Islanders’ Maccelli, Ritchie to miss time with lower-body injuries

The New York Islanders will be without a pair of key forwards for at least a week.

Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters Monday, including Joe Pantorno of amNewYork, that Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie will not play this week as they continue to undergo evaluations for their respective injuries.

Both Maccelli and Ritchie suffered lower-body injuries that forced them out of action in the middle of New York’s 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Ritchie, 21, is a key figure for the Islanders moving forward. New York acquired the Brampton, Ontario native in the trade at the 2025 deadline that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Avalanche, Ritchie posted 30 points in 65 games played last season for the Islanders in his first year in a full-time NHL role.

Prior to this injury, Ritchie had notched two points, a goal and an assist, in eight games of action.

Maccelli, signed by New York general manager Mathieu Darche as an unrestricted free agent this summer, was off to a torrid start to his Islanders tenure. The Finnish forward has six points, two goals and four assists, in his first eight appearances for New York. Maccelli had 39 points in 71 games with the Maple Leafs last season, and prior to 2025-26, he had spent every year of his NHL career with the Arizona/Utah organization.

After holding a Stanley Cup Playoff spot for most of last season before falling out of the picture down the stretch, the Islanders are off to a respectable start to the 2026-27 campaign, their first full season under DeBoer. New York currently occupies fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 4-3-1.

The Islanders will look to win their second game in a row on Tuesday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks at UBS Arena.