The New York Islanders are going to get a bit of a star-power boost to the lineup as the playoffs roll around.
According to Islanders center Mat Barzal, his plan is to return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday.
Barzal has been out of the lineup for the Islanders for the past two months with a lower-body injury. It seemed like a death sentence for the Islanders’ playoff chances considering their lack of scoring talent, but the team managed to grind and secure a playoff spot in the final days, going 14-8-1 without the star forward.
Barzal returns just in time for the Islanders to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. That matchup was decided on Thursday when the Hurricanes not only secured the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with their 6-4 win over the Florida Panthers, but also prevented the Panthers from passing the Islanders for the first wild-card spot.
Barzal was in the midst of another strong year when his regular season got cut short, as he had 14 goals, 37 assists and 51 points in 58 games. He was on pace for 19 goals, 53 assists and 72 points over a full 82 games, which would have been his best totals since his rookie season, when he had 85 points in 82 games.
Based on the Isles lines during practice, it seems like Barzal will return to the top line as the right winger alongside Anders Lee and Bo Horvat. That trio has a 55.98% 5v5 shot attempt share and a 69.64% 5v5 expected goal share in just over 20 minutes of ice time together, not a large enough sample to base a strong opinion off of, but definitely a good indicator to give this line a chance against a Canes team that will be a possession monster.
More must-reads: