Islanders' Tavares week to week with lower-body injury

The New York Islanders' playoff hopes have been dealt a serious blow.

John Tavares is week to week with what the Islanders are calling a lower-body injury, the club announced Saturday.

He suffered the apparent leg ailment in Friday's win over New Jersey when he went down behind the Devils' net and had to be helped off the ice late in the third period.

Newsday's Arthur Staple is reporting it's a hamstring injury.

The Islanders captain played in every game this season before leaving Friday's contest, ranking second on the team with 28 goals and leading the squad with 66 points.

New York sat four points back of the Boston Bruins for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot entering Saturday's action, but both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes were ahead of New York by virtue of points and games in hand.

Tavares' diagnosis is devastating for the Islanders, who resurrected their season after Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano as head coach in January.

Despite Friday's victory, the Islanders have won only four of their last 10 games.