Islanders forward Ruslan Iskhakov will make his NHL playoff debut in place of Matt Martin.
Islanders forward Ruslan Iskhakov will make his NHL playoff debut in place of Matt Martin.
ELMONT, NY -- With the New York Islanders on the brink of elimination, head coach Patrick Roy is making one change to the lineup, but not by choice.
Veteran Matt Martin, whose future is unknown, will not play due to a lower-body injury.
In his place will be rookie Ruslan Iskahkov, who will make his playoff after only playing in one career NHL game, which came against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their regular-season finale.
He earned a secondary assist in a tad over 14 minutes of action, showing well.
If Martin's time with the Islanders and the NHL is over, he's had a tremendous career. Playing 13 years on Long Island, he's been the definition of what it means to be a member of the organization, on and off the ice.
"If he wasn't injured, he would play," Roy said. "I have so much respect for what he brought to this organization, the way he's been playing. Sometimes, those things happen in every team is subject to it, so it gives the opportunity to others to step up."
For Iskahkov, this is a huge opportunity to not only help the Islanders stay alive but also build on his NHL debut and keep himself in the early running for an everyday spot in 2024-25.
"I love the energy that he brought against Pittsburgh," Roy said. "He's small but I feel like he doesn't know he's small. He plays hard. I'm curious to see what you can bring to us to.
"He'll play with Clutter and MacLean, and I think that it will be interesting to see if he will play with good energy. Maybe, we will bump him in the lineup."
Puck drop for Game 4 will be at 2 PM.