After any player goes down, the axiom is so well worn you can almost write it in advance: next man up.
So that made Brock Nelson’s response to Adam Pelech’s injury a little more eyebrow-raising than the norm.
“I think he plays a little bit of a unique style,” Nelson told The Post. “I wouldn’t say it’s maybe replaceable.”
The Islanders, however, will need to try and do their best at least for the time being.
After exiting Thursday’s win over the Capitals in the first period, Pelech was out for Saturday’s game against Carolina.
Coach Lane Lambert officially deemed it a lower-body injury, calling Pelech day-to-day.
The traditional upper-/lower-body designation, however, may fit awkwardly here, since Pelech came off holding his midsection after what appeared to be hip-to-hip contact with Aliaksei Protas.
In any case, if Saturday’s absence portends a longer one, it is about the worst news possible for the Islanders, who depend on Pelech for a heavy dosage of minutes in the toughest situations — against the other team’s top line and on the penalty kill.
“He’s big,” Nelson said. “He plays a lot of important minutes. Shutdown minutes, D-zone minutes, PK minutes. He’s a guy that can kind of shut [people] down — a great stick, a mobile D-man. He’s a guy that’s hard to come by.”
Without Pelech, the Islanders paired Sebastian Aho with Noah Dobson while Samuel Bolduc drew back into the lineup, playing next to Scott Mayfield.
“Dobber, like me, is a little bit more offensive-minded,” Aho said. “I think we complement each other pretty good. We think hockey the same way. But it’s just we both have to be on our toes at all times and kind of take care of our own zone more than anything else.”
Pelech, by some margin, is the Islanders’ best defensive defenseman.
Given that the Isles were already struggling to prevent chances prior to Thursday, the injury does not come at a good time.
They also have a history of struggling without Pelech.
When he was hurt last December, not to return until late January, their record without him was 7-9-5 — helping dig the Islanders a hole they couldn’t completely climb out of took until the final day of the regular season.
“It’s always a difficult hole to overcome with a guy like that who plays important minutes against important players,” Lambert said. “But as we do every other time, we have to step up to the plate and guys are gonna have to fill those minutes.”
Aho and Alexander Romanov, as the lefty defenseman who now make up half the top four, are the players whose minutes are most likely to be raised without Pelech.
When Scott Mayfield missed seven games after blocking a shot off his ankle on opening night, it was Dobson and Ryan Pulock who had no choice but to play more.
Bolduc, who averaged 8:25 a night when filling in for Mayfield, will be in the mix as well.
“They always told me to stay ready,” Bolduc told The Post. “Doesn’t matter if everybody’s healthy. That’s what I’ve been doing so far, it’s what I’m gonna keep doing. Gonna stay ready every time.”
That has been more prescient advice than the Islanders would probably like.
After Pelech went down on the same night Mayfield returned, they have not played a game with a healthy defense group since opening night.
“It’s not the easiest, but that’s part of it,” Mayfield said. “You gotta deal with it.”
Lambert, at least, outright rejected the idea that the Islanders might struggle to fill the hole.
“It’s not gonna coincide with a downturn,” he said. “Thank you.”
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