The Islanders reach the midway point of their season with two home games this week, beginning tonight as Adam Pelech returns to the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Isles activated Pelech from LTIR, after he missed 20 games. Technically he was considered a gametime decision, but come on now. In a corresponding roster move, inured goalie Semyon Varlamov was placed on IR.
It’s gonna be Ilya Sorokin’s crease for a while. (Should things go south, Ken Appleby is the backup.)
Pelech returns to a lineup that is trying to tweak the forwards’ approach to D-zone coverage and now has Mike Reilly, who was claimed off waivers after Pelech’s injury and has added mobility and puck movement that the team welcomes with open arms.