The New York Islanders have dealt with injuries to their defense corps all season and may have just suffered the biggest one yet.
Noah Dobson exited Thursday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period and did not return to the Islanders’ bench at the start of the second period.
Dobson played three shifts for the Islanders, logging a total of 1:28 of ice time before exiting. There was no apparent reason to believe Dobson was injured when his final shift ended at 5:33 of the first.
In just his fifth NHL season, the 24-year-old Dobson is having a breakout year and will likely receive some consideration for the Norris Trophy, as he’s currently tied for sixth among all defensemen with a career-high 70 points in 78 games.
On Tuesday against the New York Rangers, Dobson became just the second defenseman in Islanders history to record 60 assists in a season.
“I don’t think he has reached his full potential yet,” said Islanders head coach Patrick Roy Thursday morning. “I see him as a dominant player and a guy that will be very dangerous offensively but also very reliable defensively.”
Without Dobson on the bench, the Islanders are rotating their defensemen.
The Islanders currently trail the Canadiens 1-0 to start the second period following Jordan Harris’ goal for Montreal at 17:58 of the first period.
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