With stitches above his eye, Brock Nelson discussed his injury, while Matt Martin gave his thoughts on Noel Acciari's hit and their fight

Given how the New York Islanders season has gone regarding upper-body injuries, they were relieved that forward Brock Nelson escaped Tuesday night without a significant injury, as he was on the ice for practice Thursday.

READ MORE:  Brock Nelson Skates at Thursday's Islanders Practice

Nelson was on the receiving end of a questionable hit by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noel Acciari, which was not penalized, forcing Nelson out for the remainder of the game.

Following Thursday's practice, we caught up with Nelson to hear what he had to say about the incident.

"They ran a few tests. Everything was fine," Nelson said. "Timing of it just made more sense to sit and see how I felt and see how yesterday went."

Understandably so, Nelson said that he never went back and watched the hit but gave his honest thought about what he felt at the moment of impact.

"I didn't see the hit. I don't know. I mean, I turned back a bit," Nelson said. "I don't think it was crazily malicious, but I mean, just a bad spot.

"It's part of the game."

Nelson expects to be ready to play Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"Yeah, I hope so. See how I feel tomorrow morning," Nelson said. 

Nelson's teammate Matt Martin, known for throwing the fisticuffs at times, fought Acciari in the third period.

Martin spoke with The Hockey News about the hit and what he thought of Acciari.

"Game happens fast. I do think he (Acciari) is an honest player and a good player. I don't think it was his intent by any means, but it's one of our best players who leave the game," Martin said. 

As for the fight, it was nothing personal.

"It's part of the game. It was nothing personal," Martin said. "I think he's a real honest player that plays the game hard. I've always liked his game for a long time, just an unfortunate hit he obviously felt bad about."

The fight was a rather short one, as Martin eased up after a few punches, knowing he had a clear size advantage (five inches). The referees intervened pretty quickly.  

"You don't want to take advantage of anyone, ever," Martin said. "Like I said, I don't think he's a dirty player or somebody that goes out there looking for that kind of stuff. I don't think it's necessary to hit a guy while he's down.

"I don't think there was intent there, and to his credit, he answered the bell."

With Mathew Barzal out, the Islanders could not afford to lose their leading goal-scorer Nelson, especially with 10 games to go amid a heated race to the postseason. 

"We obviously need him," Martin said. "He's such a big part of our team, one of if not the most important player on our roster, so it would be a big loss if we lost him, especially with some guys out. 

"We're obviously just getting healthy here. So losing a guy would be tough. So we're just fortunate that he's alright, and couple stitches...looks good."