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Defenseman Ryan Pulock and goaltender Marcus Hogberg were both placed on injured reserve with upper-body injuries, the New York Islanders announced on Monday morning. Both players were placed on IR retroactive to Jan. 25.

Pulock left the game early in the first period and did not return. The defenseman has 16 points (3G, 13A) in 48 games this season and leads the team with 105 blocks, as well as 2:04 SH TOI/GP.

Hogberg suffered his injury towards the end of Saturday's game, playing all three periods before leaving the ice ahead of overtime. Hogberg is 2-2-0 this season with the Islanders with a 1.45 GAA and a .947 SV%.

"You don't like losing players, especially the way they were playing, they were playing really well for us," Head Coach Patrick Roy said. "They're important players, but at the same time, it's a good opportunity for other guys to take advantage of it."

In a corresponding move, goaltender Jakub Skarek was recalled from the Bridgeport Islanders. Skarek is 5-11-1 this season with Bridgeport with a 3.22 GAA and an .895 SV%. Skarek, the Isles' third-round pick (72nd overall) in 2018, has spent parts of six seasons in Bridgeport, but has yet to make his NHL debut.

NEXT MAN UP MENTALITY

The injuries are just the latest in a slew of ailments for the Islanders this year.

Pulock's injury is the latest blow to the Islanders blue line, which has been without Noah Dobson (IR, lower body) for the past two games, and Mike Reilly (IR, heart procedure) since Nov. 1. Dobson is considered week-to-week, while there is no timetable for Reilly's return.

Hogberg was initially recalled to fill the void of Semyon Varlamov, who has been out since Nov. 29 with a lower-body injury, meaning the Isles could be leaning on their fourth netminder this year if Skarek sees action.

No matter what's been thrown at the Islanders, who also saw lengthy injuries to Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech - among others - this season, they've maintained a "next man up mentality."

"Those are obviously two huge parts of our team, huge part of our defense core," Pelech said. "It's just going to have to be kind of a next man up mentality. Guys have done a great job all year stepping in for injured players, so it's no different now."

Dennis Cholowski is expected to draw back into the lineup for the Islanders after sitting out Saturday's win. Cholowski has eight points (3G, 5A) in 29 games this season. Newcomer Tony DeAngelo is also expected to see a bigger role with Dobson and Pulock out. DeAngelo played 25:07 in his Isles debut - including 5:15 PP TOI - and took reps on both the power play and penalty kill during Monday's practice, his first with the team.

"He's been a really good player in this league for a long time, so we're lucky to have him," Pelech said. "It's unfortunate for the injuries, but the timing kind of worked out perfectly for the moment."

Pulock's injury also shook up the Isles pairings on Monday. Pelech skated with Scott Mayfield, while DeAngelo skated with Alexander Romanov. Cholowski and rookie Isaiah George also skated as a pair.

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