Adam Pelech latest Isles defenseman to be bitten by injury bug

The Islanders' Adam Pelech defends against the Rangers' J.T. Miller during the second period of a game at Barclays Center on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Islanders handled this past week without Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic pretty well, going 2-0-1 and allowing only four goals. One of the nicer surprises among the defense fill-ins was Adam Pelech, who was especially good against the Rangers on Thursday night.
But the bad injury luck continues to strike. Pelech, who was a late scratch Sunday against the Canucks, is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury — one that could be a long-term situation for the 21-year-old.
Scott Mayfield, who stepped in for Pelech on Sunday and played well, remained with the Islanders as they practiced Monday morning.
The team doesn’t play until back-to-back games against the Senators in Ottawa on Friday and the Flyers at Barclays Center on Saturday, so there still is time to determine the extent of Pelech’s injury and decide whether the Islanders need to bring up another defenseman from Bridgeport.
There was a small bit of good news Monday. Hamonic, who has been out for 10 days with a hairline fracture in his foot, skated before the Islanders’ full practice, as did Boychuk, who has been out for three weeks with a shoulder injury.
Boychuk likely won’t return before next week’s All-Star break, but Hamonic has a chance to be ready by this weekend if his skating continues to progress.
“Our back end, not having a couple guys, thought they played well again,” coach Jack Capuano said after Sunday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Canucks. “We could have won three in a row here.”
Notes & quotes: The NHL’s department of player safety declined to hold a hearing with Mikhail Grabovski, who was given a boarding major and game misconduct in the first period of Sunday’s game for a hit on Canucks captain Henrik Sedin. Sedin left the game and won’t play again until after the All-Star break, having been sent home from Vancouver’s current road trip. The Canucks play the Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
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