Julien Gauthier is out for the New York Islanders. Matt Martin has been activated off Injured Reserve.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The New York Islanders found themselves down a forward in their 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
At the 1:58 mark of the second period, Julien Gauthier left the ice and did not return.
There was no update on his status following the game, but Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said Wednesday evening that Gauthier was day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss the game against the Washington Capitals.
Gauthier didn't get much playing time early in the season, but after hearing his name called for the second leg of a back-to-back, the speedster has been a staple in the lineup, playing in each of the last 13 games on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom.
In 14 games, Gauthier has two goals and three assists.
Lambert said that with Gauthier out, Oliver Wahlstrom will draw back in.
The 23-year-old, who suffered an ACL injury in late Dec. of 22, has played in 17 games this season with two goals and three assists but hasn't played since Dec. 2, serving as an extra for the last eight games.
"Well, look at he hasn't played for a while. He came off an injury which kept him out for seven, eight months, I guess you could say, including the summertime. He's working to find his game. Let's put it that way," Lambert said. "It took him a while to get going, right from the very beginning, so it all kind of factors into the big scheme of things, but he's past that injury now. It's almost a year."
The Islanders need Wahlstrom to be more than just a goal scorer, and Lambert voiced that this evening.
"I think he's trying to develop all aspects of his game. We all know he can shoot the puck. So that's not something that he needs to be out there working on on a daily basis," Lambert said. "It's the other things, the wall plays, body positions, things like that. Certain little individual things that I think he's done a really good job of working on."
Due to the injury to Gauthier and the need to have an extra forward, the Islanders have activated Matt Martin off Injured Reserve.
The 34-year-old hasn't played since Nov. 15 in the Islanders' 4-3 overtime loss against the Vancouver Canucks due to an upper-body injury which has had him on IR twice after suffering a setback on Dec. 2 after the morning skate in Florida.
Other notes: None of the three injured defensemen made the trip.