Islanders’ Ryan Pulock out day-to-day with upper-body injury

An important blueliner on Long Island might be missing some game action, while another veteran is close to returning.

It has been reported that New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Pulock is expected to see a doctor on Friday for further evaluation. The right-handed rearguard’s health came into question when he was the only player noticeably absent from practice on Friday morning.

It hasn’t been reported what exactly is ailing the 31-year-old. However, in the Isles’ most recent game, a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, he registered just 16:35 of ice time, a few minutes below his season average. Pulock’s last shift came with about five minutes to go in regulation. He posted one shot on goal and blocked another in the losing effort.

Pulock’s status for the team’s matchup on Saturday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres is up in the air. If the Manitoba native is unavailable, expect to see Tony DeAngelo get tossed on the top pair alongside rookie Matthew Schaefer.

Pulock has yet to miss a game this season. In 50 appearances, he has posted two goals and 19 assists for 21 points. He has a plus/minus of +9 while averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per game.

In other news, forward Bo Horvat will be in the lineup against the Sabres. Head coach Patrick Roy stated his excitement about the veteran’s return.

“Oh, god, yeah,” Roy told the media. “It’s nice to have him back.”

Horvat has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury against the Utah Mammoth on New Year’s Day. He’s missed the team’s last nine games, in which the Isles have gone 5-3-1, maintaining a spot in the top three in the Metropolitan Division.

Despite his absence, Horvat leads the team in goals and is second on the team in scoring, notching 21 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 36 games.

The Islanders (27-18-5) are third in the Metro, eight points back of the Carolina Hurricanes for first.