Now that Mathew Barzal is back, Islanders hope he builds on Game 1
Mathew Barzal of the Islanders skates against the Bruins at UBS Arena on Jan. 18. Credit: Jim McIsaac
RALEIGH, N.C. — Mathew Barzal returned to the Islanders’ lineup in Game 1. Now, he and the team want the playmaker to build upon his first game action since Feb. 18 to create more scoring chances in Wednesday night’s Game 2 against the Hurricanes at PNC Arena as they trail the first-round series 1-0.
“They bogged down the neutral zone pretty good last night, we really didn’t have much through the neutral zone,” Barzal said on Tuesday at the team’s hotel with both teams getting the day off after the Hurricanes’ 2-1 win in a physical series opener.
“It would be nice to carry the puck a little bit. We know the series is going to be like that. It’s going to be a lot of pucks on the yellow [dasher], a lot of pucks on the boards. It would be nice to possess it a little more. I thought they drove that last night so, hopefully, tomorrow we can gain that back.”
Barzal logged 21:12 with two shots, his best chance coming as linemate Bo Horvat sprung him for a breakaway. Barzal played 5:34 on the first power-play unit as the Islanders went 0-for-4 on the man advantage with only four shots, in effect the difference as the Hurricanes were 2-for-4 on the power play.
The Islanders were outshot 37-25 and outchanced 73-57, though the Hurricanes were outhit 43-39. So the Islanders must maintain — if not improve upon — that physicality in Game 2 while being more consistent in getting pucks deep in the Hurricanes’ zone and getting to their forecheck.
Barzal’s skating, which should improve as he gets more game action, will be an integral part of the Islanders achieving those goals.
“I actually felt better than I thought I was going to feel,” said Barzal, who missed the final 23 games of the regular season after suffering what was believed to be a knee injury, though the Islanders never publicly specified the issue. “It was a tough game to jump right into, playing those guys in a game where everyone is amped up. As the game went on, I felt a little more comfortable with the puck.”
“Now he’s back into the swing of it,” coach Lane Lambert said. “The first time is over. So I think that will help him timing-wise, speed-wise. And if that helps him, that helps our team.”
Notes & quotes: Lambert did not rule out defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) for Game 2 but added he did not skate on his own on Tuesday. Romanov, who has missed six games and has not practiced with the team, did skate on his own before Game 1 . . . Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour rotated goalies Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen all season and wouldn’t rule out switching to Andersen for Game 2 despite Raanta’s strong 24-save performance in Game 1. “Possibly,” Brind’Amour said. “Raants played really well, but we also know he hasn’t played a ton of games in a row, so we’re going to have to be mindful of that.”
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.
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