As the Islanders began to make their way onto the ice for practice Friday morning at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, they did so knowing that their first round opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs would be the Carolina Hurricanes.
They also knew that when they took that ice, their franchise player would be with them.
‘It felt great,” said forward Mat Barzal, who practiced with the Islanders for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on February 18th.
After missing 23 games, Barzal is back.
“It felt awesome,” said Barzal. “Mentally and physically felt good. It’s been a while. The boys did a heck of a job. They played inspiring hockey. I’m just coming back now to jump on the train and continue what these guys have done the last 20 games.”
And after practice, Barzal said he expects to play in Game 1 on Monday night in Carolina.
“Yeah, that’s the plan right now,” said Barzal. “I felt good today so I’m excited.”
The excitement was shared throughout the team, especially by forward Bo Horvat, who had developed some quick chemistry with Barzal immediately after he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks.
“We had some good games before I went out,” said Barzal. “We were finding it and I felt like the chemistry was there.”
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Barzal returns to the Islanders' top line with Horvat and Captain Anders Lee.
“(Mat is) a big part of this team and a big part of this team for a lot of reasons,” said Horvat. “His skill and his speed and his ability to make plays is going to be big for us. We’ve missed him.”
And Barzal certainly missed playing.
In his absence, the Islanders completed a push for the playoffs, and while Barzal enjoyed the results and the punching of the ticket to the post-season, not being part of it was difficult.
“It sucks watching,” said Barzal. “That’s no secret but what I did watch was some really good hockey, guys working and playing for each other. These guys have been playing playoff hockey for the last 20 games.”
With Barzal back on the ice on Friday, you could sense that there was a different feel around the team, and there was certainly a tangible buzz in the building.
“It was big,” said forward Kyle Palmieri. “It’s nice to see him out there practicing with us. He’s been skating on his own for the last couple of days and it’s a nice spark for our group.”
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While the Islanders did enough to earn a trip to the playoffs, there is certainly some room for improvement as they get set to face the Hurricanes.
This is no breaking news, but the power play could sure use some improvement, and the hope is that the return of Barzal could be the missing ingredient.
“We think that he can help our power play for sure,” said Head Coach Lane Lambert. “That’s a boost right off the hop because we’re going to need the power play in playoffs. Before he was injured, I thought him and Bo were playing well together. Add him and Bo and Anders in there…that becomes a pretty dangerous line if you ask me.”
While the fans and the media all wondered if Barzal would return this season, even with the Islanders making the playoffs, the feeling all along from Barzal and everyone around the team was that he would eventually return.
With the Islanders winning games on a regular basis, there was no need to speed up the timetable.
“We always knew that the plan was for me to come back,” said Barzal. “With the boys playing that well, it allowed me to not rush anything. It allowed me to have a clean slate almost and focus on getting 100 percent healthy, and that’s how I feel right now.”
After reaching the NHL’s final four in 2020 and 2021, the Islanders did not make the playoffs last season, their first campaign at their new home UBS Arena.
This season, Barzal and the Islanders look to make another deep post-season run.
“It’s so exciting,” said Barzal. “I can’t tell you how hard last year was not playing in those big games and those big moments. We want to be in the spotlight. We’re excited.”
And so is all of Islanders Country.
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