skate off the ice and get into the locker room.
With two key players sidelined, the Islanders needed to make a move to fill out their lineup. To help make that happen, on Monday morning, they placed defenseman Alexander Romanov on IR.
Mar 23, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mitchell Chaffee (41) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He is expected to miss 6 to 8 months as he recovers from an ACL tear suffered in the team's third game of the season against the New York Rangers. This is the second consecutive campaign for Romanov that has been cut short by injury. Last season, he suffered a shoulder injury after playing only 15 games.
With Ritchie and Maccelli potentially joining him on the sidelines, New York has emergency recalled Mitchell Chaffee from the Hamilton Hammers in the AHL.
Signed to a one-year deal in free agency this past summer, Chaffee has gotten off to a strong start with Hamilton. Across six games, he has recorded six points, scoring four goals and handing out two assists.
Hopefully, some of that offensive impact can be carried over to the NHL. The Islanders have already had some issues consistently generating offensive chances, and losing Maccelli, who has the third most points on the team behind center Bo Horvat and defenseman Matthew Schaefer, isn't going to help matters.
During practice on Monday, Chaffee was inserted into the fourth line alongside Casey Cizikas at center. Kyle MacLean, who has been a healthy scratch in all eight games thus far, was skating on the left wing.
Kyle Palmieri was back to the first line at right wing with Horvat down the middle and Simon Holmstrom, fresh off a two-goal back, on the left wing. Brayden Schenn has been slotted into the No. 2 center spot for Ritchie, with Emil Heineman on the left wing and Victor Eklund on the right wing.
Ondrej Palat, JG Pageau and Anthony Duclair are on the third line. Fans will notice that Mathew Barzal is still absent from the projected lines and team skating sessions as they await his return to the lineup.
The defensive pairings remain the same, with Matthew Kessel looking to have supplanted Scott Mayfield on the third pairing for the time being, in place of Romanov.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/islanders/onsi as NY Islanders Put Alexander Romanov on IR & Recall Veteran Forward .
