The New York Islanders closed out the month of January with 6 straight wins and they have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL with 8 wins in their last 10 games. The hot streak has allowed the Islanders to gain hope that they have a chance to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, a knee injury suffered by explosive Mathew Barzal may put a dent in those hopes.

Barzal suffered an injury to his knee cap in a Feb. 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning when he blocked a shot late in the third period. Barzal has not played since, and he underwent a procedure on his kneecap Thursday that could keep him out for six weeks, according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun.

The procedure has been described as minor, but any operation around the knee area can be a challenge for an athlete to recover from. If there are no complications and Barzal can make a quick recovery, he could be back sooner than that.

General manager Lou Lamoriello will have to make some key decisions prior to the NHL's March 7 trade deadline. If he believes that Barzal is going to be healthy and competitive when he returns from his injury, Lamoriello may try to bring in some offensive talent to take up the offensive slack while the speedy forward is out of action.

However, if he is not convinced that the Islanders can make a concerted effort to get into the postseason, Lamoriello may be more of a mind to “sell” at the deadline.

Not a typical season for normally explosive Barzal

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Barzal has played in 30 games this season and he has just 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points, although he does have a plus-10 rating.

The 27-year-old center from British Columbia has scored 462 points (134 goals and 328 assists) in 530 games during his 9-year career with the Islanders. He depends on his speed to create and make big plays for a team that has regularly struggled to put the puck in the net. The Islanders have scored just 149 goals this season, and that's the least of any team in the Eastern Conference.

While Barzal is out, the Islanders will have to depend on Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson for the majority of their offense. Lee is the team's leading goal scorer with 22 goals and he has 40 points this season. He is joined by Horvat at the top of the team's scoring leaders with 19 goals and 21 assists.

Palmieri has 35 points while Nelson has 33 points. If the Islanders go into a sell mode, Nelson is likely to be a highly sought after target.