The Islanders are expected to rest some regulars as they did with Mathew Barzal on Tuesday. Thursday it looks like it will be Eberle, so expect Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri to skate with Barzal.
Eberle will miss Monday’s game against the Blues and will be replaced by Oliver Wahlstrom, who will be making his NHL debut. The Islanders are back in action in Winnipeg on Thursday, so monitor Eberle’s status leading up.
Eberle appeared to suffer a leg injury in Saturday’s win over the Panthers. Head coach Barry Trotz did not have an update on Eberle post-game but the Islanders recalled Oliver Wahlstrom from Bridgeport (AHL) on Monday, which suggests that Eberle won’t be available vs. the Blues.
In his second season with the Islanders, Eberle struggled in the regular season, posting just 37 points (19G / 18A) in 78 games but cranked it up in the playoffs. Eberle got hot in the first two rounds of the postseason, leading the Islanders with nine points (4G / 5A) in eight games. Eberle joins Andrew Ladd and Nick Leddy as players earning $5.5 AAV from the Islanders.
Eberle has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury but appears ready to return to the lineup on Saturday. Eberle will likely re-claim his spot on the top-line from Josh Ho-Sang and returns to the lineup with 17 points (7G / 10A) in 35 games this season.
Eberle was on the ice for the Islanders morning skate but will miss his fourth straight game with an undisclosed injury. Josh Ho-Sang is expected to remain on the Islanders’ top line with Eberle out.
Eberle’s move to IR is retroactive to December 23rd, which means he’s eligible to come off of IR as soon as tomorrow. The move opened up a roster spot for the Islanders to recall Michael Dal Colle from Bridgeport (AHL).
Eberle was dealing with some “stiffness” following the Christmas break, missed Thursday’s practice and will not play Friday. With Eberle out, Josh Ho-Sang will move up to the Islanders’ top-line.
Eberle left Thursday’s practice with some general soreness and his status for Friday’s game is in question. The Islanders had no update on Eberle’s status this morning, so consider him a game-time decision.
Eberle was banged up in the Islanders practice on Thursday and missed Friday’s session as a result. After the skate, Eberle told reporters that he should be OK for the weekend games but monitor his status during today’s morning skate to be sure.
Eberle scored 20 goals with 31 assists (51 points) in 82 games with the Oilers last season. The 27-year-old winger struggled in the playoffs, collected just two assists in 13 games before the Oilers were bounced. Eberle has averaged 24 goals and 32 assists (56 points) over that last four seasons and could see ample playing time with John Tavares in 2018.
