The Islanders are in Arizona and there will be forced changes for tonight vs. the Coyotes.
As expected after seeing them leave Tuesday’s game in Colorado, Robert Bortuzzo is out — placed on IR — and Ken Appleby has been recalled to likely backup Ilya Sorokin after Semyon Varlamov left the game with an injury.
The injury is a real bummer for Bortuzzo, a 34-year-old pending UFA who welcomed the trade because he was toiling as a seldom-used seventh defenseman in St. Louis. Clearly his priority is to rebuild his value for another NHL contract, which a long layoff won’t help.