Mathew Barzal out of Isles' lineup with lower-body injury

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mathew Barzal is no longer injury free in his NHL career.

The Islanders’ top-line center was out of the lineup as they continued a five-game road trip on Sunday night against the Ducks at Honda Center. Barzal exitied Saturday night’s 5-2 loss to the Kings with a lower-body injury.

It marked the first game Barzal has missed because of injury since joining the Islanders on a full-time basis in 2017. Defenseman Zdeno Chara, who suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday just two days after setting an NHL record for defensemen by playing in his 1,652nd game, also was unavailable.

Coach Barry Trotz said both were day to day without setting a timetable for their return.

So how do the Islanders respond to the – temporary, they hope – loss of their top playmaker? Trotz had finally settled on an effective trio for Barzal with Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri on the wings, though he shuffled his lines during the loss to the Kings and put captain Anders Lee back with Barzal.

Either Brock Nelson or Jean-Gabriel Pageau – or both – will presumably see time on the top line in Barzal’s absence. But Trotz stressed those two did not bear the total responsibility for trying to replace Barzal.

"It falls on every other player on our team, not just those two," Trotz said. "Pageau, he can move up and Zach can play center, or Josh Bailey can play center. We’ve done that in the past. Both of those guys will be up for the task, they’re total team guys."

Barzal went to the ice screaming in pain after his left knee twisted awkwardly during contact with the Kings’ Phillip Danault along the left wall at 11:49 of the second period. He left the ice not putting any weight on his left skate but returned for one shift at 14:46. He fell again as he tried a quick stop and left the ice slowly to return to the Islanders’ room.

Barzal did miss three games from Dec. 14-19 while in COVID-19 protocol and was a healthy scratch for one game last season. Other than that, he has played every game since his rookie season.

Nelson had a four-game goal streak snapped against the Kings but still entered Sunday’s game leading the Islanders with 19 goals and on pace for his first 30-goal season.

"I just think he’s got a lot of confidence," Trotz said. "He’s shooting the puck so well, it’s clean off his stick. I think he’s naturally shooting it rather than trying to aim it. He gets it on his stick and he’s got a really good feel and awareness of where the net is and he’s hitting his spots.

"I think the release has gotten quicker. When you know where the net is, you don’t have to look at the net and he’s gotten to that point where he knows where the net is. Where in the past he’d get it and he’d look up and now he’s trying to place it. He gets the puck and he knows what he’s doing a little quicker."

Pageau, like the Islanders in general, has gone through an up-and-down season with eight goals and eight assists in his first 46 games. But he’s still a strong two-way center and he scored the Islanders’ last goal against the Kings to give him three in seven games.

"He gets a dual responsibility," Trotz said. "His DNA is that he’s hard to play against type of center-iceman. He plays a 200-foot game. I just think he’s elevated his game. He’s shooting the puck and getting it off his stick."

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.