Mike Reilly is an Islanders defenseman. He has been out since he was injured with a concussion on November 1. While in Calgary (the Islanders were there on a road trip), doctors monitoring Mike Reilly discovered he had a heart condition, and he had, apparently, successful emergency heart surgery immediately. Mike Reilly posted a smiling picture of himself with a doctor on social media but is out of the Islanders’ lineup indefinitely.
The Islanders earned another ‘loser point’ by losing to the Calgary Flames last night in Calgary. The Islanders are gritty, but they surrendered another late lead and lost in a shootout, again. They played good defense and got great goaltending from Semyon Varlamov. By making it to overtime, the Islanders earned their fifth point on this five-game road trip, with one in Detroit to go. The Islanders are on schedule on this road trip and can earn seven points with a win in Detroit on November 22.
Mike Reilly’s Concussion and Heart Condition
Mike Reilly a is 31-year-old defenseman and is on injured reserve since getting a concussion. The injury occurred after taking a hit from forward Jordan Greenway in the third period of a 4-3 win at the Buffalo Sabres on November 1. Reilly’s heart condition was previously undiagnosed and discovered during concussion testing, lucky for him.
Islanders’s General Manager, Lou Lamarillo on Monday said, “[Reilly’s heart condition] was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation. It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with but never knew.” The heart procedure has been well-covered.
Reilly had played eleven games for the Islanders before he sustained his concussion. Reilly was struggling, having yet to score a point. This is after he was a bit of a revelation for the Islanders last season scoring twenty-four points in fifty-nine games. It is fair to wonder whether Reilly’s undiagnosed heart condition was adversely affecting his performance this season, but when he was hurt the entire Islander’s defense was struggling. We will never know.
Perhaps the best thing about all of the Islanders’ injuries, particularly to Reilly and their defense, is the emergence of young players like Isiah George. This will give the Islander much-needed depth come the spring playoff push. The emergence of these young players is very important. It is a bit of a silver lining.
Islanders Earn Another Loser Point in a Shootout Loss
There can be a lot to say about this Islander’s loss in a shootout to the Calgary Flames. At the end of the day, the Islanders earned a point by making it to overtime. They got great goaltending from Semyon Varlamov and surrendered yet another power-play goal after defenseman Scott Mayfield took a bad third-period tripping penalty. The good news is the Islanders only took one penalty, but they were zero for three on their power play and are currently ranked thirty-first in the thirty-two-team National Hockey League. Alexander Romanov came back for the Islanders, he was one of the five injured Islanders and was listed as a day-to-day injury.
Conclusion
Reilly was lucky his heart condition was discovered during concussion testing. The concussion itself was bad. The hit by Jonathan Greenway of the Buffalo Sabres was legal but vicious. Reilly was knocked unconscious and then hit his head on the ice. He skated off the ice under his power but was woozy. It does not matter when he comes back, he just needs to be healthy. The Islanders next play in Detroit in the fifth, and final, game of this road trip.
