Matias Maccelli, Ryan Pulock Have Impactful Returns to NY Islanders

It took no time for Matias Maccelli and Ryan Pulock to make their presence felt in returns to the New York Islanders lineup.

Nov 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Islanders left wing Matias MacCelli (63) battles for the puck against Los Angeles Kings right wing Joel Armia (40) during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders were riding a four-game winless streak entering their game against the Los Angeles Kings, a team that has dominated them in recent history.

The deck was certainly stacked against the Islanders, who had gotten points in their last two games but lost in a shootout to the San Jose Sharks in the first game of their road trip and in overtime to the New Jersey Devils in their last game before the trip.

Needing a spark to get back into the win column, they received one from two players who returned to the lineup against the Kings: forward Matias Maccelli and defenseman Ryan Pulock.

Alas, the New York lineup still isn’t whole because center JG Pageau missed the game with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Mathew Barzal has yet to make his return, but he is getting closer too, and Calum Ritchie remains sidelined.

Islanders recieve boost from Matias Maccelli, Ryan Pulock

4 game point streak for Schenn! pic.twitter.com/wtpgKzYBep

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 13, 2026

However, the returns of Maccelli and Pulock were enough to help the team get over the hump against the Kings.

Both got on the score sheet early in the game, with Pulock recording an assist on a goal from Brayden Schenn that gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead when he fired a one-timer that hit Mitchell Chaffee and Los Angeles goalie Darcy Kuemper, and Schenn got the rebound and buried it into the back of the net.

“You want to help chip in. Doing a good job defensively is my first priority,” Pulock said, via Tyler Brosious of NHL.com. “Especially when you're sitting out a little while, it's nice to come back and get involved a little bit.”

The Kings would tie the game when Trevor Moore redirected a shot attempt from Brandt Clark that beat Ilya Sorokin. But New York would take the lead back when Matthew Schaefer scored a power-play goal, with an assist from Maccelli and Schenn, to go ahead 2-1 into the first intermission.

That's a 4 game point streak for Schaef! pic.twitter.com/uxsMk8Zm9b

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 13, 2026

Before he was injured on Oct. 17 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maccelli was riding a five-game point streak. He picked up right where he left off, as he now has five assists on the season and seven points total in nine games played.

In the second period, Pulock got his second assist of the game, along with Schenn, on a goal from Victor Eklund. It is the first multi-point game for the defenseman since Jan. 6 against the Devils.

It was certainly nice to get two key members of the lineup back in action. Maccelli and Pulock are both integral to the team’s game plan, and it showed against Los Angeles, helping the team get off to a hot start and sustain that level of play through the final horn.