The New York Islanders announced forward Mat Barzal has returned to Long Island and will miss tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has five points (two goals and three assists) in 10 games this season. He tallied nearly 23 minutes of ice time in the Islanders’ most recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 30.
#Isles Injury Update: Mat Barzal has returned to Long Island due to an upper body injury. A time frame will be announced after he sees team doctors.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 1, 2024
Barzal is coming off a 23-goal, 80-point campaign in the 2023-24 season. He spent the entirety of the campaign alongside Bo Horvat. While the duo began the 2024-25 season together, an injury to Anthony Duclair has since broken up the line. Barzal has since taken shifts alongside Casey Cizikas, Brock Nelson, Simon Holmstrom, and Maxim Tsyplakov.
Barzal’s injury timeline is unknown. He was a full contributor in each of the Islanders’ back-to-back games earlier this week. If the injury is long-term, the team will be in serious trouble, and a call-up from Bridgeport would be expected, in addition to a potential trade.
The Islanders were shut out against the Blue Jackets and have scored one or fewer goals in five of their past nine games, so losing Barzal will sting. With the injury, Horvat, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri will be expected to carry the offense, and Pierre Engvall, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Simon Holmstrom are expected to be given additional opportunities.
Barzal’s injury is the latest among substantial losses the Islanders have suffered. Duclair sustained a lower-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 19, and Alexander Romanov has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury.
