IRVINE, Calif. — The Islanders are heading into the first of this four-game road trip unsure whether they’ll have Jonathan Drouin or Ryan Pulock.
Drouin practiced Tuesday, having missed Sunday’s win over the Panthers with a lower-body injury, while Ryan Pulock — who briefly exited that game with what appeared to be a shoulder issue and returned — did not participate.
The Islanders called it a maintenance day for Pulock, though coach Patrick Roy did not know whether he would play against the Ducks on Wednesday night.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Roy said of Pulock’s status.
Scott Mayfield skated in Pulock’s usual spot next to Matthew Schaefer during practice, while Adam Boqvist was on the third pair with Carson Soucy.
As for Drouin, he was a full participant, but stayed on with the extras while Anthony Duclair skated with the second line. The chances of Drouin being designated a healthy scratch Wednesday appear to be slim; Roy said if he’s able to play, he likely will, despite not having scored since the middle of November.
“It’s a long year, we’re gonna need everybody,” Roy said. “And you know, what’s the beauty of our team right now is everybody’s playing well. So that’s a beautiful luxury to have.”
Drouin was noncommittal about his status, but said that practice had gone well.
“Hopefully I feel good tomorrow. Felt pretty good today,” Drouin said. “Couldn’t really walk the last couple days.”
Drouin swatted aside questions about getting a mental reset or whether it helped him to watch a game from the press box, which would normally be asked of a healthy scratch.
“Same game when I play or watch from above,” he said. “Been in the league for 12 years.”
With Duclair skating alongside Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman, the second line was not especially convincing against the Panthers. In terms of shots and expected goals, it was the worst of the Islanders’ four lines in that game, per Natural Stat Trick.
“I thought [Duclair] was fine. He did a lot of good things,” Roy said. “Had a breakaway. Him and Ritchie had a pretty good game. No complaints. I liked the way he played, the way he competes. That’s it.”
David Rittich will start Wednesday in Anaheim with Ilya Sorokin taking the second end of the back-to-back in Los Angeles, Roy said.
Like the Islanders, the Ducks are taking a winning streak into Wednesday, with five victories in a row.
Anaheim beat the Islanders in both matchups between the teams last year.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
