""Ilya Sorokin has been a backbone, a safety net, and on some nights, the thing holding everything together. But Bo Horvat's injury has quickly reminded everyone how fragile the rest of the operation can look without him in the middle. Without Horvat, the Islanders haven't just lost a goal scorer. They've lost their offensive engine, their most reliable power-play trigger, and a leader on the ice and in the dressing room. Now the mission is simple, if not easy: tread water.""
""The schedule actually offers a small lifeline. Just five games over 14 days gives the Islanders time to breathe, reset, and hopefully survive until Horvat returns. But surviving doesn't mean standing around waiting. It means everyone doing more. Patrick Roy isn't interested in excuses, and honestly, neither should the fanbase be. This team has already absorbed season-ending losses to Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov. They've navigated stretches without Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Jonathan Drouin.""
""This is the quality of this team, we're not looking for excuses after a game," Roy said. "We focus on our game and what we have to do and stay in the present moment. It happens to every team to miss a quality player during the course of the season. We're missing three. But, hey, stay in the present moment. We want to give ourselves a chance.""
Ilya Sorokin serves as the Islanders' MVP, providing a backbone and safety net for the team. Bo Horvat's injury has removed the team's leading goal scorer, primary offensive engine, power-play trigger, and on-ice leader. The roster has already endured season-ending losses to Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov and absences of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Jonathan Drouin. The schedule offers five games over 14 days, creating a brief window to reset before Horvat's return. Recent play showed struggles to generate shots, forecheck, and protect the middle, and special teams slipped; surviving requires broader contributions rather than excuses.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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