The New York Islanders placed defenseman Ryan Pulock and goaltender Marcus Hogberg on injured reserve on Monday due to upper-body injuries. The team also made a trade with the St. Louis Blues to add depth to its short-handed roster.
The moves are retroactive to Saturday, when they were injured during a 3-2 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Pulock’s place could be filled by veteran defenseman Scott Perunovich, acquired from the Blues in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Perunovich, 26, has two goals and six points in 24 games this season. He was a 2018 second-round draft choice who has two goals and 29 points in 97 career regular-season games. He has also skated in seven postseason contests.
The Islanders also recalled goaltender Jakub Skarek, 25, from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Skarek, who has yet to make his NHL debut, is 5-11-1 with a 3.22 goals-against average and .895 save percentage in 20 AHL games.
Pulock, 30, left the game on his first shift after getting a leg taken out by Carolina forward Jackson Blake behind the Islanders’ net.
Hogberg, 30, made 24 saves in regulation and was replaced by Ilya Sorokin for overtime. Hogberg appeared to injure his right hand after making a save on Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot before the two collided just outside the crease.
“You don’t like losing players, especially the way they were playing, they were playing really well for us,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said on Monday. “They’re important players, but at the same time, it’s a good opportunity for other guys to take advantage of it.”
In 48 games this season, Pulock has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) with a plus-7 plus/minus, 10 penalty minutes and a team-high 105 blocks while averaging 21:55 of ice time.
He has spent his entire career with the Islanders, who selected him 15th overall in the 2013 draft. Pulock has 51 career goals, 156 assists, 101 penalty minutes and 1,003 blocks in averaging 21:17 of ice time in 534 regular-season games. Pulock also has eight goals and 19 assists in 66 playoff games.
Hogberg is 2-2-0 in his first season with the Islanders with a 1.45 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in seven games (five starts).
He signed a two-year contract as a free agent in May after parts of three seasons (2018-21) with the Ottawa Senators, who picked him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Hogberg is a career 11-19-9 with a 3.14 GAA and .900 save percentage in 49 games.
The Islanders play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
Source: www.espn.com