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Return of Adam Pelech puts Islanders defense ‘in the right seat’ for 2nd half

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Adam Pelech Islanders
Adam Pelech (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Consider Adam Pelech’s return from a head injury just before the All-Star break a blessing for the New York Islanders.

“It’s great for the whole team having him back,” his defensive partner, Ryan Pulock, told amNewYork. “He’s a big piece of this team and for the success this team has had in the past. It’s very important to have him back to solidify things on the back end a little bit.”

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The Islanders’ top blueliner had missed roughly six weeks and 21 games after falling head-first into the boards on a hit by St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo back on Dec. 6 — and with it came a downturn in organization.

For a franchise that had once been predicated solely on defensive structure, this first season under head coach Lane Lambert has provided ample growing pains in a system that called on its blueliners to be more aggressive and leave their posts to supplement the attack.

Pelech’s steady presence, however, had been invaluable. Over the first 26 games of the season, the Islanders were yielding just 2.5 goals per game while going 16-10-0. But including the game in which Pelech left early against the Blues, they allowed an average of 3.2 goals per game during his absence while going 7-10-5.

That’s been a near-impossible mountain to climb at times for an offense that has scored two or fewer goals 12 times in its last 13 games, which included a six-game losing streak and 10 defeats in 11. The last two games of that skid finally featured Pelech, who returned on Jan. 23 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, and had to re-adjust to the speed of the game.

He was a combined -4 in losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators last week.

“There’s always a little bit [of rust] when you’ve been out that long,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. “I thought he started really well… and I thought he was getting even better and better.”

It appears as though Pelech has found his footing after his lengthy absence while providing the support necessary for the Islanders’ defense. New York has allowed just one goal during a two-game winning run to get back on track going into the All-Star break. Pelech was a +2 in back-to-back wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights which included an assist in Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime win.

“When you’re under pressure and you haven’t seen game action in a while, it can come at you quick,” Pulock said of his D-partner. “I thought he’s adjusted well and he’s going to continue to feel better and get back to his old self.”

A full-strength Pelech is imperative for the Islanders to get back into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They currently sit two points out of the final Wild Card spot and will need the defense to return to early-season form to keep the pressure off an offense that is still trying to find its groove.

“We all know Adam’s value to the team, to the structure, and to the overall results,” Lambert said. “So things get slotted in a little better position. People are kind of in the right seat, so to speak. That helps and we’ll continue to push forward and hope that our defensive performance continues that way. I anticipate it will.”

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For more on Adam Pelech and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com