COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Islanders are again in a next-man-up situation as they continue their push toward clinching a playoff spot when they face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.
Left wing Andrew Ladd will undergo surgery this week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss five months, president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said.
If the Islanders beat the Blue Jackets in regulation, they then can clinch their first playoff berth since 2016 with any type of win at Winnipeg on Thursday night. But they will be playing their fourth game without Valtteri Filppula as the third-line center is out four weeks with an apparent left shoulder injury.