The New York Islanders are going to be without forward Casey Cizikas for an extended period of time due to an upper body injury that he suffered in a recent loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Heading into Sunday for the Islanders’ game against the Ottawa Senators he was considered to be “questionable,” but coach Jack Capuano announced that Cizikas is going to be out for a little while. He added that Cizikas has yet to even begin skating again and that they do not expect him back “anytime soon.”
The 25-year-old Cizikas is one of the Islanders’ depth players that they absolutely love, signing him to a five-year contract extension over the summer.
After a career-high 29 points a year ago for the Islanders, he had 13 points in 29 games this season before the injury. That had him on a pace to set another new career high in scoring, while he had been playing some of his best hockey in recent weeks. He had recorded points in six of his previous eight games, scoring a pair of goals and adding five assists during that stretch.
The Islanders enter play on Sunday with an 11-13-6 record, putting them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with only 28 points.