Islanders Recall George After Pulock Injury Ahead of Oilers Test

The New York Islanders recalled defenceman Isaiah George from AHL Hamilton on Saturday after Ryan Pulock was sidelined by an upper-body injury. Pulock played only 51 seconds of Thursday's 4-3 overtime win at Minnesota before leaving, and the New York Post reported he is expected to miss at least a game or two, starting with Saturday's home game against the Edmonton Oilers. George, 22, was one of the Islanders' final cuts from training camp and was assigned to Hamilton on September 27, the same day the club signed veteran Logan Stanley. He returned to Hamilton's lineup on Thursday after an upper-body injury of his own had kept him out since the AHL club's home opener on October 9. A fourth-round pick in 2022, George has one goal and five assists in 37 career NHL games and is in the final year of his entry-level contract. The recall comes at a demanding moment for the Islanders, who are already without Mathew Barzal and face Connor McDavid's Oilers on Saturday before a defining stretch against Carolina and New Jersey. Coach Peter DeBoer has leaned heavily on young defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who is averaging more than 25 minutes a night, and George will provide much-needed depth on the blue line.