Islanders’ Matt Martin out for Game 5 against Hurricanes

Patrick Roy might be coming out with a different lineup, with his team facing elimination once again.

The New York Islanders head coach said forward Matt Martin will not be in the lineup for Game 5 of the Metropolitan Division Semifinals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Martin had been suffering from a lower-body injury, which kept him out of the lineup for the Islanders’ 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 4 this past Saturday.

When speaking to the media, Roy told reporters that Martin will travel with the team to Raleigh but did not reveal who would take his spot in the lineup. Ethan Sears of the New York Post said Simon Holmstrom was taking reps on the fourth line during Monday’s practice alongside Kyle MacLean and Cal Clutterbuck. However, Ruslan Ishakov was on the wing of that line in Game 4.

Martin played the first three games of the series, averaging over nine minutes of ice time, and was a minus-one in the Islanders’ 3-1 loss to open the series. The 34-year-old did pick up 14 penalty minutes in New York’s 5-3 loss in Game 2 last Monday.

Ishakov made his playoff debut this past Saturday, playing in just his second NHL game. He played 5:58 across eight shifts. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut on April 17 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, picking up an assist in the Isles’ 5-4 win.

Holmstrom played in the first two games of the series. In Game 1, he was centering Martin and Clutterbuck’s line, registering a shot on goal in 9:37 of ice time. In Game 2, he was bumped up to play alongside Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson, where he played 12:34. In 75 regular-season appearances, Holmstrom scored 15 goals and 25 points, both career highs.

Game 5 in Raleigh is set for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.