Alexander Romanov, Jesse Puljujarvi Back For Game Three

As the series shifts to New York for game three, both the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will be receiving reinforcements. Returning for the Islanders will be defenseman Alexander Romanov, and Jesse Puljujarvi returns for the Hurricanes (link). Romanov has been out of New York’s lineup since their April 1st game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Puljujarvi has been out of the lineup since their last game of the regular season.

Although the Islanders have played a relatively sound defensive series up to this point, getting Romanov back will allow New York to make things much more difficult on their opposition. Romanov doesn’t score at a rapid pace, but his ability to block shots and deliver serious hits has made him a staple of the Islanders’ back end. In his first season since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at last season’s draft, Romanov has played 76 regular season games for the Islanders this season, blocking 129 shots, and making 198 hits.

On the other side of the puck, it is much harder to predict what kind of impact Puljujarvi will make for the Hurricanes. Before joining his new team in Carolina, Puljujarvi skated in 58 games for the Edmonton Oilers, scoring five goals and nine assists. Thinking that a change of scenery might help him reclaim some of his potential of being a fourth overall pick, Puljujarvi only managed to score two points in 17 games in Carolina, neither of which were goals.

To this point in the series, Carolina has a 2-0 lead, winning both games by one goal, including an overtime win in game two. This season, the Hurricanes were a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of goal scoring, and with the Islanders’ style of play being one of the more frustrating to matchup against, this Metropolitan battle could tighten up in the next couple of days.

Tom Gulitti of the NHL was the first to report that Romanov and Puljujarvi would be back for game three.