The New York Islanders announced defenseman Alexander Romanov will miss tonight’s (Oct. 26) matchup against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has appeared in all seven games for the Islanders this season, recording two assists and averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game.
#Isles Player update: Romanov (upper body) is out tonight and day to day.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 26, 2024
Romanov played in last night’s game against the New Jersey Devils and logged nearly 22 minutes of ice time, showing no signs of discomfort. Notably, he took an open-ice hit from Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid but remained in the game. He later returned the favor on New Jersey’s superstar, Jack Hughes, with a massive open-ice hit. Neither hit was penalized.
After the game, Romanov confirmed he sought revenge following MacDermid’s hit, stating “They hit me, I’m gonna hit them, and I’m gonna hit their best player.” Although the exact cause of Romanov’s upper-body injury is unconfirmed, it’s likely that these hits contributed to his injury.
With Romanov out, Dennis Cholowski is expected to play in his first NHL game for the Islanders this season. The 26-year-old was a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 Entry Draft and has 117 games of NHL experience under his belt, including two with the Islanders in the 2022-23 season. How head coach Patrick Roy will adjust the lineup is yet to be confirmed, although it is likely Cholowski will join Noah Dobson on the top pairing.
