"That's actually good news there," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Monday.
Brind'Amour did not speak to Mrazek's status for Game 3 past the statement that he is day to day.
The goalie sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of a 2-1 win in Game 2 at Barclays Center on Sunday. He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney at 6:27 of the second with the Islanders leading 1-0. McElhinney made 17 saves and was credited with the victory to give Carolina a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
RELATED: [Complete Islanders vs. Hurricanes series coverage\]
It was McElhinney's first game since he made 28 saves in Carolina's regular-season finale, a 4-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 6. Mrazek played 40 regular-season games, McElhinney 33.
"Even this year, how we were doing it, he doesn't need a lot of work to be sharp," Brind'Amour said. "That's kind of been his role all of his career, going long stretches without getting in there. He looked great (Sunday) with having zero practice time and no games in, like, 20 days. That's a pro, and that's what we've got in him."
Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was recalled on an emergency basis from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Mrazek, who made nine saves before he was injured, was flexing his left leg for several minutes after making a save against Islanders forward Leo Komarov at 2:07. At the next TV timeout, he skated to the bench and left for the locker room.
"I think Petr got hurt before the last little play there, so we kind of knew something was up," Brind'Amour said Sunday. "When he came to the bench, you could see that he was dejected. He definitely wanted to be a part of this. Hopefully, it is not too serious."