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Barzal Banter at Premier League Lacrosse Game

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New York Islanders, Mathew Barzal, Oliver Wahlstrom

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was an avid lacrosse player growing up, but when it came time to choose between that and hockey, he went the hockey route. Safe to say, the decision turned out alright.

On Friday, Mathew Barzal was back holding a lacrosse stick as he had a catch with Islanders teammate Oliver Wahlstrom during halftime of the Atlas vs. Whipsankes Premier League Lacrosse (PLL) game at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, New York.

Oliver Wahlstrom looked like he played lacrosse back in the day. His T.D. Garden viral goal when he was 11 years old certainly had a lacrosse theme to it.

Alex Day, a digital creator for the company Overtime, caught up with Mat Barzal during the night.

In a three-part interview on Day’s Tik Tok, the conversation went from the Stanley Cup Playoffs to how much of a grind a regular season is.

In an effort to set Barzal up, Day, a known New York Rangers fan, started the interview by asking how hard Barzal was rooting against the Rangers prior to their elimination at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It was a tough one I think for our fan base with the Rangers and Tampa,” Barzal said. “I wasn’t really rooting against or for anybody so…”.

That last statement was followed by a rather big smirk in which Day responded with “Yeah, sure.”

The Stanley Cup playoffs are still going on as the Colorado Avalanche hold a 2-1 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals.

If you want to bet on the finals, but you are not sure which sites to use, check out the New York sports betting apps to see which are available.

As I mentioned Barzal was a lacrosse player in his youth and that was the answer he gave when asked by Day if he had to play another pro sport what would it be.

“I mean lacrosse is showing up pretty good today,” Barzal said. Before he could continue his answer, Day cut him off and asked him if he was about to get an offer sheet from the PLL.

“Maybe next summer,” Barzal said, as he is a restricted free agent come the end of the 2022-23 season.

Yes, for the serious people out there, that was a joke.

The third question was about the grind of an 82-game season. Day asked Barzal how much pain he was in at the end of every season.

For the first time in his six-year career, Mathew Barzal missed time with an injury, as he missed six games from the end of February to early March due to his ankle.

“After our two playoff runs last year, I felt it,” Barzal said. “You know, I had ankle issues, had some things going on, and I’d say just after the season…it’s an 82-game season man. It’s a long year so probably just as much pain as you would expect.”

Is the rivalry between players on the Rangers and Islanders just as big as the rivalry between the fan bases?

“I would say, yeah, absolutely,” Barzal said to Day. “It’s a turf war.”

“It’s New York verse New York and, you know, when they’re coming in, you know, it’s gonna be a big game and fans are going to be excited. (We) want to get that win for fan base so they can have the bragging rights all week.”

The last question Day asked was if Barzal missed The Barn, otherwise know as Nassau Coliseum.

“I mean The Barn’s great. We had a blast in there, but I think what they did with UBS, it’s pristine, it’s nice, it’s modern so we like it as our new home.”

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