The New York Islanders’ 7-2 home loss to the Utah Mammoth on Thursday afternoon was compounded by an apparent lower-body injury to forward Bo Horvat, who did not return after leaving the game in the third period. Head coach Patrick Roy confirmed postgame that there was no immediate update and that Horvat would see a doctor on Friday.
Horvat exited after a collision with Utah defenseman Sean Durzi near the red line. The contact resulted in an awkward fall, and the New York assistant captain left the ice under his own power while favoring his leg. He finished the night without a point, logging 16:43 of ice time. Horvat had recently returned to the lineup after missing five games earlier in December due to a lower-body injury, making Thursday’s incident particularly concerning.
The timing is especially striking, as the 30-year-old center had been named to Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics just one day earlier. While no status update was provided regarding his Olympic availability, Canada’s management has indicated that additional players remain under consideration as injury replacements, provided they continue the required testing protocols.
In 36 games this season, Horvat leads the team with 21 goals and has added 12 assists for 33 points, while posting a plus-4 rating and a 17.2 shooting percentage on 122 shots. In his NHL career, spanning 848 games with the Islanders and Vancouver Canucks, Horvat has recorded 290 goals and 304 assists for 594 points. He entered Thursday’s contest playing in just his fourth game since returning from his previous absence.
The injury overshadowed a game in which New York struggled in multiple areas. The Mammoth erupted for three goals in the second period and four in the third, with Dylan Guenther recording his first NHL hat trick and reaching 20 goals on the season. Nick Schmaltz scored twice, and Mikhail Sergachev got one on the power play. The Islanders' penalty kill allowed two goals on five opportunities, the first time since Dec. 16 that the unit surrendered multiple power-play goals in a game.
Cal Ritchie and Matthew Schaefer scored for New York, with Schaefer’s power-play goal being his 10th of the season and making him the youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach that mark. Though the Islanders jumped out to a strong start with a 10-0 shot lead, they ended up with just two goals, and their offensive woes continued, having scored only 17 goals in the past nine games
New York goaltender David Rittich allowed five goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Marcus Hogberg, who made his season debut in relief. The loss concluded the season series with Utah at one win apiece.
The Islanders will look to regroup as they continue their homestand on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, with all eyes on Horvat’s status.
