Mathew Barzal Fined For High-Sticking
The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Tony DeAngelo.
The incident in question occurred in the second period of last night’s game, a comeback 4-3 win for the Hurricanes. The play was described at the time by Newsday’s Andrew Gross at the time described as “Barzal swings his stick and hits DeAngelo in the head.” Barzal took a penalty on the play.
While the fine is the maximum allowable under the CBA, it’s unlikely Barzal was truly at risk of being suspended for the play.
Instead, he’ll take a small financial hit and be able to move on to the Islanders’ next game, which is Tuesday when they host the Minnesota Wild. Barzal is one of the Islanders’ most important scorers, and he currently sits tied for third on the team in scoring with eight points in 10 games.
Lower-Body Injury For Adam Pelech
- Defenseman Adam Pelech is dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t play tonight against Carolina, notes Cory Wright of the Islanders’ team site. The 29-year-old left Thursday’s victory over Washington early in the first period. However, Pelech did skate before practice today (but left before the team’s morning skate) which is an encouraging sign for a possible short-term absence. The blueliner has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season with just a single point in nine games while once again logging over 20 minutes a night.
Scott Mayfield Returns To Islanders Lineup
Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune is reporting that Anaheim Ducks forward Alex Killorn was no longer in a non-contact jersey at Ducks practice today after wearing one yesterday. The 34-year-old has yet to suit up for Anaheim after signing an eyebrow-raising four-year $25MM contract in the offseason as a free agent. Killorn spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Killorn suffered a fractured finger in the preseason in a game against the San Jose Sharks that has delayed his debut in Anaheim by a little over a month. The Ducks have high hopes for Killorn who is coming off a career year last season in which he scored 27 goals and 37 assists in 82 games.
In other evening notes:
- Ethan Sears of New York Post Sports is reporting that New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has returned to action tonight against the Washington Capitals. The 31-year-old suffered a lower-body injury on opening night and was deemed a game-time decision earlier today. The Islanders have been without Mayfield for seven games and have missed his physical and defensive presence in their lineup. Islanders seventh defenseman Samuel Bolduc has been filling in for Mayfield but has been averaging a team-low 8:30 of ice time per game.
- TSN’s Chris Johnston of Insider Trading is reporting that former Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is eyeing an NHL return in early to mid-December after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason. Puljujarvi became an unrestricted free agent after he was non-tendered a qualifying offer by the Carolina Hurricanes that followed a trade there late last season by the Oilers. The 25-year-old was once a highly touted prospect after being selected fourth overall but has never lived up to those lofty expectations managing just 51 goals and 63 assists in 334 NHL games.
Scott Mayfield Returns To Practice, Won't Play Monday
- Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield returned to practice today for the first time since sustaining a foot injury early this month, according to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. However, he’s not yet ready to return to game action and will miss an eighth straight game against the Red Wings tonight, instead likely aiming for a return against the Capitals on Thursday. The 6-foot-5 defender, already 30 years old, is beginning a seven-year extension earning him $3.5MM per season. The Islanders are off to a decent 4-2-1 start but have struggled to control play, and their 48.3% expected goals share (per MoneyPuck) ranks 22nd in the league. They’ve yet again received spectacular netminding from Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.
Scott Mayfield Back Skating After Sustaining Foot Injury
- Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is back skating after sustaining a foot injury earlier this month. However, head coach Lane Lambert told Newsday’s Andrew Gross today that he hasn’t joined the team at practice, and there remains no timetable for his return. Mayfield remains on the active roster, although he hasn’t played since logging 16:47, two shots, two hits, and four blocks in the team’s season opener against the Sabres on October 14. 22-year-old Samuel Bolduc has entered the lineup in Mayfield’s stead, although he remains without a point and has a -1 rating in shockingly limited usage, averaging just 8:49 per game. Mayfield, 31, is in the first season of a seven-year, $24.5MM contract extension signed last summer.
Latest On Scott Mayfield
- New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield will miss tonight’s game due to his lower-body injury, according to head coach Lane Lambert. (as relayed by Newsday’s Andrew Gross) Mayfield did skate this morning, something Lambert called a “first step” toward a return to full game action. The Islanders have gotten off to a strong 2-0-0 start, but maintaining that momentum could be more difficult without Mayfield, who is one of the Islanders’ more important defensemen. Mayfield ranked second on the team in time on ice per game last season, skating in 21:01 per night including a team-leading 2:41 logged short-handed.
