Mayfield and Romanov earn first crack at stabilizing NY Islanders D without Dobson

The New York Islanders are navigating uncharted territory with Noah Dobson sidelined for an extended period with a lower-body injury, forcing a reshuffle on their blue line. Dobson and Alexander Romanov have arguably emerged as the team's top pair this season, posting favorable expected goals against numbers while playing at even strength. The problem has been that Romanov has had multiple short-term stints out of the lineup, and now Dobson will be out for several weeks.

Dobson had played all 46 games during the season, meaning that head coach Patrick Roy was forced to develop a new pairing without the 25-year-old in the lineup. At Thursday's practice, Scott Mayfield is the one tapped to be paired with Romanov to stabilize the Islander's backend without Dobson. "It's part of the plan, but everything is subject to change," Roy said. "The key for us right now if making sure guys play their way. No one is going to replace Noah, everyone has to play their own game and focus on what needs to be done."

Their pairing brings a blend of grit and mobility, with Romanov’s aggressive forechecking complementing Mayfield’s stay-at-home tendencies. Together, they could offer a balanced approach to defense, but that won't fill the void that Dobson’s offensive creativity and puck-moving skills left.

Romanov has shown flashes of being a top-pair defenseman and now will be leaning on Mayfield’s experience to improve his positional play and decision-making. Mayfield’s calm, disciplined presence could complement Romanov’s style in a different way than he played with Dobson.

If the Islanders are to remain in the playoff picture, this pairing will likely have to work.

“Doesn’t matter who’s hurt,” Romanov said in the New York Post. “Dobby, of course, is a huge loss for the team and for me as well. But it’s not over, you know. We still keep playing and we still will do as much as we can to win."