Islanders vs. Red Wings: Life without Clutterbuck, Mayfield [Game #62]

Hockey is a dangerous sport.The New York Islanders host the Detroit Red Wings at the start of a lengthy spell without two regulars: The club announced today that they’ll be without Cal Clutterbuck (shoulder surgery) for the rest of the season and Scott Mayfield (shot-block fracture) for 4-6 weeks, or practically the rest of the season.

For day-to-day impact, those are not insignificant losses for different reasons — Clutterbuck features on the Identity Line, Mayfield is a key penalty killer — and also open up interesting opportunities.

Of course, the Islanders just re-signed the would-be UFA Clutterbuck for two more years, so seeing how others perform in his slot is more of a “‘cause stuff…