Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Moves to LTIR, out 4-6 weeks
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Barzal (upper body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday, per Andrew Gross of Newsday, and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
Barzal has registered two goals, three assists, nine blocked shots, nine hits and 23 shots on net through 10 appearances this season. With Barzal unavailable for Friday's 4-3 win over Buffalo, Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau joined Bo Horvat on the top line.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Placed on injured reserve
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Barzal (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, according to the NHL media site.
Barzal is off to a slow start, scoring twice and adding three assists in 10 games this campaign. He had the second-best showing of his NHL career in 2023-24, providing 23 goals and 57 assists in 80 regular-season appearances. Barzal met with the Islanders' medical staff Friday, and he will miss at least a week of action following his placement on injured reserve.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Dealing with upper-body injury
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The Islanders announced Friday that Barzal is dealing with an upper-body injury and has returned to Long Island to be evaluated by team doctors.
It's not yet clear how much time Barzal is expected to miss, and a timetable for his return won't be provided until he visits with the team's medical staff. However, he'll at least be sidelined for Friday's game against the Sabres, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for Sunday's matchup against the Rangers. Over his last five appearances, the 27-year-old has tallied a goal, an assist and a minus-4 rating while averaging 20:50 of ice time.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Nets lone goal in loss
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Barzal scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Ducks.
Barzal broke up Lukas Dostal's shutout bid at 5:31 of the third period, but that was the only one of 41 shots for the Islanders to find twine. Head coach Patrick Roy had the lines in a blender all game -- his team's offense has produced one goal or less in four of nine contests now, though they've also scored four or more on four occasions. Barzal is off to a mediocre start with five points, 21 shots on net, nine blocked shots, eight hits and a minus-2 rating, and three of his points have come with the man advantage.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Sets up overtime winner
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Barzal registered an assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Devils.
Barzal found Bo Horvat for the game-winning goal in overtime. The 27-year-old Barzal is up to four points, 16 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through seven contests. His spot on the top line is secure, and his offense should more or less mirror the Islanders' overall production -- they've been inconsistent as a team with three shutout losses so far, which partially explains Barzal's somewhat limited offense.
Barzal scored an empty-net goal in Monday's 6-2 win over the Avalanche.
The Avs were all out on the attack trying to pull one back late in the third period, and Barzal took advantage of that to round out the scoring with an empty-netter just 1:12 left in the game. This was Barzal's first goal of the campaign, and he's notched points in two of his first three appearances, as he aims to build on a 2023-24 campaign in which he reached the 80-point plateau, including a career-high 23 goals, in 80 regular-season games.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Snags helper in loss
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Barzal banked a power-play assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss versus Utah.
Barzal had the secondary assist on Anthony Duclair's first-period power-play marker. Barzal added one shot, one block and a plus-1 rating in 22:46 of ice time. The right-shot forward has had a revolving door of linemates throughout his NHL career, but he should have some stability in that regard with Duclair and Bo Horvat this season. Barzal finished at a point-per-game pace (80 points in 80 games) in 2023-24, and that number should be within reach again in 2024-25 when factoring in his first-line role and spot on the top power-play group.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Spectacular showing vs. NYR
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Barzal notched one goal, four shots and four assists in Friday's 5-2 preseason win over the Rangers.
Barzal showed he's more than ready to start the regular season with his impressive display, as he was involved directly in each of the team's five goals in this rivalry matchup. He set up Bo Horvat (twice), Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov while also blasting a goal of his own in the dying stages of the third period. Barzal is coming off an impressive 2023-24, where he came up just five points shy of tying his career-best mark. He finished with 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) across 80 regular-season appearances before adding two goals and three helpers in five postseason outings.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Snags two helpers in loss
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Barzal notched a pair of assists in a 6-3 Game 5 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Barzal put up decent numbers in the postseason, recording two goals and three assists in five games. Still, it wasn't enough to get the Isles past Carolina. During the regular season, the 26-year-old Barzal averaged a point per game, a scoring rate he hadn't achieved since the 2017-18 campaign when he was a rookie.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Plays hero in Game 4
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Barzal scored two goals, including the game-winner, Saturday in a 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Hurricanes in Game 4.
