New York Islanders Star Mathew Barzal Sidelined by Mysterious Injury with No Set Return Date
Mathew Barzal appears to have suffered some sort of unknown injury, and will now be sidelined from game action as the team awaits further updates on his condition.
The Islanders' top center, Mathew Barzal, will return to Long Island for further evaluation after sustaining an upper-body injury. The news puts the Islanders in a precarious position as they have long relied on him to give their offense a pulse.
Considered one of the more skilled playmakers and puck-carriers up the ice for the team, his absence may also further heighten some of the current team's offensive struggles. The injury to him brings a lot of uncertainty and pressure, considering that the Islanders are a team that needs more consistency on offense.
Since John Tavares' departure from the Islanders to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders have struggled to find a true replacement as a franchise player who could light up their offense. Mat Barzal has, in many ways, filled that void. Drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Barzal has been a central figure for the team since his debut, leading them in scoring for most of his tenure.
He's a player the Islanders rely on to make plays, to get through tight spaces and into the scoring area with the puck. Obviously, losing him for an extended period is going to hurt their offensive flow and game plan.
For seven seasons now, Mat Barzal has been the most consistent force in creating offense for the Islanders, and he has shown both skill and resilience. He's usually been at the forefront of their offense, scoring goals and setting them up when they need it since an impressive 85-point rookie season. He has 447 points in 510 NHL games, which is the kind of production that has made him one of the league's better playmakers. Let's face it, he has been one of the few bright spots in an offense that more often than not has been one of the league's lowest-scoring.
In Mat Barzal's absence, players like Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Brock Nelson will have to elevate their games to fill the offensive void. It is a big ask, however, to ask these veterans to replicate exactly what Barzal brought to the table, especially with the consideration that the Islanders have already struggled to score goals this season.
Just how difficult it has been to generate offense has been evident in that they average just 2.10 goals per game even when Barzal was in the lineup. Without him, the Islanders are going to struggle even further to keep up with the more potent teams and be very vulnerable in the very tough and grittier Metropolitan Division.
But ultimately, the success of the Islanders may come down to how much longer Mat Barzal will be out and how well the team can adapt without him. If he misses substantial time, it could put the Islanders in a very difficult spot, fighting to keep their heads above water in the standings.
There is little question that when he does return, it will give the club a much-needed boost, but until then the offense of the Islanders will have an uphill climb trying to be competitive without their most dynamic player leading the charge.
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