The Hockey News caught up with Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov to ask him how he's feeling now that he's back to wearing a regular visor.
BUFFALO, NY -- New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov has been a magnet for sticks and pucks this season.
During warmups on Jan. 13 against the Nashville Predators, the 23-year-old defenseman took an errant puck to the face.
Like the warrior he is, Romanov played in the game, which ended in a 3-1 loss without needing to put on any type of extra protection.
Then, a few days later, in the 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Romanov took a stick to the face.
When the Islanders hit the ice in Winnipeg 24 hours later, a 4-2 loss, Romanov was rocking the full face shield.
Unfortunately for Romanov, this wasn't the first time he's had to wear a full face shield.
He wore one for six weeks last season, 20 games, after suffering a face injury on Jan. 28 against the Vegas Golden Knights before getting it off on March 23.
This go-around was a bit shorter but not by much, and it was certainly not less annoying.
He wore the face shield for 16 straight games (missing the game against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 10), recording eight shots with two goals and two assists, nine giveaways (.53 per game), 28 blocks, 37 hits, and received 35 hits.
Romanov told The Hockey News that he had to wear one for as long as he did this go around because he needed to get braces on his bottom teeth due to a jaw injury.
After suffering for a little less than two months, Romanov finally got back to the visor when the Islanders hosted the St. Louis Blues on March 5.
In four games, including that one, Romanov has eight shots on goal, a goal and an assist, two giveaways, six blocks, six hits, and 10 hits taken.
Following Wednesday's practice in Buffalo, Romanov shared with The Hockey News how much better life is without the full shield.
"It's awesome. Great feeling to just feel the freedom," Romanov told THN.
The most annoying part for Romanov was the constant need to clean out the face piece, as it usually fogs up due to the cold and then some due to the heat coming off the body.
"Almost after every shift, you need to clean the visor," Romanov said.
For those who have played ice hockey and used full cages or fish bowls, there are a few different ways to clean them, with some using baby shampoo before the game or dish soap.
Romanov did take a stick to the face in their 7-2 rout of the San Jose Sharks, just his scone game without a shield:
Face shields are certainly not the most thrilling thing, especially when they fog up during a shift. They also take a bit to get used to, as you don't see the puck as cleanly as you would if you wore a normal visor. At times, it's even a bit tougher to pick up the puck in your skates just because there are now pieces of mask in your sightline when you are looking down.
"Like first couple games, I struggled with that," Romanov said. "But after that it just start to be good."
Romanov's been an integral part of the Islanders' success lately, skating alongside Ryan Pulock. With 18 games to go, they'll need him to feel as comfortable and confident as possible.