New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov skated during his team’s practice prior to Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night at UBS Arena.
Video evidence of Alex Romanov. #Isles pic.twitter.com/aHafjvAV8E
— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) April 21, 2023
Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said that Romanov would be a game-time decision and if he’s unable to go, Parker Wotherspoon would step in.
“I feel ready to go,” Romanov said. “But I still don’t know if I’ll play or not… It’s the coaches and my own [decision].”
Samuel Bolduc had stepped in during Romanov’s absence but had struggled mightily recently. The 22-year-old has been benched in each of the last three games and was limited to approximately five minutes during New York’s 4-3 overtime loss in Game 3 to the Hurricanes.
Romanov has been out since April 1 when he suffered an upper-body injury during the Islanders’ 5-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I’ve been so nervous. I can’t even watch the games,” Romanov said about his absence and watching the Islanders drop into an 0-2 hole against the Hurricanes. “But I still wanted to see how my partners played. Tough time.”
