After any player goes down, the axiom is so well worn you can almost write it in advance: next man up.
So that made Brock Nelson’s response to Adam Pelech’s injury a little more eyebrow-raising than the norm.
“I think he plays a little bit of a unique style,” Nelson told The Post. “I wouldn’t say it’s maybe replaceable.”
That felt all the more prescient later in the night, after the Islanders turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 overtime loss and allowed 101 shot attempts to the Hurricanes in a game that put on display just how badly they are struggling to prevent chances.
“There’s no question that he’s a big piece of our puzzle,” coach Lane Lambert said of Pelech, who exited Thursday’s win over the Capitals in the first period. “He would’ve played a lot of minutes in the third period and he wasn’t available for us. So other guys had to push. And I mean, eventually, it gets a little bit wearing on you. I know [Ryan] Pulock’s played a lot of minutes over the last little while, but at the same time, we have to play through that.”
Coach Lane Lambert officially deemed it a lower-body injury, calling Pelech day-to-day.
The traditional upper-/lower-body designation, however, may fit awkwardly here, since Pelech came off holding his midsection after what appeared to be hip-to-hip contact with Aliaksei Protas.
In any case, if Saturday’s absence portends a longer one, it is about the worst news possible for the Islanders, who depend on Pelech for a heavy dosage of minutes in the toughest situations — against the other team’s top line and on the penalty kill.
“He’s big,” Nelson said. “He plays a lot of important minutes. Shutdown minutes, D-zone minutes, PK minutes. He’s a guy that can kind of shut [people] down — a great stick, a mobile D-man. He’s a guy that’s hard to come by.”
Without Pelech, the Islanders paired Sebastian Aho with Noah Dobson while Samuel Bolduc drew back into the lineup, playing next to Scott Mayfield.
“Dobber, like me, is a little bit more offensive-minded,” Aho said. “I think we complement each other pretty good. We think hockey the same way. But it’s just we both have to be on our toes at all times and kind of take care of our own zone more than anything else.”
Pelech, by some margin, is the Islanders’ best defensive defenseman.
Given that the Isles were already struggling to prevent chances prior to Thursday, the injury does not come at a good time.
They also have a history of struggling without Pelech.
When he was hurt last December, not to return until late January, their record without him was 7-9-5 — helping dig the Islanders a hole they couldn’t completely climb out of took until the final day of the regular season.
“It’s always a difficult hole to overcome with a guy like that who plays important minutes against important players,” Lambert said. “But as we do every other time, we have to step up to the plate and guys are gonna have to fill those minutes.”
Aho and Alexander Romanov, as the lefty defenseman who now make up half the top four, are the players whose minutes are most likely to be raised without Pelech.
When Scott Mayfield missed seven games after blocking a shot off his ankle on opening night, it was Dobson and Ryan Pulock who had no choice but to play more.
Bolduc, who averaged 8:25 a night when filling in for Mayfield, will be in the mix as well.
“They always told me to stay ready,” Bolduc told The Post. “Doesn’t matter if everybody’s healthy. That’s what I’ve been doing so far, it’s what I’m gonna keep doing. Gonna stay ready every time.”
That has been more prescient advice than the Islanders would probably like.
After Pelech went down on the same night Mayfield returned, they have not played a game with a healthy defense group since opening night.
“It’s not the easiest, but that’s part of it,” Mayfield said. “You gotta deal with it.”
Lambert, at least, outright rejected the idea that the Islanders might struggle to fill the hole.
“It’s not gonna coincide with a downturn,” he said. “Thank you.”
Bo Horvat limped up the tunnel after blocking Brady Skjei’s slap shot at 10:27 of the third, but returned five minutes later.
He played four more shifts, including one in overtime.
But after Scott Mayfield missed seven games after blocking a Rasmus Dahlin shot off his ankle on opening night — also returning to finish that game — the Islanders know better than to make assumptions in such a situation.
“He came back,” Lambert said of Horvat. “I don’t have any update on him.”
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