Even as they continue to win games, the Islanders still have to overcome injuries. Veteran defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Lubomir Visnovsky were placed on the injured reserve. Each have missed recent games with injuries. Boychuk is retroactive to Nov. 27 while Visnovsky is retroactive to Nov. 28.

With each out, the club recalled 20-year old prospect Griffin Reinhart. A former first round pick who played in three games at the start of the season due to injuries, he’s tallied two goals and six assists for eight points with Bridgeport. Travis Hamonic is day-to-day. In their 3-2 overtime win over the Senators, Thomas Hickey scored the winner and had an assist. The Isles visit Ottawa tonight for the back end of a home-and-home.

The injury bug has seen the club also bring up Matt Donovan. A forgotten player, the 24-year old filled in admirably the last two games. With Reinhart joining the blueline, it’ll be interesting to see if they can continue their sturdy play in front of Jaroslav Halak.

Meanwhile, forward Michael Grabner was finally activated. After missing the first 25 games due to recovering from sports hernia surgery, the speedy penalty killer should provide a jolt. A streaky scorer, Grabner gets his share of breakaways due to his defensive acumen. That will bolster the Isles’ depth.