On Nov. 15, Ryan Pulock suffered a lower-body injury in the middle of the Islanders’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Pulock has been out for the past seven weeks but is expected to return to the lineup soon. The 27-year-old defenseman is an asset for the Islanders and is expected to have a huge impact when he returns. 

2021-22 Season

Pulock only played 12 games this year as his injury happened very early on in the season. However, in that short amount of time, he put up some great numbers. Pulock recorded two assists, one of which came on the power-play. While that may not be the most impressive stat, the Islanders were struggling offensively at the beginning of the season so having points, especially as a defenseman, was a big deal. 

Pulock also recorded 19 shots on goal. Josh Bailey, who has played in 23 games and was on the first line for many of them, has registered only one more shot on goal. Pulock also has the second-highest average shots out of the Islanders’ core six defensemen, with 1.58 shots per game. The only D-man to have a higher average is Noah Dobson with 2.15 shots per game. 

Despite having played less than half of the games this season, Pulock still has 34 blocks, the fifth most on the team. He also has an average ice time of 21:07, only 30 seconds less than Adam Pelech who leads the team. 

What Will Happen to the Defense?

For the 2020-21 season and the beginning of this season, Pulock was always paired with Pelech and they were one of the best defensive pairings in the league, from an analytical standpoint. However, when the defense struggled this year, Barry Trotz separated the two defensemen to spread out the talent. Pulock then began playing with Zdeno Chara until he got injured. 

The Islanders’ defense faced many difficulties this year between losing Pulock and dealing with several COVID-19 outbreaks. However, the defense has been great recently. For the past few games, the pairings have looked like this:

Zdeno Chara—Noah Dobson

Adam Pelech—Scott Mayfield

Robin Salo—Andy Greene. 

When Pulock returns, it’s likely that Salo will be the one to come out of the lineup. While he has been performing well and showing potential, Trotz prefers veterans in his lineup. He has also said that he wants Salo to develop more as a player. 

New Defensive Pairings

With the Islanders’ defense performing so well recently, it will be interesting to see who Trotz pairs with Pulock. He could reunite him with Pelech since they were only separated due to the defense underperforming.

There is also the possibility that Pulock will be paired with Chara so that Dobson and Greene could play together again. Ultimately, Pulock is a highly skilled and adaptable player so he will succeed no matter where he ends up. Hopefully, Pulock’s return will strengthen the Islanders’ defense even more and help the team to go on the winning streak they desperately need right now. 

Maisy Healy

I am a huge Islanders fan and love spreading my passion for the team here at Drive4Five.  Along with writing, I also co-manage the Drive4Five TikTok and Facebook accounts.