The Islanders will be without top-pair defenseman Ryan Pulock for at least a month as they try to play their way out of their recent slump, not to mention christening their new UBS Arena.
Pulock will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced on Wednesday. The last-place Islanders (5-6-2), who have lost four straight in regulation, did not practice after ending their season-opening, 13-game road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Lightning on Monday night and a 6-1 defeat to the Panthers on Tuesday night.
The Islanders did not specify when Pulock was injured but he missed Tuesday night’s game after blocking a second-period shot with his lower right leg against the Lightning.