ELMONT, NY — New York Islanders star center Bo Horvat exited Thursday night’s 5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period after suffering an apparent left-leg injury and did not return.
Head coach Patrick Roy labeled it as a lower-body injury, designating his absence at “day-to-day” for now.
Forechecking into the Ducks’ zone, his right skate got tangled with Anaheim defenseman Drew Helleson’s between the circles in front of goal. While falling, his left ankle bent awkwardly as he fell to the ice, and play had to be stopped 6:52 into the second stanza.
After staying down on the ice momentarily, Horvat got up and immediately went down the tunnel to the Islanders’ locker room.
In the immediate aftermath of his absence, Mathew Barzal moved up to Horvat’s role as first-line center while Jean-Gabriel Pageau shifted from wing to center on the second line. His spot was filled by Simon Holmstrom on the right.
Horvat has been New York’s talisman this season, with a team-high 19 goals through the first 31 games of the season, which was tied for third in the entire NHL.
His injury is just the latest of a slew of issues encountered by the Islanders this season. Defenseman Alex Romanov and forward Kyle Palmieri are already out for the rest of the regular season after injuries sustained last month.
“We’ve just continued to push through,” Islanders captain Anders Lee, who scored a pair of power-play goals in the win, said. “There’s a reason why it’s so tough to get in[to the playoffs]. Things like this happen, and adversity happens, and it’s almost a little bit of a war of attrition, in a way, and right now, we’re plugging the holes.”
