The New York Islanders have lost some key players to injuries recently, but they have managed to compete even in their losses. As November begins, the Islanders will look to find a way to continue their winning ways without the help of Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech for an extended time.

Barzal was injured last week in Columbus at the beginning of a three-game road trip. He left the game with an upper-body injury and didn’t play in Friday’s win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Not only did Barzal go down on the early part of the trip, veteran defenseman Adam Pelech was hit in the jaw with a puck in Buffalo and didn’t return to the game. It was announced after Friday’s game that both Barzal and Pelech will miss four-to-six weeks, which will mean they will miss the month of November.

“It’s up to us in here to get the job done for them. Our main goal is to try to win as many games as possible,” Bo Horvat said. “Other guys are going to have to step up.”

The Islanders fell to the Anaheim Ducks last Tuesday. The Islanders nearly doubled the Ducks in shots with 41 going on goal compared to Anaheim’s 22, but the Ducks scored on Ilya Sorokin twice, and added a final empty net goal to seal the 3-1 victory.

Then, the road trip began the next night, with the Islanders not being able to deposit any of the 26 shots put on goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets and their netminder, Elvis Merzlikins.

Barzal still played 22 minutes against the Blue Jackets, so both losses came with a much more healthy team than the lineup that head coach Patrick Roy put out there on Friday night in Buffalo. The Islanders seemed to get every bounce to go their way in the 4-3 win, breaking the three-game losing streak the team had been on.

They scored the four goals on 36 shots, finding ways to get the puck past Buffalo netminder Devon Levi. Horvat was one of the guys that stepped up with a goal and an assist.

The big loss of the night in Buffalo was losing both Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly. Pelech was struck in the jaw with a puck, forcing him to leave the game after playing only 10 minutes of ice time. Reilly left the game in the second period after a big hit from Sabres forward Jordan Greenway. He is considered day-to-day, but didn’t play in Sunday’s loss to the Rangers.

Injuries are a part of the game that every team at some point in the season has to deal with, and Patrick Roy said he “trusts this group [because] this is a strong group where there is a lot of leadership.”

Islanders president of hockey operations, Lou Lamoriello, echoed Roy’s sentiment.

“Look at the way they played,” Lamoriello said. “I think the character within the group just came forward.”

Even though the Islanders lost to the Rangers Saturday afternoon 5-2, there were players that showed how the team can win games and be resilient in every game.

Pierre Engvall had a very good game by creating scoring chances and showing the effort that Roy, Lamoriello and fans want to see from their players in the absence of Barzal and Pelech.

Engvall earned an assist on Casey Cizikas’ first goal of the season, while tallying four shots and a hit. He also created many chances that don’t show up in the statistics, but are very valuable to Roy and the coaching staff.

There were also opportunities for two young players to take the ice for the first time this season. Grant Hutton and Samuel Bolduc both were recalled from Bridgeport, giving them both an opportunity to prove themselves to Roy and the coaching staff.

As the Islanders look forward, they have three games this week before heading out west on a road trip. They will host the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night before heading to Ottawa on Thursday and returning home on Saturday for a rematch with the New Jersey Devils.

With crucial points needed against divisional opponents, the Islanders will rely on Horvat, Engvall and others with Barzal and Pelech out for an extended time.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Andrew Nowel

Andrew Nowel is a hockey nerd and has been following the game for many years. He grew up a Devils fan because of his Dad and also roots for the Penguins and has been rooting for them since he was in 4th grade. Andrew is currently in college studying Journalism and Business with a concentration in Sports Production and Broadcasting at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York.