Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau scores goal in return from injury
Islanders celebrate a goal by Jean-Gabriel Pageau during the second period of the team's NHL game against the Kings on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Jae C. Hong
LOS ANGELES — Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a goal as he returned to the Islanders’ lineup for Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Kings at Crypto.com Arena after missing 12 games with an upper-body injury.
Pageau, who missed Monday’s practice in El Segundo, California, for personal reasons but arrived in Los Angeles later that day, participated in Tuesday’s morning skate and was activated off injured reserve just prior to game time.
“Yeah, I’m just happy to be part of the team again,” said Pageau, who logged 13:39 with one shot while losing 9 of 13 faceoffs.
“Sitting aside, you just see how much there’s no quit in that group. I saw that again tonight. Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted. There’s no quit. Guys just go out and give their 110% every day. That’s what I saw from up there and I’m happy to be part of it now. So I’ll do my best. Personally, I think I have to be better but it’s just good to be back and have a chance to play again.”
Pageau, who centered Hudson Fasching and Pierre Engvall, tipped defenseman Sebastian Aho’s blue-line shot to make it 4-2 at 17:02 of the second period.
“I thought he was OK,” coach Lane Lambert said. “He hasn’t taken a faceoff for a while, so maybe there’s a little rust from that standpoint. But I thought the chemistry was fine with him and Pierre.”
Engvall had the Islanders’ other goal in the first period on a two-on-one with Fasching. The two each had a team-leading four shots.
“I think we came out pretty good in the first,” Engvall said. “We put a lot of pressure on them and skated a lot and got our chances. But it didn’t go as planned in the second.”
Goalie plans
Ilya Sorokin started against the Kings, so Lambert will likely turn to Semyon Varlamov against the Ducks on Wednesday night.
But there’s a chance he could start Sorokin on back-to-back nights given the Islanders don’t play again until Saturday night against the Sharks.
“I think it’s always a possibility,” Lambert said. “With that theory, then there is a little bit more of a possibility.”
Sorokin has started back-to-back games once this season, on Dec. 22-23, when Varlamov was injured.
Isles files
RW Simon Holmstrom, who has four goals and one assist in 40 games, was a healthy scratch after being in the lineup the previous 22 games … LW Ross Johnston and D Parker Wotherspoon remained healthy scratches … The Kings swept the two-game season series from the Islanders for a second straight season.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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