Sep 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Islanders forward Matias Maccelli (63) skates with the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Paul (20) in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Finally, a couple of Islanders have made their way off of the ridiculously long injury list.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock and forward Matias Maccelli are back ahead of New York’s meeting with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, providing a pair of solid reinforcements to a team that has lost each of their last four games.
“You don’t wanna be sitting, watching,” Pulock said. “You want to be playing. To have an opportunity to get back into the lineup it’s exciting for me, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
Pulock missed four games due to a shoulder in jury, which, in hindsight, was a best-case scenario after leaving the Islanders’ Nov. 1 game in Minnesota against the Wild early after taking an awkward check. This was the same shoulder that was surgically repaired in the offseason.
“It could be a lot worse,” he admitted. “It’s just something to deal with… When it happened, I thought maybe it would be worse… Every guy goes through it. Get banged up here and there, but you play through stuff, and you do what you gotta do to help the team…
“You gotta put in the extra work. It’s not just going to feel good every day. If that’s what it takes to play every night, then that’s what you do.”
Getting Pulock back in the lineup provides some relief to the right side of the defense. Along with the loss of Alex Romanov for the season, the Islanders were forced to cycle between Scott Mayfield and Matt Kessel. His return is able to shift them down the depth chart.
Maccelli had gotten off to a strong start with his new team, recording six points in his first eight games before going down with a lower-body injury. He missed three-and-a-half weeks in total and is expected to get back on the second line alongside Brayden Schenn and Victor Eklund. The 26-year-old should also get time on the first power-play unit.
“I just have to keep playing the way I was before I got hurt,” Maccelli said. “Personally, I was playing well, so I gotta bounce back to the same level. But also, I haven’t played in three and a half weeks. So it’s about getting my legs moving early and trying to help the team.”
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