ELMONT, NY — New York Islanders defenseman Alex Romanov needs surgery on his right shoulder and will miss five to six months, the team confirmed on Sunday before their tilt against the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena.

Romanov suffered the injury in the final minute of Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars when he was dangerously hit into the boards from behind by forward Mikko Rantanen.

"He's not happy," head coach Patrick Roy said of Romanov. "We didn't have the same opinion as the league [on how they viewed the hit] when that happened. But we have to move on. You don't replace a player like him. You hope the guys coming in will fit in."

While Rantanen escaped any punishment from player safety, he was suspended for one game after another vicious boarding penalty on Calgary Flames for

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