Islanders: Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Noah Dobson out late

Barry Trotz indicated that there could be one or two changes to the lineup from yesterday’s game, but I don’t think the New York Islanders head coach was expecting what would happen.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau didn’t make the game-day squad as he was added to the league’s COVID protocol list. As we’ve seen with Josh Bailey earlier in the year, this doesn’t mean he tested positive for COVID. He could have had direct exposure to it and is awaiting a confirmatory test.

New York Islanders have to make a few lineup changes

He could be back in the lineup for the Islanders next matchup on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.

If he did test positive for the virus, he’ll have to have three negative tests (each one 24 hours apart), before he can get back on the ice. So that could mean he misses the Tuesday game in DC.

Another late change was Sebastian Aho stepping in for Noah Dobson. Dobson was a late scratch for unknown reasons. He isn’t on the COVID protocol list incase you were wondering. Aho gets his first NHL game in almost three years after last playing in 2018 for the Islanders.

The Isles were already taking Michael Dal Colle out for Leo Komarov and Ilya Sorokin would step in for Semyon Varlamov. That’s a lot of turnover for a team that likes to hold the status quo. Oh, and of course, Kieffer Bellows still steps in for an injured Andres Lee on the top line.

It’s a lot of change so let’s see how the Islanders deal with what is easily the biggest challenge they’d had to face in this young 2021 NHL season.

Update: Noah Dobson was added to the COVID protocol list according to the Islanders.