With the Islanders facing the prospect of getting swept out of the playoffs, Barzal stepped up, beating Frederik Andersen through traffic midway through the second period before getting credit for the game-winner in double overtime when a puck bounced in off Barzal in front. Barzal had managed just one assist through the first three games in the series, and the 26-year-old will likely need to stay hot if New York is going to stay alive beyond Tuesday's Game 5 back in Carolina.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Practicing Friday
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Barzal (rest) was at practice Friday, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday.
Barzal was given the night off Wednesday versus Pittsburgh as the Islanders played in their final game of the regular season. Barzal had 23 goals and 57 assists in 80 games during the regular season. leading the Islanders in scoring. Look for Barzal to play on the top line as well as being the centerpiece of the first power-play unit during the playoffs.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Resting against Pittsburgh
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Barzal (rest) will be a healthy scratch against the Penguins on Wednesday, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.
After scoring 23 goals and 80 points in 80 contests this season, Barzal will get a breather ahead of the playoffs. Oliver Wahlstrom, who was last in the lineup Feb. 24, is projected to serve on the top line versus Pittsburgh due to Barzal's absence.
Barzal notched an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Predators.
Barzal has gone five games without a goal, but he has five assists and 15 shots on net in that span. The 26-year-old continues to offer steady playmaking in a top-line role for the Islanders. He's up to 23 goals, 56 assists, 227 shots on net, 54 hits, 49 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 76 outings overall.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Two helpers in win
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Barzal notched two assists in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
The 26-year-old forward had a hand in Bo Horvat's tally midway through the first period and Noah Dobson's game-winner early in the third. Barzal is having a strong finish to the season, producing three goals and nine points over the last eight games as the Islanders try to secure a playoff spot, and he sits two points short of his second career 80-point campaign.
Barzal scored a goal and added two assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Jets.
All three points came in the second period as the Islanders seized control of the game, and Barzal's tally caused Connor Hellebuyck to get the hook. Barzal snapped a brief slump that had seen him produce only one goal and two points over his prior six games, and he's tied his previous career high with 22 goals this season. The 26-year-old center has 73 points through 69 contests, giving him a shot at the second 80-point campaign of his career.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Dishes pair of helpers
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Barzal registered two assists in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.
Barzal is on a seven-game point streak, racking up three goals and six assists in that span. The 26-year-old forward helped out on tallies by linemates Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat. For the season, Barzal has 68 points (23 on the power play) with 186 shots on net and a plus-5 rating over 62 appearances. He's on track to exceed his career high of 85 points from his rookie year in 2017-18.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Pots goal Thursday
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Barzal scored a goal and went plus-4 in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Sharks.
Barzal extended his point streak to six games (three goals, four assists) with the tally. The 26-year-old hasn't popped off much lately, but he's offered steady scoring contributions while continuing to hold down a top-line role. His last multi-game point drought was in mid-January. Barzal has 20 goals, 66 points, 186 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over 61 appearances this season.
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Consistent excellence
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Barzal had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over Detroit on Thursday.
His sharp angle shot at 13:58 of the third period banked in off Alex Lyon to push the score to 4-3. The goal stood as the winner. Barzal is on a three-game, four-point streak (one goal, three assists). But more impressively, the winger has points in 11 of his last 12 games (six goals, nine assists). It's the kind of consistency that delivers head-to-head success and fills stat lines in standard formats. Barzal has 63 points in 58 games this year, which is the best scoring pace of his career. He put up 85 points in 82 games in his rookie season (2017-18).
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Islanders' Mathew Barzal: Two points in OT win
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Barzal scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.
The 26-year-old found the back of the net in the second period before helping to set up Adam Pelech for the OT winner. Barzal has gotten onto the scoresheet in eight straight games, collecting five goals and 11 points over that stretch. Since the calendar flipped to 2024, he's erupted for 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 19 contests.
Barzal picked up an assist in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Calgary.
The Isles lost, but Barzal extended his scoring streak to five games and seven points (three goals, four assists). And he continues to lead the Isles with 55 points, including 40 assists. Barzal appears to be thriving in new coach Patrick Roy's aggressive defensive system, and he seems still buoyed by an impressive skills performance against his peers at the All-Star Game. His consistency will serve fantasy managers well through the season's end.
