Casey Cizikas (sick) and Semyon Varlamov (maintenance) were both absent from New York Islanders practice on Thursday at Northwell Health Ice Center.
Head Coach Lane Lambert said Varlamov was considered day-to-day, but the coach seemed optimistic in Cizikas' availability for Friday's game against Washington.
Goaltender Ken Appleby was recalled from Bridgeport to fill in for Varlamov, while defenseman Grant Hutton was returned on loan to Bridgeport. Appleby is 5-4-0 with Bridgeport this season, sporting a 2.86 GAA and an .898 SV%. The goaltender is in his fourth year in the Islanders organization, splitting the past two seasons with AHL Bridgeport and ECHL Worcester.
Scott Mayfield skated with the group for a second consecutive day, but is not expected to play on Friday vs Washington.
The Islanders practiced with pace on Thursday and Lambert said he liked his group's intensity at practice after a 7-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins the night before.
"I saw some intensity," Lambert said. "I don't know if necessarily I saw frustration. I think there was focus there. And I would say probably that would be more for me the mood rather than frustration."
