NYHN Daily: Islanders Lose Barzal to COVID, Flames Shutdown, & More

The New York Islanders looked good early on but reverted back to the brand of hockey they have played the majority of this season, a losing recipe. Despite scoring a late goal with the extra attacker, the Islanders fell to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1. Prior to the game, Mat Barzal tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain in Detroit to quarantine. He will not be back until after Christmas. Anthony Beauvillier needs to build off the recent success of his teammates to turn his season around.

Just when it seemed the New York Islanders COVID-19 woes had been behind them, they got hit with bad news on Tuesday. Mathew Barzal was put into protocol, head coach Barry Trotz revealed on Tuesday morning. Barzal didn’t take part in the morning skate on Tuesday morning prompting reporters to ask about the Isles star’s status for their showdown with the Detroit Red Wings. The loss of Mathew Barzal is a significant setback for an Islanders offense that had just started to get its feet under it. (NYI Hockey Now)

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz decided to bench Anthony Beauvillier on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils following his lack of production this season and a significant mistake in the 4-3 loss to Nashville Predators last Thursday. Although Trotz told the media following practice on Monday that he had not decided if Beauvllier would be in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings tonight, the 24-year old winger was back in the lineup and seemed to respond quite well to the discipline from his head coach. (NYI Hockey Now)

The Boston Bruins did not seem ready to go when the puck dropped for their matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. A 4-1 loss saw Boston netminder Jeremy Swayman struggle allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period, before a softee threw the wickets in the second. David Pastrnak missed the net often, not recording a shot on goal while picking up three giveaways. These talking points and more. (Boston Hockey Now)

The Pittsburgh Penguins are rolling, as they picked up another win, a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. Evan Rodrigues picked up a goal and two assists and Sidney Crosby had three assists. Both players picked up milestones as Pittsburgh won their fifth consecutive game. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

As the Washington Capitals prepare to welcome back Nicklas Backstrom, they face a potential cap crunch, and in turn, a flurry of roster decisions. To make space for No. 19, they’ll have to send some of their prospects, who have been effective for Washington, back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. And so far, Aliaksei Protas has made the case to stick around for a while. (Washington Hockey Now)

The Florida Panthers put together their worst loss of their season, an 8-2 beat down by the Ottawa Senators in Sunrise, Florida. There were very few positives in the loss, one that the club just needs to forget and move on from. The game did however magnify a major issue for Florida, as the power play has become a real concern. Just burn the tape. (Florida Hockey Now)

Alex Nedeljkovic made 33 saves and Michael Rasmussen scored the game-winning goal in the Detroit Red Wings’ 2-1 win against the struggling New York Islanders. Dylan Larkin also scored. The win snapped Detroit’s three-game losing streak. Here are the takeaways from the win. (Detroit Hockey Now)

On Tuesday night, Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs went up against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. After sixty minutes, Toronto was able to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl and win by a score of 5-1. Jack Campbell was great in goal, Matthews scored twice, and Morgan Reilly locked it down defensively. These takeaways and more here. (Toronto Hockey Now)

It’s not getting any easier in Montreal. The Canadiens dropped their seventh consecutive game as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated them 5-2. Jesse Ylonen scored his first NHL goal, Jonathan Drouin played one of his better games of the season but the result was still not the one the club was hoping for. Here are the takeaways from the loss. (Montreal Hockey Now)

The Golden Knights defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Tuesday night. They have now outscored their opponent 11-2 in their last two road games. Max Pacioretty scored two goals, Reilly Smith reached 400 career NHL points, and Robin Lehner stopped 23 of 24 shots. They took care of business against a Boston team that was missing Brad Marchand and Craig Smith, who are in COVID protocol. (Vegas Hockey Now)

Despite beating the New York Rangers 4-2, the Colorado Avalanche saw defenseman Devon Toews test positive earlier in the day and will be out until after Christmas as he deals with COVID-19 symptoms. That’s significant for a lot of reasons, but the impact for the Avalanche is that Toews has been having a tremendous season and he’ll miss at least six games. (Colorado Hockey Now)

The San Jose Sharks were defeated by the Seattle Kraken Tuesday, by a score of 3-1. In the latest Locked On Sharks podcast, the gang discusses the lack of secondary scoring, how the forward lines looked in the loss, and is it time for major shake-ups? Catch all this and more in the latest episode. (San Jose Hockey Now)

Call it a comeback. The Vancouver Canucks never gave up as they were trailing 3-1 after two periods of play. They scored three unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 4-3, as they picked up their fifth consecutive win. Head coach Bruce Boudreau has yet to lose since being hired following the house cleaning in Vancouver. (Vancouver Hockey Now)

The Calgary Flames are the latest team to be dealt a hard blow from the COVID-19 virus. Nearly half off their active NHL roster is in protocol, as numbers across the league have spiked. Calgary’s games have been postponed until Thursday. Teams like the Bruins, Canucks, and Hurricanes are being hit hard right now. The NHL is going to provide an update on the outbreaks on Wednesday, but as of now, Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving is ready for anything. (Calgary Hockey Now)