Mathew Barzal emerged with his New York Islanders teammates for a group photo on Thursday at MetLife Stadium and promptly left the ice as the team began its practice, watching from the bench as a non-participant for the straight day.
After Barzal sat out a grueling practice on Wednesday due to maintenance, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy there wasn’t much concern over the star forward’s status.
With the Islanders’ next game not until Sunday when they face the New York Rangers in the NHL Stadium Series, there is still time for Barzal to recover from whatever is ailing him. However, missing two consecutive days of practice should serve as a red flag.
Barzal played the entirety of the Islanders’ last game, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken, logging 26:15 of ice time. He missed a shot in the shootout that would’ve kept the Islanders alive.
Hudson Fasching filled in Barzal’s spot on the Islanders’ top line during line rushes on Thursday, marking his first appearance with the team since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 25 against the Montreal Canadiens.
After missing the final 24 games of the regular season last year with a lower-body injury, Barzal has played in every game for the Islanders this season.
Sitting out the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, the Islanders cannot afford to carry on without Barzal, who with 56 points and 15 goals, is on pace for a career season as their leading point scorer.
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