Islanders hope offensive leader can play in season opener
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal missed training camp due to a lingering injury, but the club hasn't ruled out him playing in the season's first game.
The New York Islanders are hoping that team offensive leader Mathew Barzal will be able to take the ice as soon as the season's opening game, even though the 29-year-old center was forced to skip training camp after aggravating a previous injury.
Barzal finished last season as the team's top scorer, recording 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists) in 81 games. It marked the sixth time in his nine-season career that he led the Islanders in scoring, with two additional seasons where he finished second on the team. The only season he fell outside the league's Top 20 scorers came amid a serious injury that limited him to just 30 games.
Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche predicted in mid-September that Barzal would be unable to practice for roughly two weeks. Despite this, the club has not ruled out the possibility that he could play in the season opener, and he will travel with the team for the road trip.
The Islanders will begin their new season on Wednesday on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose roster includes Latvian defenseman Teodors Bļugers. It will be Toronto's second game of the new season. The earliest Barzal could return to the ice would be Wednesday morning's pre-game skate.
