NY Islanders Ryan Pulock Exited Game Early with Injury Against Carolina Hurricanes

The New York Islanders suffered an early blow during their 3-2 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night when veteran defenseman Ryan Pulock left the game in the first period with an injury. Seconds into the game's first shift, Carolina's Jackson Blake leaned into Pulock's lower body, sending him hard down to the ice behind the net. Pulock skated off but went immediately to the dressing room with an upper-body injury and was later ruled out for the rest of the game.

Pulock has been a cornerstone of the Islanders’ blue line, having played in every game this season and entered the game, logging 22:23 TOI per game. His absence was immediately felt as the Islanders had to play five defensemen, including newcomer Tony DeAngelo, for the entire game. Alexander Romanov skated a team-high 26:41, followed by DeAngelo at 25:07. The Isles overcame the loss of Pulock, at least for a night, winning their fourth straight game on Brock Nelson's OT winner to keep them six points out of a playoff spot.

The loss of Pulock would be significant for the Isles, given Noah Dobson's recent lower-body injury, which sent him on LTIR, and Mike Reilly's continued absence since his heart procedure in mid-November. Without Pulock, the Islanders would need to rely more on Dennis Cholowski and the depth in Bridgeport if he's out for an extended period.

The Islanders will await further updates on Pulock’s condition as they prepare for Tuesday night's game against the Colorado Avalanche to close their season-long seven-game homestand at UBS Arena. Fans and teammates alike are hopeful that the injury isn’t serious and that Pulock can return to action soon. His leadership and defensive play are critical to the Islanders’ playoff aspirations.

Pulock has three goals and 13 assists in 48 games this season.