The Islanders came into their Round 1 series against Washington without the services of defenseman Travis Hamonic, and have since lost Lubomir Visnovsky and Calvin de Haan to injuries.
Now, Michael Grabner could be on the shelf as well.
After appearing in the first two games of the series, Grabner was dropped from the lineup for Game 3 and reported as a healthy scratch -- but, according to a report from Austrian news outlet Laola 1, Grabner suffered a groin injury, possibly a hernia, that may require offseason surgery.
The speedy winger has a history of these problems. He underwent sports hernia surgery at the beginning of this year, a procedure that sidelined him for all of October and November (it’s worth noting, however, that surgery was done on Grabner’s left side; the Laola 1 report says this latest injury is on the right.)
The 27-year-old returned to the Isles early December and went on to score eight goals and 13 points in 34 games, and had an assist in his first playoff appearance -- a 4-1 Game 1 victory in which Grabner played nearly 13 minutes.
New York is back in action on Saturday at Nassau, trailing the Caps 3-2 in the series and facing elimination for the first time. It seems highly unlikely that Grabner will draw back into the lineup.