The New York Islanders placed forward Mathew Barzal on long-term injured reserve and defenseman Adam Pelech on IR on Saturday because of their respective upper-body injuries.
Barzal will be required to miss at least 10 games and 24 calendar days after being placed on long-term injured reserve.
“It [stinks], and it’s not ideal,” forward Bo Horvat said Friday. “But again, guys have gone down in the past and the other guys have stepped up, and that’s going to be the exact same thing going forward. We’ve got the guys in here to do it, and we have to get it done.”
Barzal, 27, last played Wednesday when he led all New York forwards with 22:46 of ice time in a 2-0 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He has two goals and three assists through 10 games this season, his ninth with the Islanders. Barzal has 447 points (130 goals, 317 assists) in 510 games since the Islanders drafted him with the 16th overall pick in 2015.
Pelech, 30, was hit in the face with a puck in New York’s 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
He has four assists in 11 games this season and 144 points (26 goals, 118 assists) in 511 career games since being selected by the Islanders in third round of the 2012 NHL draft.
Also Saturday, the Islanders recalled defensemen Samuel Bolduc and Grant Hutton from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
Bolduc, 23, has scored one goal and set up four others in nine games, and Hutton, 29, has two assists in the same stretch for Bridgeport.
