Patrick Roy Has His Hands Full Managing Bruised & Battered Islanders Blueline

The Islanders were struggling before losing three of their defensemen. Now, things get even tougher.

NEW YORK, NY -- New York Islanders defenseman Samuel Bolduc did not make the team out of training camp. 

But because of the injuries to the blue line, with Alexander Romanov (day to day), Mike Reilly (day to day), and Adam Pelech (injured reserve, 4-6 week recovery) unable to play against the New York Rangers on Sunday, Bolduc drew in after he and Grant Hutton were recalled from Bridgeport on Saturday. 

Playing your first game of the season at Madison Square Garden is a tough spot for a young player, especially when you are stepping in on a team struggling to find consistency in the early going. 

Before the game began, The Hockey News asked head coach Patrick Roy what he needed to see from the young blueliner.

"I want him to play with some awareness, knowing who's on the ice, and make good decisions with the puck," Roy said. "If his first touch is good, I know he's gonna have a good game. So the first touch will be very important."

Bolduc's start to the game, skating alongside Hutton, was good.

He played 4:33 in the first period, taking seven shifts.  

Unfortunately for Bolduc, an awareness mistake in the opening minute of the second period directly led to Vincent Trocheck giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead:

Roy decided to remove Bolduc from the rotation, playing him just three shifts over the final 26 minutes. 

After the game, a 5-2 loss to the Rangers, we asked Roy about what he saw on the turnover and his decision to limit Bolduc's minutes. 

"It's sad. Those things happen, but Sam [Bolduc] needs to be better if he wants to play in the NHL," Roy said. "He's got to understand [that] and step up. "He's a good hockey player. He's got all the tools. Now, he just needs to figure it out. But he needs to be better if he wants to play for us."

With the banged-up blue line, the Islanders are relying heavily on their depth of defense. If Romanov is unable to play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Roy and the Islanders will have to make a decision. 

Travis Mitchell, Aidan Fulp, Marshall Warren, Isaiah George, and Calle Odelius are the only other remaining call-up options, none of which have NHL experience. 

Bolduc, after Sunday's game, has played 52 NHL games.

If Roy can't rely on Bolduc to play, with Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield playing around 25 minutes each in the last two games, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello may have no choice but to make an external move to shore up the backend. 

Roy is in a tough spot, losing so many key players on both sides of the ice, as he tries to find the right recipe for success. 

Part of him wants to play his top-three defensemen as much as possible, but he knows that he has to rely on his other defensemen as well. 

Here is the minute breakdown from Sunday's loss:

Pulock - 29:24

Dobson - 24:57

Mayfield - 23:00

Hutton - 14:14

Cholowski - 13:53

Bolduc - 5:56

"Hutton played well, and Cholowski played well, as well," Roy said. "So I mean, they were there, and they were helping them, and I was very comfortable with these two guys."

The Islanders are likely to hit the practice sheet on Monday ahead of their Tuesday game, so we'll see how Romanov is doing and what the defense looks like.