Islanders' Mike Reilly returns as replacement for injured Adam Pelech

Mike Reilly had already played 411 NHL games for six teams. But getting the news early on Sunday he would be in the Islanders’ lineup that night against the Stanley Cup champion Panthers at UBS Arena was big enough for the Chicago native to try and fly his parents to Long Island for the match.

It was an emotional milestone for the 31-year-old defenseman, who suffered a concussion on Nov. 1 and, during the subsequent routine testing, was diagnosed with a heart condition that required surgery. Reilly entered the lineup with Adam Pelech (lower body/day-to-day) sidelined after blocking a shot with his lower right leg in overtime of the Islanders’ 2-1 loss to the Oilers on Friday night.

The Islanders entered Sunday with ultra-slim playoff chances as they were six points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with 17 games remaining.

“Excited,” Reilly said after Sunday’s morning skate. “It’s been a long, long time. A lot of work put into it with the hope of coming back this season. Excited just to be back with the guys.”

Reilly added his teammates shared that excitement.

“It was like they almost didn’t believe it for a second,” said Reilly, who had no points in 11 games before taking a high hit from Jordan Greenway in the second period of the Islanders’ 4-3 win in Buffalo on Nov. 1.

The concussion symptoms subsided relatively quickly.

But Reilly soon had a bigger concern.

“I was going to see a specialist for my head and for something to come out of that a day later that something was heart related, yeah, it was crushing,” Reilly said on March 8 in San Jose, California, when he was activated off long-term injured reserve.

But Reilly’s heart surgeon quickly allayed any fears his condition would end his NHL career. He said the procedure fixed the issue so it is not an ongoing or long-term concern.

“For me, it was just being patient and trying to use my practice time like it’s game time,” Reilly said. “Especially the last two weeks as I’ve been cleared [for contact]. Even if it’s minimal reps, it’s still something for me.”

Both Reilly and coach Patrick Roy said the key early in Reilly’s return would be for him to keep things as simple as possible.

Roy paired the left-shooting Reilly, a strong skater who moves the puck up ice well, with righty Scott Mayfield. Righthanders Noah Dobson — moved to his off side — and Ryan Pulock skated together with the left-shooting Pelech absent.

“For us, as a coaching staff, we appreciate what he went through and coming back with the patience and the effort,” Roy said of Reilly.

“Resilient is a good choice of words because it would be easy for anyone to give up and he wants to continue to play and he wants to do well. So good for him.”

But as inspiring as Reilly’s return is for the Islanders, it doesn’t completely mask losing Pelech from the lineup again.

Pelech missed a 20-game stretch through Dec. 12 after taking a puck to the jaw also against the Sabres on Nov. 1 less than two minutes after Reilly was concussed.

“You don’t like to lose a player like this at this moment at this point of the season,” Roy said. “But I guess it’s a bit of the story of our season, isn’t it? It gives the opportunity to Mike Reilly to jump in and I’m happy to see him having the opportunity to play.”

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Adam Boqvist participated in the morning skate wearing an orange, non-contact jersey. It marked his first time skating with teammates since taking a high shoulder check from the Kings’ Kevin Fiala on Tuesday in Los Angeles. “He’s continuing to progress, which is good, but we don’t know more right now,” Roy said . . . Roy flip-flopped Simon Holmstrom and Anthony Duclair among the top-six forwards, putting Holmstrom on Bo Horvat’s top line with Kyle Palmieri and moving Duclair to Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s second line with Anders Lee. “Hopefully, that will create that little spark that could give us some scoring,”  Roy said with the Islanders totaling three goals in their past three games . . . Matt Martin and defenseman Scott Perunovich remained healthy scratches.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.