BREAKING: Mat Barzal Injured; Exits Road Trip Early

When things couldn’t get worse for the New York Islanders, they found a way. The team announced this morning in Buffalo that Mat Barzal departed due to an upper-body injury amid a three-game road trip. There’s currently no timeline, as he will be evaluated when he sees the team’s doctors.

Patrick Roy confirmed to the media on Friday morning in Buffalo that Barzal sustained the injury in Wednesday’s game in Columbus.

Barzal, 27, led the team in scoring last year with 80 points. He’s the face of the team, and now he will be out seemingly more long-term than short-term. Any time a player leaves in the middle of a road trip to get further evaluations, it’s never a good sign.

How Bad is This?

On the scale of bad to nightmare, the first 10 games of this season have swung the pendulum directly toward nightmare. After opening up 2-1-2, Anthony Duclair went down hurt in a win against the Montreal Canadiens. Since Duclair went down, the Islanders have gone 1-4-0 and been shut out twice.

With Barzal joining Duclair on the shelf, things only go from bad to worse. Following the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers’ wins last night, the Islanders now sit in last place in the Eastern Conference.

To sum up, the Islanders entered the year with what some termed their best forward group since Jordan Eberle left for Seattle in the expansion draft. Ten games later, the team is down two top-line wingers, all while having the lowest-scoring offense in the entire NHL.

Who Plays Where?

Pierre Engvall and Oliver Wahlstrom, two players who have not had good seasons, now have to continue playing games, all while the team sputters offensively.

Oh, and they have to play another game tonight. The Islanders, currently losers of three straight, take on the Buffalo Sabres in the Keybank Center tonight at 7 o’clock. The team scored just one goal over the last 160 minutes, which came off Barzal’s stick.

At the morning skate, Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau became the wingers for Bo Horvat. Engvall skated with Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom on line three, while Wahlstrom joined Kyle MacLean and Hudson Fasching on the fourth. The second line remained unchanged.

Alexander Romanov is set to return tonight, as he skated alongside Noah Dobson during the morning skate. That bit of good news gets entirely overshadowed this morning, however. The defense is back to its opening night strength.

From bad to worse, this Islanders’ season is rapidly spinning out of control.

NYI Hockey Now Will Update This Story If More News Becomes Available