Islanders Injury Updates: Dobson Cleared, Pageau Day-To-Day For Start Of Playoffs

EAST MEADOW, NY–Through the final three games of the regular season, the New York Islanders took the ice without defenseman Noah Dobson, putting his status in question for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But as of Friday morning, that is no longer a concern as Dobson was a full participant in practice at Northwell Health Ice Center.

After practice, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy confirmed Dobson is cleared for action and will be in the lineup tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Roy confirms it’ll be Varlamov in Game 1 for the #Isles. Dobson is good to go. Pageau is day-to-day (lower-body).

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) April 19, 2024

“It’s good to be back with the team today,” said Dobson. “I’m feeling better. I’ve just been trying to do everything I can to try and be ready for Game 1. I had a good skate today, so we’ll see how the rest of today goes into tomorrow, but today was definitely a step in the right direction.”

Dobson suffered an upper-body injury during the first period of an April 11 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens. His return to the lineup is a huge boost for the Islanders.

With 70 points in 79 games, Dobson set a new career high this season as the most stable and impactful defenseman along the Islanders’ blue line. His ability as a puck mover will prove especially helpful in a best-of-seven series against Carolina, a team that’s notorious for dominating possession in the attacking end.

“He’s obviously been so good all season,” said Anders Lee. “He’s continuing to grow and mature as a young guy in this league and has taken huge steps. He’s vital to our team and in many different aspects, so getting them back is huge.”

Lee also missed the Islanders’ last game but did so while celebrating the birth of his child. He was back at practice on Friday, as was rookie forward Ruslan Iskhakov, who will be on the playoff roster after making his NHL debut earlier this week.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau was the lone player not on the ice. The veteran center is day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered in the Islanders’ regular season finale on Wednesday.

The Islanders will begin their series with the Hurricanes on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST, with Semyon Varlamov getting the start in goal.

Games 1 and 2 of the series will emanate from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., before shifting back to Long Island for Games 3 and 4 at UBS Arena.

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