It still remains unknown whether or not New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov will be available to suit up for Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday night, head coach Lane Lambert said.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” he added.
The 23-year-old blueliner suffered an upper-body injury on April 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he got mixed up with Corey Perry, forcing him to miss the final five games of the regular season while being considered “day-to-day” by Lambert.
Making the trip with the team down to Carolina, Romanov skated on his own prior to Monday’s 2-1 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal but did not skate on Tuesday. It’s important to note, however, that the Islanders had a full day off on Tuesday
In his absence, Samuel Bolduc has stepped into the Islanders’ defense where growing pains have been noticeable. He struggled in his playoff debut on Monday night, though the Islanders hung tough as underdogs on the road in the series opener.
Romanov recorded a career-best 22 points in 76 games with the Islanders — his first season with the team after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the 2022 NHL Draft.
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