Scott Mayfield Remains Day-To-Day, Will Not Play Tuesday
- Islanders head coach Lane Lambert told reporters that defenseman Scott Mayfield is officially out for Tuesday’s contest against the Coyotes. The veteran shutdown man is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot late in last Saturday’s win against the Sabres and did not practice yesterday due to swelling in his leg. Lambert confirmed Samuel Bolduc would replace Mayfield in the lineup and make his season debut. The 2019 second-round pick skated in 17 contests with the Islanders last season, recording two goals and an assist.
Metropolitan Notes: Couturier, Lindgren Brothers, Nosek, Mayfield
Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier has been off to a strong start since returning from back injuries that sidelined him for nearly two years, notching an assist and a team-high +3 rating in two contests while averaging over 20 minutes per game. However, he’s hit a hiccup in his re-acclimation to everyday play. He is “banged up” and missed practice today, although head coach John Tortorella did confirm nothing is wrong with his back.
Couturier is locking down the team’s first line with Joel Farabee on his left flank, and youngsters Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster are rotating in on his right. The Flyers likely won’t be sniffing playoff contention this season, but having the 30-year-old Couturier back in action is a huge boost development-wise for a team looking to usher in, quite literally, a new era of orange this season.
Other injury considerations around the Metro this morning:
- Both of the Lindgren brothers are dealing with injuries, starting with New York Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren. He was a late scratch for their loss to Columbus on Saturday, and head coach Peter Laviolette said he’ll once again be a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Coyotes. The 25-year-old logged 19:50 in their season-opening win against Buffalo last week.
- Washington Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren is also questionable, leaving practice this morning. Head coach Spencer Carbery could not confirm Lindgren’s status for tonight’s game against Calgary after he allowed four goals in the team’s season opener against Pittsburgh last Friday. He played in relief of starter Darcy Kuemper, who returns to the team tonight after welcoming a son last week.
- New Jersey Devils forward Tomas Nosek is officially out of the lineup tonight after being absent from practice yesterday. He’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Devils reporter Amanda Stein, and Curtis Lazar is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Florida. Nosek, who’s logged 12:10 per game in two contests, is still looking for his first point as a Devil.
- New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is day-to-day after blocking a shot late in Saturday’s win against Buffalo, says head coach Lane Lambert. Mayfield did not practice today due to swelling in his leg, and his status for Tuesday’s game against the Coyotes is uncertain. He played 16:47 in that contest, and Samuel Bolduc will make his season debut on the third pairing should Mayfield be unavailable.
Wahlstrom Building Up Strength To Return
- Even though he was cleared to play earlier in the summer, forward for the New York Islanders, Oliver Wahlstrom, is still regaining strength in his knee according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Last season, after the knee injury would sideline him for the rest of the season at the end of December, Wahlstrom played in 35 games, scoring seven goals and nine assists.
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New York Islanders Recall Simon Holmstrom
The New York Islanders have recalled forward Simon Holmstrom from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, a team release states Thursday.
New York assigned Holmstrom, 22, to the minors on Monday in order to submit a cap-compliant opening night roster. While most expected he would make the team, he does not need waivers to head to AHL Bridgeport and sending him down was the easiest course of action until the Islanders could make corresponding moves to free up space.
That corresponding move was waiving veteran enforcer Ross Johnston, who was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Johnston, 29, was signed for three more seasons at a $1.1MM cap hit and had registered 283 penalty minutes in 134 NHL contests with the Islanders since joining the team in 2015.
With Johnston off the books, the Islanders now have enough cap space to recall Holmstrom, the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Last season was his first in the NHL, and it wasn’t what anyone hoped. He registered just nine points in 50 contests, and his production also took a major hit in the AHL, notching just five points in 16 games for Bridgeport.
After a strong showing in camp, however, the Islanders are expecting bigger things out of the Swedish winger this season. The team doesn’t kick off their 2023-24 schedule until Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, but Holmstrom is expected to slot in on the team’s top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. It’s quite the opportunity for Holmstrom, who averaged just 11:05 per game last season under head coach Lane Lambert.
Holmstrom is beginning the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a $863.3K cap hit. He will not have arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.