The New York Islanders ended a three-game losing streak on Friday night, but they are now faced with the possibility of a challenging period ahead.
As they prepare to face the New York Rangers on Sunday, the Islanders will be without at least two of their key players. This match marks the first meeting of the season between the two historic rivals. Both teams had a day off on Saturday after narrow victories on Friday, with the Islanders defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 and the Rangers edging out the Ottawa Senators 2-1.
However, the essential win came at a significant cost for the Islanders, as they played without first-line center Mathew Barzal (upper body) and lost defensemen Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly to upper-body injuries within two minutes during the second period. Pelech was struck in the face by a puck, while Reilly fell on his head after a check from Jordan Greenway.
On Saturday, the Islanders announced that Reilly is day-to-day, but both Pelech and Barzal—who was injured during a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday—were placed on injured reserve and are anticipated to be out for four to six weeks. Barzal has been placed on long-term IR, requiring him to miss at least 10 games and a minimum of 24 days.
To fill the gaps, defensemen Samuel Bolduc and Grant Hutton have been called up from the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport. The Islanders have struggled offensively this season, scoring only 26 goals—ranking them as the third-lowest in the NHL as of Saturday— and they are already without fellow first-liner Anthony Duclair, who is on injured reserve due to a right leg injury sustained on October 19.
Head coach Patrick Roy expressed confidence in the veteran team, stating, “It stinks losing players—don’t get me wrong—but this is the reality now. We need to find ways to win, and I trust this group. It’s a strong room that cares and has significant leadership.”
The Rangers have also faced offensive difficulties. After scoring 31 goals in their first six games, they have managed only eight in the last four matches (2-2-0), being outshot 148-95 during this span. Notably, they faced 41 shots from the Senators on Friday and 46 from the Capitals in a 5-3 defeat earlier in the week.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin has recorded at least 40 saves in consecutive games for the first time since February 2020, but coach Peter Laviolette emphasized the need for improvement beyond relying solely on goaltending: “It’s great to have a goaltender making those saves, but we need to do better as a team.”
The Rangers are expected to bolster their forward lineup on Sunday with the anticipated return of winger Jimmy Vesey, who has been activated from long-term IR after recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during training camp and missing the last four games of the Eastern Conference final due to an upper-body injury.
