Islanders’ Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock Finally Get Game Action As Key Pairing Races To Get Up To Speed

With the clock ticking fast toward opening night Wednesday in Toronto, Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer — on his off side — should form the Islanders’ first pair. Barring something unexpected, Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock would be the second. 

Friday’s preseason match against the Rangers, though, was the first time the Islanders’ hopeful second pair got into any game action during camp. The Islanders wanted to give both an extra few days of practice after they had undergone shoulder surgery — Romanov soon after the hit from Mikko Rantanen that ended his season last November and Pulock after the season. That came with the tradeoff of asking both to play back-to-back nights, with coach Pete DeBoer looking to roll out an NHL lineup Saturday against the Devils. 

Rusty would be an understatement to describe how they looked. 

Much of the 6-1 margin can be explained by the Rangers playing their NHL lineup against a group of mostly AHLers. Romanov and Pulock’s respective minus-3s cannot, though the rust does account for some margin of it. 

Romanov, in particular, repeatedly was boxed out and often behind the play. 

“I was happy to play my first game in 10 months,” he said. “First two periods was tough. I was just turning my head left and right, look at guys skating in front of me. Third period, I started feeling it. I had a couple good takeaways, interceptions.” 

Pulock, for his part, sounded similar, saying he liked some pieces of his game and felt good on the ice, but knows he’ll be better with more game time. 

“That’s what preseason is for,” DeBoer said. “It’s to work out the kinks, get the rust off, get a little bit better. … That first game is always hard.” 

It was largely forgotten amid the hole it created in the Islanders lineup with Romanov out, but he struggled badly in the 15 games he played last season, never looking like himself. 

As for Pulock, he labored through a shoulder injury in the second half of the season, his play slipping as a result. 

This is to say: The Islanders don’t need to imagine what it is like to have a diminished version of either one in their lineup. It won’t go well. 

“Summer was obviously different,” Pulock told The Post pregame. “It’s the first time I’ve had a surgery like that. The rehab process, different steps. I think off the start, there wasn’t much happening [after surgery] until you can start the strengthening portion of things. I spent the summer here with our guys. I think they did a great job from a strength standpoint — all my testing is better than it was before.” 

Ditto for Romanov, who said he’s dropped approximately 17 pounds and is down from 14 percent body fat a year ago to 7. He cut out sugar and junk food, monitored his gluten intake and got in more on-ice training. The Islanders brass has been impressed all camp with his physical improvement. 

Playing well, though, is a different thing than coming to camp in great shape — and Friday was a reminder. And even following a season ruined by injury, Romanov still has expectations attached to him from an eight-year deal signed in the summer of 2025. 

DeBoer, for his part, still is holding out a top-four spot as a carrot, pointedly using the word “potential” in describing Romanov’s chances of playing there, though there’s little reason to believe he won’t. 

“He has all the tools for that and that’s what we need out of him,” DeBoer said. “There’s a spot for him in that hole. So he’s gotta come back healthy, which he is right now. He hasn’t played games in a long time. We’ve gotta give him some runway there to get back up to speed. I’m excited about what I see in practice and how it translates into the games.” 

For the low stakes moment that a preseason game represents, that’s about just regaining comfort on the ice. 

“I just want to remind myself how to play hockey,” Romanov said pregame, “because when you don’t play a whole year, even [though] you’re in shape, you gotta bring back this experience that you have. I’m just happy to play my first game since injury and every shift, every second, just try to play my best game and see how it goes.”