NY Islanders send Fasching and Bolduc down to Bridgeport for the same reason

No player wants to be sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL), but if it's going to happen, you want your organization to call it a conditioning stint. The New York Islanders announced that defenseman Samuel Bolduc and Hudson Fasching to Bridgeport for just that reason.

The reasons why the two players need conditioning are quite different. After the Islanders sustained injuries to their blueline, the team claimed Mike Reilly off waivers from Florida and later acquired Robert Bortuzzo from the St. Louis Blues. Now that everyone (except Bortuzzo) is back healthy, Bolduc has both Reilly and Sebastian Aho ahead of him on the depth chart, making his chance to get ice time down the stretch of the season unlikely unless the injury bug strikes again.

Bolduc hasn't played since Jan. 27 versus Florida, which was the final game before the All-Star break. On the season he has one goal and two assists in 33 games.

Meanwhile, Fasching has remained out of the lineup since hurting himself in Montreal when he hit the boards awkwardly following a scoring chance. Through 35 games this season, the 28-year-old has three goals and five assists in 35 games playing on the third and fourth lines. In the first year of a two-year contract, Fasching could take the place of Oliver Wahlstrom on the third line when fully healthy.

To create roster space, Fasching was place on LTIR on Feb. 21st. He has been skating with the team last week before not joining them on the road due to an illness.