Brock Nelson Islanders
Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson has another standout week as the Islanders’ number one center and forward.

This was an eventful week for the New York Islanders. They played four games, going 2-2-0, and unfortunately lost veteran forward Cal Clutterbuck and defenseman Scott Mayfield to long-term injury.

Clutterbuck, who was recently extended, is out for the season and that might be the case for Mayfield, who will miss 4-6 weeks, too. Both players were valuable to their team this season.

Clutterbuck didn’t miss any time and had to step up during that terrible COVID outbreak that affected most of the team.

He did just that and was the Islanders’ best player for several weeks. He earned his contract extension and showed why he’s so valuable on that dangerous fourth line.

With his partner Nick Leddy gone, Mayfield was expected to step up big time. He did just that, having arguably the best season of his career.

This could be it for Mayfield on the Island and if it is, the Islanders are going to have to work hard to replace one of their more important players.

Another incredibly important player on this Islanders team, especially this season, has been Brock Nelson, who showed us why this week.

Check out last week’s player of the week and honorable mentions here.

Player of the Week: C Brock Nelson

vs. OTT: 3 A
vs. DET: 2 G
@ BOS: 1 G
vs. TBL: 1 G
Average Game Score: 1.39
Average defensive impact: -0.62

At this point in time, it’s difficult to name anyone other than Nelson as this team’s MVP. Practically all of his teammates have had a down season, but that didn’t prevent him from stepping up and leading the way offensively. This week was no different.

Nelson was the team’s best player in three of their four games. His three-assist game against the Ottawa Senators saw him earn a Game Score of 3.91, his third-highest of the season.

Nelson obviously did his fair share of scoring, putting up 7 points in four games and got his goal-total up to 31 on the season, passing 30 for the first time in his career. He now has 46 points on the season and is on pace to pass his career-high of 54.

Nelson is doing it all and it’s a shame that the team’s other centers haven’t been able to match his energy.

He’s been spending time on the top line and is making his linemates Anders Lee and Anthony Beauvillier better, too- both are honorable mentions for the week.

Nelson is almost always an unsung hero for the Islanders, but deserves all the credit in the world this season. He’s one of the few players on this team who’s been giving it his all night-in and night-out, even when it seems like all hope is lost.

Honorable Mention #1: LW Anders Lee

vs. OTT: 1 G, 1 A
vs. DET: 3 A
@ BOS: 1 G, 1 A
Average Game Score: 1.18
Average defensive impact: -0.76

Honorable Mention #2: LHD Zdeno Chára

@ BOS: 1 A
Average Game Score: 0.39
Average defensive impact: -0.20

Honorable Mention #3: RW Anthony Beauvillier

vs. DET: 1 G, 1 A
@ BOS: 1 A
Average Game Score: 0.30
Average defensive impact: -0.62

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Leen Amin
Leen has written about the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and international soccer. She is currently the primary NHL writer for ESNY. Leen's work has been featured on Bleacher Report and she was formerly a contributor for FanSided's New York Mets blog, Rising Apple. She is a co-host of the Yankees-Mets Express podcast.

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