EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — After missing the previous two days of practice ahead of their Stadium Series matchup against the New York Rangers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Islanders star forward Mathew Barzal returned to the ice on Friday morning.
“I feel fine, I feel normal,” Barzal said. “It was something minor. It was really nothing, just being overly cautious.”
Dealing with an undisclosed issue, the Islanders had described his absence as “maintenance,” meaning an official injury designation or even disclosing the impacted area of his body was unnecessary.
The 26-year-old right-winger completed the entirety of Tuesday night’s loss to the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena, including missing the final attempt of the shootout. However, he did disclose that he picked up the minor knock during that game.
“It was minor, super minor,” Barzal said. “If it was anything serious, I wouldn’t have been skating today.”
He watched practice from the stands at Northwell Health Ice Center on Wednesday. He did so again from the bench at MetLife Stadium on Thursday when the Islanders had an opportunity to take in the temporary arena at the center of the NFL venue. He initially took the ice with the team for their official photo but then skated off as his teammates swapped game uniforms for practice jerseys.
Mathew. Barzal watches practice from the bench. #Isles pic.twitter.com/jvcghfppbm
— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) February 15, 2024
“I probably could’ve stated yesterday,” Barzal said. “It hurt me not to be out there. I would’ve loved to have been out there. I was jealous.”
Head coach Patrick Roy minimized the concern on Thursday when he said he was “pretty confident,” that Barzal would be in the lineup for Sunday.
The Stadium Series is just the second time ever that the Islanders are participating in an outdoor game — the first coming at Yankee Stadium 10 years ago, also against the Rangers.
This will be Barzal’s first-ever appearance in an NHL outdoor game. He leads the team with 56 points in 52 games (15 goals, 41 assists).
