Islanders first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson injured in preseason opener

When the Islanders’ preseason opener was over, the talk was not about first-round picks Matthew Schaefer and Kashawn Aitcheson making their debuts. Nor was it about Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren  scoring a goal in a 3-2, 11-round shootout loss to the Flyers on Sunday night at UBS Arena.

Rather, the concern was about Aitcheson’s health after the 17th overall pick in the June draft left midway through the third period after taking an open-ice hit from Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen.

Replays appeared to show the hit was knee-on-knee, and Aitcheson, who was unable to put weight on the leg, had to be helped to the back.

Coach Patrick Roy opened his postgame news conference by announcing he is “fine. He’s going to be day-to-day. It’s a lower-body, so he’ll be fine” before offering his thoughts on the hit.

“I thought it was knee-on-knee,” he said. “It goes fast, so it’s a tough call to make, I guess.”

Before leaving, Aitcheson had played a strong game. In 20 shifts spanning 18:09, he was credited with four shots on goal and a hit.

“I thought he was playing outstanding,” said Tony DeAngelo, who was paired with Aitcheson. DeAngelo immediately challenged Juulsen after the hit and the two engaged in a wrestling match.

“Clean hit. He came across, but he was trying to get up the ice,” DeAngelo said. “The puck just started fading a bit, so he had to look down. By the time he looks up, the guy makes a good read and finishes it. The guy on the other team didn’t do anything wrong.”

The Islanders fell behind 1-0 on Rodrigo Abols’ goal 2:42 into the game. The sequence began with Schaefer’s attempted stretch pass being picked off by Jack Nesbitt in the neutral zone. Nesbitt gained the offensive zone before finding Abols, who snapped a wrister from the left dot that beat David Rittich (15 saves on 16 shots) to the far side.

The Islanders tied it 4:01 into the second period on a play that epitomized how Roy wants them to play. Scott Mayfield found Schaefer at the right circle with a diagonal pass and the No. 1 overall pick fired a hard, accurate one-timer that Aleksei Kolosov (15 saves) couldn’t control. Smithtown native Kyle Palmieri scored on the rebound.

“I thought it was a great start,” said Schaefer, who finished with a point, four penalty minutes and five shots on goal in 24:39. “Obviously, lots of work to put in my game and a lot of things to work on.”

Warren gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with three minutes left in the second period by elevating Mathew Barzal’s feed over a sprawling Kolosov, but Matvei Michkov drew the Flyers even at 2-2 with 1:18 left in regulation. Emil Andrae scored the winning goal in the shootout.

Notes & quotes: Reserve goaltender Parker Gahagen made 15 saves . . . Before the game, there was a moment of silence for Flyers Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent, who died Sunday at the age of 80. Parent backstopped Philadelphia to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons.