Islanders’ DeAngelo exits game against Blackhawks with injury
The New York Islanders got dealt an injury to their blue line on Tuesday night when Tony DeAngelo exited the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury.
#Isles Injury Update: Tony DeAngelo will not return to tonight’s game (lower body).
Following the game, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters, including Ethan Sears of The New York Post, that DeAngelo would be evaluated further on Wednesday.
DeAngelo, a prolific puck-mover who serves in a depth role for the Islanders, is in his second season with the club. The New Jersey native has 5 goals and 28 assists for 33 points in 71 games played this year.
In DeAngelo’s absence, New York was down to a five-man defensive unit consisting of Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech, Carson Soucy, Adam Boqvist and Scott Mayfield.
Tony DeAngelo was hurt on the Chicago goal Clip below. #Isles
Being shorthanded on the backend proved costly, as the Islanders fell to the Blackhawks by a 4-3 margin in a game in which they trailed 4-1 to a team that is far outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
The Islanders came up with a crucial victory at home on Sunday by a 1-0 score over the Columbus Blue Jackets to gain valuable ground in the playoff race in the East, but a regulation loss to Chicago paired with a Columbus win over Philadelphia on Tuesday means New York has given that ground right back.
After Tuesday night’s results in the East, the Islanders remain on the wrong side of the playoff bubble. They’re tied with Ottawa for the second and final wild card spot, but the Senators have a game in hand, and the Isles are a point behind Pittsburgh for third-place in the Metropolitan Division.
New York has three more games left on a crucial homestand that could easily determine their fate. The Dallas Stars will pay a visit to UBS Arena on Thursday night, and then Florida and Pittsburgh are on the docket for Saturday and next Monday.