Pulock and Pelech spoke to our Stefen Rosner on returning after injury.
Pulock and Pelech spoke to our Stefen Rosner on returning after injury.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- It's been a long time since the New York Islanders had defensemen Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech in the lineup together.
Pulock missed the last 24 games after suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 7 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Pelech, who has missed 24 games this season with various injuries, his latest a one-game absence after a vicious hit by Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher on Jan. 25.
Both were back on the practice ice Sunday and traveled to Toronto ahead of the Islanders matchup against the Maple Leafs Monday night.
The two took part in line rushes as a pair but are game-time decisions.
Following their first skate back, The Hockey News caught up with both blue liners to discuss their injuries, getting back, and just how important both of them being back is for the Islanders as they try to get into the playoffs with 33 games to go.
RYAN PULOCK
Pulock's missed quite a lot of time, but getting back on the ice with the team Sunday was huge.
"First practice, so it felt good to be a part of it and get a little more comfortable with the systems and the structure, the little changes while I was out," Pulock told THN. "Obviously, you can watch it and try to learn it, but until you're on the ice doing it...but it was a great day.
"It's fun to be out there, putting in the work and trying to get myself in a position to play."
In 2021-22, Pulock missed 26 games due to a lower-body injury, so he knows what it's like to have to sit and just wait to heal.
"Obviously, similar situations, and you try to learn things from the first one to put yourself in a better position to get back, but sometimes it just time," Pulock said. "And it's tough to sit there and watch. You want to be a part of it. I think what's transpired here over the last month and not really being a part of it, it's tough. I've been pushing to get back to this moment where I could join the team again and hopefully get into some game action soon and help this team as best I can get some wins together and try to get ourselves back in a playoff position.
"I think there's a lot of belief in this room, and watching, I believe that the right steps are being taken. It's just a matter of time. So looking forward to that challenge."
As Pulock mentioned, things have changed since the last time he was in the lineup.
Patrick Roy is now the head coach, and Pulock got the Roy experience for the first time Sunday.
"It's different. And I mean, not everyone works the same. Everyone has different ways they go about their business, but I think the energy is good," Pulock said. "I think there's good teaching moments out there. But I think there's also good praise at times, which I think as a player when you can get a little bit of both, I think it's good for morale, it's good for confidence, and I think the energy out there is always pretty high.
"I thought it was just fun to be out there and fun to be part of that, that energy and kind of what's been building here over the last couple of weeks and to finally be a part of it."
Pulock has two goals and four assists in 25 games this season, averaging 22:47 minutes per game.
ADAM PELECH
The Islanders are extremely lucky that Pelech was able to come back as quickly as he has. When talking with Pelech, he stated that he didn't want to comment on the hit, as one could understand.
"I didn't see him, obviously, so I didn't really know what happened until a while after that because there's a lot of stuff to go through when I go back to the room, and I don't really want to comment on it," Pelech told THN.
Pulock did have some things to say: "It's tough to watch. Because you're sitting on your couch, watching...it's pretty ugly."
Pelech missed 21 games last season due to a head injury, so like Pulock's ailment, he knew what to expect.
"I feel good. I took it easy and rested up over the break," Pelech said. "And I'm really thankful that it's only been eight or nine days, so to be able to practice with the guys, I'm encouraged just with how quickly I'm back.
Concussions are no joke and THN asked Pelech if there was a nervousness that crept into his mind given what transpired about 14 months ago.
"Hard to say, but honestly, I knew pretty early on that this one wasn't quite as bad as the last one," Pelech said. "So, that was at least encouraging because the last one was over two months. And no one wants to go through that. So I was really happy to be feeling better."
In 25 games this season, Pelech has four assists, averaging 19:33 minutes per game.
THE BANDS MAYBE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN
Pelech and Pulock, under former head coach Barry Trotz, became an elite pairing for a handful of years. While early on this season, in the second year under Lane Lambert, the two certainly struggled, but they weren't playing much together.
The stat line will tell you that the two skated together 77 times since the start of the 2022-23 season, but early on, the Romanov-Dobson pairing was separated, with Pulock playing the second half with Romanov while Dobson got paired with Sebastian Aho and Pelech when he was healthy.
With the way Roy wants to play -- a defensive system with puck possession and active defense -- it will be interesting to see how the two veterans play.
But, getting both back at the same time is beyond critical, and they are looking to play with one another again, whenever that is.
"I love playing with Ryan. So we've been missing him for the past couple of months, so we're all excited to have him back in the lineup," Pelech said.
On staying healthy: "That would be great. Unfortunately, we've had a lot of injuries, especially on the backend this year. But like I said, it's great to have Pulock back and [hopefully, he can stay] stay healthy throughout the season."
Pulock echoed a similar statement regarding Pelech.
"To see him looking good, playing hard, I think that's really important for this team," Pulock said.
"Whenever we can be back, we'll be there and are committed to trying to help this team win games."
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook.