Casey Cizikas and Tom Kuhnhackl are both injured and will not return during the playoffs, the Islanders announced just before Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Both players have left the Edmonton bubble and will not re-enter.
Otherwise, the Islanders said any further updates will be provided at the conclusion of the playoffs.
Losing Cizikas, the identity-setting fourth-line center, is an enormous blow for the Islanders. He had two assists in 18 postseason games but is a key penalty killer and his line with Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck typically establishes the team’s forecheck.