The New York Islanders announced on Sunday afternoon that forwards Casey Cizikas and Tom Kuhnhackl will miss the remainder of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to injury.
Both players are leaving the Edmonton bubble and the team will provide an update on their status at the conclusion of the playoffs.
Cizikas was apparently injured during the Islanders’ Game 2 loss and did not play in their Game 3 win on Friday night.
After recording 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in 48 games during the regular season he has two assists in the postseason. While he is not a huge offensive contributor, he is a big part of the Islanders’ fourth line and a significant defensive presence in their lineup. It is not an insurmountable loss by any means, but it definitely leaves a big opening at the bottom of their lineup.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Kuhnhackl has only appeared in three games this postseason and has not played since the play-in round against the Florida Panthers.
The Islanders enter Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning trailing the Eastern Conference Final by a 2-1 margin.
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 6 New York Islanders (TB leads 2-1)
Series preview
Game 1: Lightning 8, Islanders 2. (recap)
Game 2: Lightning 2, Islanders 1 (recap)
Game 3: Islanders 5, Lightning 3 (recap)
Game 4: Lightning 4, Islanders 1 (recap)
Game 5: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 6: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 7: Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC
*if necessary
MORE STANLEY CUP COVERAGE:
• Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final schedule
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.