RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s a big hole to fill, on the ice and in the locker room.

So the Islanders continued to attempt to make up for the loss of defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who predictably blocked a shot in the second period of Game 4 of the opening round against the Penguins on April 16 and has been out since with a lower-body injury.

But things have gotten even tighter since that sweep of Pittsburgh, and Boychuk’s absence has not helped as the Isles brought a 2-0 deficit in their second-round series against the Hurricanes into Game 3 here Wednesday night.

The first two games of this series back in Brooklyn hardly saw the Islanders play poor hockey, especially defensively. They gave up just three goals, one of them in overtime and the other two in a span of 48 seconds early in the third period in Game 2.

And Thomas Hickey, who drew into the lineup and took Boychuk’s place next to Nick Leddy, has been his regular steady self. Picking up some more of those physical, defensive minutes has also been Scott Mayfield, the hulking 6-foot-5 right-handed shot who is the closest approximation to Boychuk in size and style.

But it hasn’t quite been the same, and at this time of year, the smallest difference can be what causes long playoff runs or an entrance to the offseason.

“Johnny plays extremely hard,” coach Barry Trotz said. “Johnny has that junkyard mentality. Everything he does, he’s doing it hard. He’s taking you out hard, he’s battling in front hard, getting pucks out, he’s finding a way to do that. He’s all-in.

“Scotty has had to pick up some of those minutes. And Hicks has to pick up some of those minutes in terms of role. But Hicks is not as big and physical as [Mayfield] is.”

It’s been a bit of an odd season for the 30-year-old Hickey, who is in the first year of a four-year, $10 million deal. The No. 4-overall selection of the Kings in 2007 started his first season under Trotz as a solid member of the top four. But then he suffered a concussion Dec. 17 in Denver, and missed close to three months.

When he was finally ready to return, rookie Devon Toews had come up from AHL Bridgeport and shown himself more than ready for the big stage. The slick-skating Toews paired with Mayfield in a nice complement of styles, and the way Hickey plays overlapped some of the existing attributes already in the lineup.

But a consummate professional, Hickey stayed ready and now he’s getting his chance. He’s just hoping that he can soften the blow of losing Boychuk.

“Thomas has been poised,” Trotz said. “He’s been exactly what we expect — a good veteran guy that can make some quality plays. He’s highly committed, he blocks shots, he’ll make some exit plays. All those things you expect. Thomas is a pretty steady guy back there.”

With 449 NHL regular-season games under his belt, Hickey is also now the second-most experienced player on the blue line behind Leddy’s 660. Boychuk, meanwhile, is idle at 661. The corps is then filled out with young players who all have high expectations — the pair of 24-year-old’s in Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, along with Toews, 25, and Mayfield, 26.

So much has been asked of them this season, and after years of the organization waiting for their maturation, Trotz has them all playing a very high level.

“We have a couple young defensemen on the back end who have grown leaps and bounds this year,” Trotz said. “That’s really good for our group. These experiences are really good for them.”

But when it comes to winning and comes to trying to get themselves back into this series with the Hurricanes, the void left by Boychuk is undeniable. His expected timeline for the injury was three to four weeks, and three weeks exactly would be May 7, the date set for a possible Game 6 — the first of what could also be a back-to-back, with Game 7 scheduled for May 8.

For now, it’s left to his healthy teammates to try to make it possible that Boychuk’s season isn’t over.