Brock Nelson will take his place on the top line.
The New York Islanders will be shorthanded in a big way against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, as captain John Tavares will sit out with a lower-body injury.
Tavares also missed the Islanders' practice on Friday with the same injury. Coach Jack Capuano declined to comment on the severity of his star player's injury, only saying it was an "earlier issue" and didn't occur against the Detroit Red Wings before the holiday break. Way to be vague, Cap. At any rate, Brock Nelson will center the first line with Tomas Vanek in his absence.
This is tough news for the Islanders, who are in the middle of a dismal 3-10-5 stretch. Tavares leads the team with 39 points, 13 goals and 26 assists. Nelson, on the other hand, has just nine points in 28 games this season. So the Islanders can only hope Tavares isn't out for more than a game.
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