New York Islanders Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl Out 4-6 Weeks

The New York Islanders won their sixth game in a row on Saturday. But in the win against the Ottawa Senators, the Isles lost Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl to injury.

With a 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators, the New York Islanders won their sixth game in a row. The Isles are third in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the Washington Capitals with three games in hand.

But the win wasn’t all positive. Both Tom Kuhnhackl and Matt Martin would go down with injury during the game. Matt Martin was able to finish the game while Kuhnhackl could not.

We found out on Sunday, that both Martin and Kuhnhackl would be out 4-6 weeks.

Tom Kuhnhackl

In the first period against the Senators, Kuhnhackl went into the boards to retrieve a puck in the offensive zone. With Senators defenseman Dylan DeMelo right on his heels, Kunhackl braced himself for contact. But as Kuhnhackl tried to slow himself down, his left leg went into the boards awkwardly.

The Ottawa crowd collectively gasped when they saw the replay. Kuhnhackl had to be helped off the ice. After 2:57 of ice-time, Kuhnhackl’s night was done.

Up until recently, Kuhnhackl had played on the top line. But with Josh Bailey being placed next to Barzal and Lee, Kuhnhackl was reverted to a more comfortable bottom-six role.

His role on the team will likely be filled by Michael Dal Colle.

Matt Martin

In the second period, Martin took a hit from Ottawa’s J.C. Beaudin right by the Ottawa bench. The hit was right on the door for the Ottawa bench which swung open from the impact. Martin’s left leg crashed with the inside of the board and he went down clutching his knee.

Surprisingly, he would come back and play in the third period. He was clearly hurt, but he didn’t let that stop him. So maybe it wasn’t that bad, right?

He’s also out 4-6 weeks. When you talk about the “warrior mentality” in hockey, what Matt Martin did on Friday is a textbook example.

With the bench already short with only eleven forwards being dressed, and then with Tom Kuhnhackl going down, the Isles were down to ten forwards. If Matt Martin was also out the Isles would be down essentially a full line.

With Ross Johnston in the lineup, we already know who is going to fill Martin’s spot in the lineup.

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As the injuries pile up over the last few weeks for the New York Islanders – Jordan Eberle, Casey Cizikas, Leo Komarov, and now Martin and Kuhnhackl – something that would cripple any other team, the Isles keep winning.