Mathew Barzal has returned to Long Island to have an upper-body injury evaluated by the Islanders’ medical staff, the team announced Friday. The Islanders said a timetable for Barzal’s absence would be announced once he was seen by team doctors.
Barzal appeared to suffer the injury in the second period of Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets when he collided with opposing forward Yegor Chinakov. Barzal was hunched over on the bench after the collision but stayed in the game.
The Islanders were already struggling before this news hit, having been shut out Wednesday for the fourth time in the first 10 games of the season. They bring a 3-5-2 record into Friday’s game against the Sabres in Buffalo and have scored a league-low 2.1 goals per game so far this season, with Barzal, their leading scorer last season, sitting on two goals and three assists.
Anthony Duclair, who signed a four-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, has another two to four weeks left for a lower-body injury he suffered on Oct. 19.
What a long-term absence could mean
Barzal is the most dynamic, creative player on a team that sorely lacks both of those qualities. It’s not as if he had the offense humming this season, but if he’s out long-term, this roster looks even more anemic, especially with Duclair still sidelined.
The Islanders are not built to withstand losing any 0ffense from their lineup. Losing their best offensive force — Barzal had 80 points last season, a plateau no Islander has hit since Barzal had 85 points back in 2017-18 — is simply unfathomable at this point. The Islanders need to get going as they enter the weekend last in total points in the Metro Division.
This news, if it’s bad, certainly will make fans feel that 2024-25 is already lost, less than a month in.
There isn’t a top-six forward ready to go in AHL Bridgeport and a trade would only come into play if Barzal is going to miss most or all of the season.
(Photo of Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
