The Islanders returned to practice on Sunday following the holiday break, which was a little longer than scheduled because of the pandemic, and when they hit the ice, they welcomed back forward Mathew Barzal from the COVID-19 protocol list.
Barzal tested positive the morning of December 14 when the Islanders were in Detroit to face the Red Wings, and had to stay in Motown for a while before returning to Long Island.
While he showed the effects of being away for 10 days, it really was No. 13 out there on the ice.
“He certainly looks like Barzy,” joked Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz following Monday’s practice. “He’s got the same height and looks like him and all that.”
Barzal and the Islanders were supposed to the return to action on Monday night in Buffalo, but the NHL delayed the league’s return until Tuesday in order to give teams the opportunity to test all of the players, coaches, and staff, and to give the league a chance to analyze the results.
So, the Islanders are expected to resume their schedule on Wednesday night when, they welcome the Red Wings to UBS Arena.
While the Islanders saw Anthony Beauvillier, Cal Clutterbuck, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Zach Parise enter into COVID-19 protocols upon their return to the facility and subsequent testing, it was a welcome sight for the team to have Barzal back.
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And make no mistake about it: Barzal was thrilled as well.
“Being back on the ice the last two days with the team…my whole emotion and my whole energy has been sparked being back with the boys,” Barzal said during his Zoom meeting with reporters on Monday. “It’s tough being 10 days by yourself isolated. It sucks really. It’s not fun. It’s not easy so I’m thrilled to be back with the boys.”
Barzal certainly felt the after effects after his first practice back on Sunday. He was able to work out on his own while he was in quarantine, but there’s no substitute for the practices and the games that he would have been in, and he also didn’t have his teammates and coaches there to support him and push him.
The fact that it took Barzal an extra day to get back to where he normally would be was not a surprise.
“When you’re off for that length of time, you’re going to hit a wall,” said Trotz. “He was fine but I thought he hit a wall pretty early (Sunday) in practice. (Monday) he was fine.”
“It’s no secret if you miss 10 days you’re going to come back and be feeling the effects a little bit,” added Barzal. “I thought today the legs got a little bit better and just looking to keep improving the next day or two.”
And for Barzal and the Islanders, the hope is that the improvement comes in practice on Tuesday and then in games (hopefully) on Wednesday against Detroit and Thursday against Buffalo.
There are still a number of players missing from the Islanders’ lineup because of COVID-19 and injuries, but they are are more than happy to have Mathew Barzal back to try and help the offense get on track once the games resume.
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