1/13/2024 0 Comments Blow up paint booths![]() Simon Holmstrom took Barzal’s place next to Horvat on the first line on Monday, and Arnaud Durandeau made his NHL debut on the third line with Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching. Just gotta go out there and play.” Islanders star Mat Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. So obviously he’s gonna be missed but like I said, we can’t have any excuses for ourselves. “Obviously he’s a huge part of this team and a huge part of this offense and stuff like that. ![]() “I don’t think there’s a good time for somebody to get hurt, but this definitely isn’t one of those times,” Horvat said. Still, the timing could not be worse for the Islanders, who played a pivotal game on Monday against the Penguins and need to start stringing together victories to avoid another disappointing playoff miss. That comes as a relief, particularly after coach Lane Lambert refused to clarify not only Barzal’s status for the rest of the season, but for as far out as next season’s training camp at Monday’s morning skate. The one good piece of news for the Islanders is that they are planning to have Barzal back before the end of this season. Barzal went back on the ice during a TV timeout to test things out, then spent the rest of the game in the locker room. Suffice to say, that plan is up in smoke after a seemingly innocuous hit from Craig Smith knocked Barzal out of Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Bruins just 6:01 into the match. The plan to get into the playoffs was very much predicated on riding the top line and hoping Barzal and Horvat could make up for the scoring issues the Isles had throughout January. In the four games he played before getting hurt, Barzal averaged 22:26, including a season-high 25:50 in a shootout loss to the Senators last week. Barzal is also a staple of the top power-play unit and can eat up minutes reliably. Barzal’s 51 points are second only to Brock Nelson on the team and he had been rapidly developing a 1-2 punch with the newly acquired Bo Horvat on the top line. #isles /pLvI0h3Hy2- Beerly Hockey FebruThe Islanders’ Mat Barzal was hurt during a collision with the Bruins’ Craig Smith on Saturday. The 25-year-old was hurt Saturday during a knee-on-knee collision as he was drove into the boards by Boston Bruins forward Craig Smith. Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely due to what the New York Islanders are calling a lower-body injury, the club announced Monday. Having him out, it’s a big loss for right now in the interim and we’ve gotta find a way to fill those shoes.” “The way he handles the puck and possesses it, it’s a huge factor in our team’s success. “Barzy’s a dynamic player, one that can change the projection of a game pretty quickly,” Isles captain Anders Lee said. ![]() Adding Barzal, their most dynamic offensive player, to the mix was the last thing the Islanders could afford. The Islanders were already dealing with injuries to Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Josh Bailey, both of whom missed the trip to Boston and Pittsburgh. With just 22 games left for the Islanders, and six teams separated by three points in the wild-card standings entering Monday, being without Barzal for any period of time - let alone a potentially extended absence - is an utter calamity. PITTSBURGH - The Islanders’ playoff hopes took a disastrous blow on Monday morning with the news that Mathew Barzal is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. This rule change would spice up NHL trade deadline Islanders’ last week to prove they’re worthy of trade deadline help Islanders cruise to convincing win before trade deadline Ex-Islanders coach taking over as Predators GM
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |