Mark Gacom was pulled from the ice in Bridgeport Tuesday morning and told he was headed to Long Island.
With bugs in the Islanders' locker room and Jean-Gabriel Pageau sick, the 25-year-old Gacom was scheduled to line up for his NHL debut.
He took advantage of the 90-minute trip from Bridgeport to Long Island to call his family and as many friends as possible, learning in the car that he would indeed be playing against the Senators.
His parents and about 10 friends watched his rookie lap in the stands.
“I'm from just north of Boston, so the ride wasn't too bad for them,” Gatcom said.
Gatcomb skated on the fourth line in the 2-0 loss to the Senators at UBS Arena, and was acquitted of his playing time, which was limited as the Islanders made a comeback play late in the game.
He recorded 4 hits in 7 minutes 27 seconds on ice.
“I thought he got off to a really good start. That line had some energy at the beginning,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I thought he did a really, really good job. He was physical and good for a first game.”
Gatcomb, a UConn product, said he was nervous for most of the day but calmed down after his first shift.
“It never gets easy, but the guys do a great job when you come in,” he said. “They make it feel like it's not the first game. They definitely help calm the nerves. As the game went on, I felt more comfortable.”
Marcus Hogberg Ilya Sorokin is still recovering from an illness he contracted before the Utah game and started in net for the Islanders' second straight game.
Sorokin skated and served as a reserve Tuesday, and Roy said he felt better but wasn't 100 percent.
Hogberg, who won his first NHL game since April 2021 on Saturday, played for the Senators from 2018 to 2021 and made 23 saves against his old team.
isiah george Alexander Romanov returned to action after missing three games with a suspected concussion, but the Islanders did not use their usual six-man defense against the Senators. He is still recovering from an upper-body injury that cost him Saturday's win at Utah. Roy called Romanov every day.
Dennis Cholowski Grant Hutton will remain in the lineup even if Romanov is out. He played at Utah State and was reassigned to Bridgeport when the team returned home.
Asked about Max Domi's injured elbow in the Islanders' first game of the new year, George said he felt it was “a little premature,” but didn't go into further criticism.
