Overview
- New York fell 3-1 to Boston on Wednesday despite a 45-14 shot edge, leaving the Islanders at 13-9-2 entering the holiday weekend.
- GM Mathieu Darche confirmed Alexander Romanov will undergo right-shoulder surgery and miss five to six months, effectively the rest of the regular season.
- Adam Boqvist has stepped into the defense corps and Travis Mitchell was recalled from Bridgeport to bolster depth on the blue line.
- Jean-Gabriel Pageau is listed week-to-week with an upper-body issue, with Darche expecting a two-to-three week absence and a return before Christmas without surgery.
- Semyon Varlamov remains without a return timeline as Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich carry the load, with Rittich at 6-2-0 and a .905 save percentage; Darche is monitoring the market and has expanded the analytics staff to roughly five full-time roles with another hire planned.