Barzal out indefinitely for Islanders with lower-body injury

The forward left New York’s 6-2 loss at the Boston Bruins on Saturday 6:05 into the first period after a hit from Boston forward Craig Smith. Barzal returned to the ice during a stoppage at 7:28 to skate around but returned to the locker room before play resumed.

“It’s clearly a big hole for us in certain areas, but what it means is other guys have to step up to the plate and create some abilities to contribute and make up for what we’re missing with him,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said Monday.

The Islanders (28-24-7) hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers. They play at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW).

“‘Barzy’s’ a dynamic player, one that can change the projection of a game pretty quickly,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “The way he handles the puck and possesses it is a huge factor in our team success. So, having him out is a big loss for right now in the interim. We have to find a way to fill those shoes. We talk about it all the time, but it’s going to be a tough one to fill. We can do it. We’ve got guys. Everyone step up, take a little bit more responsibility.”

Barzal leads the Islanders with 37 assists and is second with 51 points in 58 games this season. He also leads New York with 19 power-play points (four goals, 15 assists). The Islanders control 54.7 percent of all shot attempts at 5-on-5 when Barzal is on the ice.

Selected by the Islanders with the No. 16 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, Barzal has 362 points (105 goals, 257 assists) in 420 games.

New York is also without forwards Josh Bailey and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Each is out with an upper-body injury.

The Islanders recalled forward Arnaud Durandeau from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old could make his NHL debut Monday. He has 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 48 AHL games this season.

Durandeau said “it’s a dream come true” on Monday.

“I’ve been pretty hot lately,” he said. “At the start of the year, wasn’t scoring much. But just shooting the puck more and using my speed (now).”

The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick (No. 165) in the 2017 NHL Draft.