MONTREAL — Pierre Engvall will return to the Islanders' lineup on Thursday for the first time in 10 days and for the first time under coach Patrick Roy.
Roy confirmed that Engvall, who was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, will play against the Canadiens upon his return from an upper-body injury sustained in Minnesota early last week.
“I think when I'm out, and I haven't been out that long, it's not fun,” Engvall told the Post.
“I think we're doing a good job and we're skating a lot. And yeah, I'm very happy to be back.”
The Islanders still have lineup regulars in Casey Cizikas, Ryan Pulock and Robert Bortuzzo, but Thursday will be a big step forward in getting them back to full health.
Like Engvall, Semyon Varlamov will also be making his first start since Jan. 2, when he ultimately lost to the Avalanche in the first period with a lower-body injury.
As a result, Ilya Sorokin appeared in 15 consecutive matches, testing his endurance to the limit.
“I'm really happy to have Varley back,” Sorokin told the Post.
Engvall is expected to skate on the Isles' regular second line alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, with Roy expected to make significant changes to the line compared to what the team was operating under Lane Lambert. Not yet.
However, the style of the offense changed, with an emphasis on puck possession and cycling, as opposed to the previous rush-heavy game.
“I think I like to play with a lot of pucks,” Engvall said. “It’s going to be fun to go out and play for him.”
Samuel Bolduc was released in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights, but is expected to return to action Thursday.
This will be Bolduc, a native of Laval, Quebec, playing in Montreal for the second time.
“It's always special to play there in front of your family,” Bolduc told the Post. “It definitely brings a little more emotion.”
Bo Horvat was ejected in the final minutes of Tuesday's game after taking a puck in the face, but was a full participant in practice.
Although her lip and face were swollen from being caught in the pack, Horvat did not lose any of her teeth and appeared to be OK heading into Thursday.
