Winning at home is family affair for Isles' Mathew Barzal
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz directs his players during training camp at Northwell Health Ice Center on Sept. 23. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mathew Barzal lifted the puck over Jaroslav Halak’s glove and, during his goal celebration, the Islanders’ top-line center quickly pointed upward to where his parents and family members were seated.
Barzal grew up in nearby Coquitlam, British Columbia and Wednesday night’s 6-3 win over the Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver marked the first time in nearly two years he’s been able to play in his hometown. His first-period tally also marked his first career goal in seven games against the Canucks.
"It’s exciting," Barzal said. "I think anytime a guy goes home, it’s exciting for the group. We go to Minnesota and we have a bunch of guys from Minnesota. You want to get the win for them. I felt like the boys were trying to play well and get the win here, maybe for me and my family, which is a good feeling as a teammate.
"Seeing my boys in the warmup and seeing my family up in the box, it’s just fun to be out there."
Barzal also had another special moment as Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky conducted a postgame interview with him on the TNT broadcast.
Another milestone
Zach Parise played in his 1,100th NHL regular season game, making him the 18th active player — and fifth U.S.-born player — to reach that mark.
"To be honest, I didn’t know it was until [coach] Barry [Trotz] said something in the pregame," Parise said. "So, it was kind of a surprise to me."
Parise is one of three Islanders to play in all 40 games this season along with Cal Clutterbuck and defenseman Scott Mayfield.
Memories
Wednesday marked the Islanders’ first visit to Vancouver since March 10, 2020 and that 5-4 shootout loss marked their final game before the NHL paused that season two days later in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the Islanders’ seventh straight loss (0-3-4) entering the pause. The NHL resumed play that August with playoff bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton.
Isles files
Casey Cizikas has four goals in his last nine games . . . Defenseman Noah Dobson set a career high with his 12th assist. He already has a career high six goals . . . Brock Nelson’s goal was his team-leading 15th . . . In the second period, defenseman Zdeno Chara, 44, logged a shift that lasted 2:56 and 39-year-old defenseman Andy Greene later had a shift that kept him on the ice for 3:30 . . . The Islanders improved to 5-0-0 on co-owner Jon Ledecky’s birthday.
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.
