Islanders Playoff Hopes Take Huge Hit With Latest Injury

The New York Islanders' defensive group took a huge hit recently. Top defender Alexander Romanov suffered an injury in a recent contest against the Dallas Stars. As a result of the collision, Romanov required surgery on his shoulder.

While he recovers from surgery, the Islanders expect Romanov to miss somewhere between five and six months. That timeline would effectively end his regular season and could carry into the postseason if the Islanders make the playoffs.

Without the steady defensive presence of Romanov, the Islanders' season has been dealt a serious blow. Not only are they down an important contributor, but their road to the postseason just became infinitely more difficult.

Next Man Up

The problem for the Islanders is that Romanov's game is very difficult to replace. He's a defensive wizard, possessing an incredibly active stick in the defensive zone and along the blue line to disrupt zone entires, as well as being a key member of the penalty killing unit. Not only that, he has the skating ability and heads-up puck skills to keep pace with a quick-moving offense.

Without Romanov, the team has to take on a next-man-up mentality. Head coach Patrick Roy spoke after their recent win over the Seattle Kraken, expressing frustration over the injury but emphasizing that their next player must step up and take Romanov's place. That player is former first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks and current seventh defender, Adam Boqvist.

“First of all, he's not happy, there’s no doubt about it,” Roy said. "We have to move on, and you don't replace a player like him. You hope that the guys coming in will fit in, and hopefully that (Adam) Boqvist will play like he's been playing."