Islanders announce Ilya Sorokin injury just as they get positive Bo Horvat update

There’s a good chance the Islanders will have Bo Horvat back after the holiday break. But they’ll have to suffer through another injury speed bump before then.

The good news on Monday that Horvat returned to practice in a red non-contact jersey was offset slightly with the announcement that Ilya Sorokin will miss Tuesday’s match against the Devils with a “small nagging issue that the team is taking advantage of the holiday break to rest,” the Islanders said in an announcement.

David Rittich, who made 30 saves against the Sabres on Saturday, will start back-to-back games for the first time this season as a result. Marcus Hogberg, who started 15 games for the Islanders last season with an .878 save percentage, was emergency-recalled to act as the backup goaltender on Tuesday.

Ilya Sorokin will miss the next Islanders game. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post

Sorokin, the Islanders said, is expected back after the holiday break when the Isles face the Rangers at UBS Arena.

That also appears to be the target return date for Horvat, who suffered a lower-body injury against Anaheim on Dec. 11. Coach Patrick Roy said Horvat was doubtful for Tuesday’s game, but “things are going the right way.”

“We wish to have them in the lineup, first of all,” Roy told reporters. “But every team goes through these things. That’s why we talk, we want to be immune about those. I feel like we are immune because of what we went through last year. I think everybody understands that. We’re going out there, we play hard.”

Since Horvat went down, the Islanders have lost three of four games. Without their leading scorer, they’ve looked like a wholly different team, struggling to transition the puck or sustain offense for long periods of time.

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Bo Horvat is expected to return after the holiday break. NHLI via Getty Images

The second half of their 3-2 shootout loss in Buffalo on Saturday represented some progress. Getting Horvat back, though, is much more encouraging than anything they did against the Sabres.

“Obviously he’s an X-factor,” Mat Barzal told reporters. “He changes the whole dynamic when he’s out there. On the PK, on the PP, faceoffs, he does so much. We’re happy to have him back on the ice. Hopefully he can get back here soon.”