The New York Islanders managed to hold on and win against the New Jersey Devils Thursday night, but it came at a cost. Captain Anders Lee left the game in the first period and is now out “indefinitely” with a lower-body injury. Lee got tangled up with Devils forward Pavel Zacha and stayed down for a good while, obviously favoring his leg. The Islanders did not provide a further update.
If he is gone for any substantial amount of time, it’s a huge blow to the Islanders, a team that has managed to climb all the way to the top of the East Division standings. Sitting at 17-6-4 through the first half of the season, Barry Trotz’s group also holds the best goal differential in the division and is currently on a seven-game winning streak. A big part of that success has been Lee, who leads the team with 12 goals and is second behind only Mathew Barzal in points.
In fact, those 12 goals tie Lee for 13th in the entire league, right alongside names like Kyle Connor, Mikko Rantanen and Steven Stamkos. On a team that prides itself on getting contributions from everyone in the lineup instead of a few superstars, his standout ability to put the puck in the net is extremely important.
The Islanders are back in action for a back-to-back in New Jersey over the weekend and don’t seem likely to have the captain in the lineup.
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