NY Islanders Showcase Potential New Defensive Pairings With Alexander Romanov Out

What will the potential defensive pairings be for the New York Islanders against the Chicago Blackhawks?

Oct 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) controls the puck in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders will be back at home on Thursday, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. However, the team is going to have a different look compared to Tuesday night against the New York Rangers. 

On Tuesday, the Islanders came up short against the Rangers, losing by a score of 5-2. While a couple of empty-net goals made it look worse than it was, it was a loss regardless. 

In the defeat, the team did see defenseman Alexander Romanov leave early with an injury. Recently, he was diagnosed with a torn ACL and is going to miss 6-8 months. 

As a second-pair defenseman for the team this year, Romanov was playing a key role early on. Now, the Islanders have had to shake things up, and this could be a work in progress. While the team does have some talented young players in the AHL, bringing them up to replace Romanov might be a little premature. 

Per Andrew Gross at the morning skate for the Islanders, the potential blueline pairings following the injury to Alexander Romanov are set.  

Islanders Shake Things Up

#Isles morning skate

Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri
Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund
Holmstrom-Pageau-Duclair
Palat-Cizikas-Maccelli
Extra: MacLean
Stanley-Schaefer
Pelech-Pulock
DeAngelo-Mayfield
Extra: Kessel
Sorokin (starter’s net)
Varlamov

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) October 8, 2026

While there was some speculation about who would be filling in for Romanov, it does appear like Scott Mayfield will be the guy based on the morning skate. The 33-year-old hasn’t had as big of a role with the team over the last several years, but he has a plethora of experience and will be filling in for the time being. 

However, how the pairings were set is a bit surprising. Alongside Matthew Schaefer on the first pair was Logan Stanley. Moving Schaefer back to the left side following the injury to Romanov figured to be a possibility, but he will be staying on the right with the left-handed Stanley, it seems. 

On the second pair, the duo of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock will be reunited. These two have played a lot together in the past, and they will be back together. 

With Mayfield on the third pair, it is going to be Tony DeAngelo. This pairing comes as a bit of a surprise with both being right-handed, but Peter DeBoer will be hoping it can work out. 

While these are the likely pairings entering the game, things could certainly change. New York will be hungry to get back into the win column on Thursday following their loss to the Rangers. Hopefully, the blueliners will be able to gel quickly with their new pairs and provide support.