Alexander Romanov status for Game 1 revealed and other notes from practice

The NY Islanders received good news with the return of Mathew Barzal to practice and confirmation from Lane Lambert that he'll be back in the lineup for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, but the same can't be said for defenseman Alexander Romanov. Lambert definitively answered "No" when asked whether he would be ready for Monday night, but he continues to skate, keeping hope alive for a return during the series.

The 23-year-old, in his first season with the Islanders, has been out of the lineup with an upper-body injury since being injured on April 1st in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his absence, the Islanders have paired rookie defenseman Samuel Bolduc with Noah Dobson while Sebastian Aho skates alongside Scott Mayfield. The pairing of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech has been reunited in recent games and are expected to log heavy minutes in the post-season and matched up against Carolina's top line as much as possible.

The injury was horrible timing for Romanov and the Islanders as the defenseman acquired on Draft Day for the 13th overall pick had really started coming into his own, showcasing his skating ability, moving the puck with confidence and picking his spots to deliver hard hits in open ice. Without him in the lineup, Lambert will have to entrust some minutes to Bolduc, who showed his inexperience against Montreal on Wednesday night on Nick Suzuki's short-handed goal. The other option on defense is Parker Wotherspoon who hasn't dressed since Jan. 21 vs. Carolina.

Bailey takes reps; Martin is fine

With Barzal back in the lineup, the lines were back to what would be expected for Game 1 against the Hurricanes, with one exception as Josh Bailey was skating on the fourth line in Matt Martin's spot alongside Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas.

After practice, Lambert confirmed that Martin would be ready for Game 1 and that Bailey was just taking reps with the fourth line today during practice.