Islanders activate veteran leader from injured reserve

The New York Islanders have activated Matt Martin from injured reserve. The forward hasn’t played since Nov. 15, battling an upper-body injury. He was formerly activated on Nov. 28 but faced setbacks that required him to be placed back on IR. Martin appeared in 14 games before being moved to IR, scoring two points and recording seven penalty minutes. The 34-year-old is in his 15th NHL season, with all but two years coming with the New York Islanders. Martin ranks eighth all-time in games played for the Islanders franchise, joining a top 10 that also features long-time teammates Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas.

The Islanders also shared that Julien Gauthier is set to miss the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury. Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to fill in for Gauthier, after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s last seven games. Wahlstrom has scored five points in the 17 appearances he’s made this season. Gauthier has also spent time as a healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 14 of the team’s 31 games. He’s tied Wahlstrom’s five points in his outings.

Finally, New York head coach Lane Lambert shared that none of Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield or Adam Pelech traveled with the team on their two-game road trip that takes them up to the league’s holiday break. All three defenseman are currently on injured reserve, with Pelech placed on long-term IR on Nov. 25. All three of the injured defenders have averaged 19 or more minutes of ice time in the games they have appeared in, speaking to the impact that their absences makes on the Islanders lineup.