Home NYC Teams New York Islanders

New York Islanders’ Injury Scourge Continues

The New York Islanders suffered another heartbreaking injury on Thursday night when Anders Lee went down with a fractured leg.

By Justin Weiss

The New York Islanders can now be renamed the Bad News Islanders.

At the same time that the team was getting sizzling hot and defeating three consecutive playoff teams, they were also sustaining injury-after-injury.

The latest to impact the team comes in the form of a fractured leg to Anders Lee, a forward who just happens to be the only player in the entire organization capable of effectively screening the netminder and being tough along the boards.

RELATED: Last Night’s Islanders Win Could Be A Blessing In Disguise

While Lee, 25, has endured a Sophomore Slump, he’s the literal definition of the ideal playoff forward: strong, good in front of the net and along the boards, and a leader in terms of PPG, Corsi and intensity.

In other injury news, Mikhail Grabovski sustained yet another concussion. It’s been an onerous few years for the man known as Grabo.

Both Lee and Grabovski find themselves on a crowded injured reserve that features the likes of Travis Hamonic, Matt Martin, Jaroslav Halak and Brian Strait. Additionally, Jean Francois Berube, Johnny Boychuk, Cal Clutterbuck and Calvin de Haan are all battling some sort of injury.

Isles beat writer Arthur Staple indicated that there’s a shot that Mathew Barzal could make his NHL debut in the postseason. It would sure be a shocker, especially since he was drafted just this season. It should be noted that he’s likely the team’s biggest prospect since John Tavares, although fellow prospect Michael Dal Colle projects as more of a power forward.

Jeev Milkha Singh once said that “Injuries is a part of a sportsmen life; you have to live with it.” That statement can’t be truer, especially now. While the recent scourge of injuries is depressing and untimely, it’s just something that Jack Capuano‘s squad is going to have to battle through.

While it won’t be easy for the Isles to advance to the second round for the first time in nearly two and a half decades, what fun would it be if it was?

NEXT: The New York Islanders Dominate The Rangers At MSG (Highlights)

Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.