Isaiah George could be back in the lineup on Tuesday night after a three-game absence.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- It's been a minute since we had the chance to catch up with New York Islanders rookie defenseman Isaiah George.
The 20-year-old had been away from the team for the entirety of their road trip after he sustained an upper-body injury in their 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 2.
The injury occurred after Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi reverse-hit the youngster, with Domi's elbow catching George in the jaw.
George was back at practice on Monday, participating fully, and potentially could be back in the lineup on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.
“I’m doing good,” George told The Hockey News. “It’s good to be back. It’s good to be back with the boys again.”
George was not available after the game, obviously, but his teammates and head coach thought the referees completely missed an illegal hit.
What did George think?
"I felt the same way," George told THN. "I thought that it, maybe, was a bit early than what it should have been. It's unfortunate."
Ironically, while Domi didn't receive any discipline for his hit on George, he was fined a few days later for elbowing Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway:
Right after the hit, George knew something was wrong.
"I instantly wasn't feeling good," George said. "I think my stick broke on that play, too, so I didn't even have a stick to use."
George's injury was obviously the main focus, but unfortunately for the team, Toronto scored seconds later as the 20-year-old was trying to get off the ice.
"I was getting up, and I felt, or at least I thought, that we had possession," George said. "I just figured it was best to get off.'
While George has been out of the lineup, the Islanders have only won hockey games—of course, not because of him.
The Islanders are 3-0-0 in their last three games, firing on almost all cylinders, minus the power play.
What has George seen from the group?
"They've been playing some really good hockey," George said. "I think the bounces are starting to go our way, and we've just stuck with it, and we're getting rewarded for it. So it's great."