Things are going from bad to worse. Already without Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Andy Greene, Anders Lee, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, the New York Islanders will lose two more players. Brock Nelson is out two-to-four weeks with a lower body injury and Zdeno Chara has entered COVID-19 protocol.

At 5-8-2, the Islanders are struggling on the ice. But off it, they cannot catch a break, too.

Nelson has arguably been the best forward on the team this year. The 30-year-old is leading the Islanders with nine goals and 11 points. Now, he will be out until possibly 2022.

Zdeno Chara has not been playing the best hockey of his life this season, but he is still a veteran presence on the backend. His health currently becomes the priority, as he will likely be out two weeks.

Bailey, Bellows, Chara, Johnston, Greene, Lee and Pelech are all quarantining as they recover from COVID-19. Bailey was in Florida and he will return this weekend, according to Islanders’ President of Hockey Operations of General Manager Lou Lamoriello. He also said there is no possibility any of the players will return by Wednesday night’s contest against the Rangers.

Due to the team’s outbreak, the game is in jeopardy. Nonetheless, the Islanders are preparing to play.

“There is no decision [on tomorrow’s game] to my knowledge,” Lamoriello said. “We’re preparing to play unless we hear otherwise.”

To replace Nelson and Chara, Lamoriello has recalled Thomas Hickey and Antolii Golyshev from Bridgeport. They will join Andy Andreoff, Paul LaDue, Grant Hutton, Richard Panik and Robin Salo as players who have been called up over the last week.

No matter what happens over the next few games, health comes first. Hopefully, all players who contracted COVID-19 will be okay and back on the ice soon.

David Lazar