Bo Horvat will miss at least a week of action, and Ilya Sorokin has been activated off IR for the NY Islanders

All of NY Islanders nation held their collective breath when Bo Horvat skated down the tunnel in the third period of a blowout loss to the Utah Mammoth last night, appearing as if he was nursing another leg injury. 

Just a day after being named to the Canadian Olympic roster, it looked like that dream was on the verge of being dashed for Horvat.

Horvat to miss time while Sorokin returns

Evaluated today, the Islanders and Horvat both avoided a worst-case scenario, and the Islanders' leading goal scorer and point producer will miss the next week and be re-evaluated then.

With the Islanders' offense floundering, failing to score more than two goals in the previous nine games, Horvat has been their brightest star on offense, scoring in two of his last four games since returning from injury.

Still sitting in second place in the Metro Division, the Islanders will need others to step up offensively in his absence if they hope to maintain playoff position.

On a more positive note, Ilya Sorokin is inching closer to game action, as he’s been activated off IR and will serve as the Islanders' back-up tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sorokin has been one of the league's best netminders this season, leading the NHL in high-danger saves according to Natural Stat Trick. 

In Sorokin’s absence, David Rittich has stepped up in a big way, emerging as one of the league's top backup goaltenders. 

After a rough outing last night against the Mammoth, Rittich had the day off today and will get the nod tomorrow night against the Leafs.

With Sorokin back in the mix, Patrick Roy can return to his tandem without any significant downgrade.