The Islanders announced Friday that star forward Mathew Barzal has left their road trip and has returned to New York to be evaluated for an upper-body injury. The club will announce a return timeframe in the next few days after he meets with doctors.
Things keep shifting from bad to worse for the Isles, who have dropped three straight and are now last in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-5-2 record. However, they do have games in hand on the sixth-place Flyers and seventh-place Penguins, both of whom they trail by one point. Their league-worst 2.10 goals per game is the major culprit of their struggles, though, and Barzal’s absence certainly won’t help.
It had been an underwhelming start to the season for Barzal, now in his ninth season on Long Island, before sustaining the injury. It’s unclear when it occurred – he logged a whopping 22:46 of ice time against the Blue Jackets in Wednesday’s shutout loss. But he’s been limited to two goals and three assists in 10 appearances with a -3 rating, a rate of production that’s been sliced in half from last year’s point-per-game showing. He’s averaging 2.3 shots on goal per game, down from 3.0 last season. His possession numbers are still substantial, even if his partnership with Bo Horvat on the team’s first line hasn’t been gelling after new linemate Anthony Duclair landed on LTIR with a leg injury last week.
Simon Holmström had been a fixture as the top-line left wing alongside Barzal and Horvat since Duclair’s injury. That experiment will end with Barzal out as the Islanders turn to their veterans for more offense. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau will move up from middle-six roles to flank Horvat on the first line tonight against the Sabres, reports Andrew Gross of Newsday. After sitting as a healthy scratch for three straight, Oliver Wahlstrom will re-enter the lineup.
However, the Isles’ injury situation is not all bad. Head coach Patrick Roy told reporters, including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News, that defenseman Alexander Romanov will be a game-time decision but will likely return after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He’ll return to his top-pairing role with Noah Dobson – the duo has controlled 51.4% of expected goals when deployed together this season, per MoneyPuck. Romanov, 24, had two assists in seven games before exiting the lineup.
I must say early on its been the year of injuries in this league.. Crazy Crazy.
Are there more injuries than usual [I suspect no] or is it that only the teams that you follow have more injuries than usual?
Just more proof that Grandpa Lou has destroyed this team. One of his overpaid players gets hurt and there’s no one that can move up and take up the slack. Not that the replacement player is better than the injured player, but let’s move a bottom six player up. There isn’t anyone in the minors that can be brought up. In fact there are several players on this current roster that should be playing in the minors instead of on the major league team. Hint Grandpa Lou…… maybe that’s why this team can’t score goals. But we did sign Matt Martin to a big league contract for the rest of the year. His one or two goals he scores this year will put right over the top. If we’re going to put a semi-minor league team on the ice, then start breaking this team down now. Give guys like Nelson, and Palmieri, and Cizikas, a chance at winning a Cup by trading them. We’re not going to win anything with them. Grandpa Lou should think about the fans that pay good money to see this garbage team he’s assembled. DO SOMETHING BESIDES SIT ON YOUR HANDS!!! GRANDPA LOU HAS GOT TO GO!!!!!
How do you really feel Perreault?
Truthful !!!
Matt Barzal is overrated. Good player, not great – Jordan Eberle with better press. Barzal hangs-on to the puck too long – frustrating player.