Noah Dobson joined the New York Islanders practice on Saturday, skating in an official capacity with the team for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 20, which sidelined him for nine games before the break.
Dobson was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) and had skated before two Islanders practices this week. Per LTIR rules, he has to miss 10 games and 24 days before he's eligible to return, meaning he's out for Sunday's tilt against the Dallas Stars. The 25-year-old defenseman has 24 points (6G, 18A) through 46 games this season.
"We'll see how it goes tomorrow, how he feels," Head Coach Patrick Roy said of Dobson when determining how many more skates he might need before returning. "For all the guys that have been hurt, they're all progressing well, which is good for us."
Roy added that Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield's status will be determined on Sunday morning ahead of their game against the Dallas Stars.
Brock Nelson, who played for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, took the option at Saturday's practice.
"I was happy he took the day off," Roy said. "I gave him the option and it was nice for him. I was hoping he'd say that he's not going actually, because it's nice for him to take that extra day, have a good morning skate tomorrow and ready to play tomorrow night."
