Mathew Barzal, who scored the game-winning goal against Carolina in the New York Islanders’ most recent playoff victory nearly 2 1/2 years ago, won’t play versus the Hurricanes on Thursday in Elmont, N.Y.
But joining his teammates Wednesday afternoon on the ice meant the Islanders can envision a scenario in which Barzal is able to help them end their postseason drought.
The Islanders haven’t played since Saturday afternoon, when they dropped a 4-0 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
Barzal skated with the Islanders for the first time this season Wednesday, when he was joined by two more injured players, left winger Matias Maccelli (lower body) and defenseman Ryan Pulock (upper body). All three players wore red non-contact jerseys.
There is no timetable for a return for Barzal, though both Maccelli and Pulock are expected back this month.
Barzal has been sidelined with left knee inflammation believed to be stemming from a fractured left kneecap he sustained on Feb. 1, 2025. The center returned to play 81 games last season and led the Islanders with 72 points.
Barzal also has 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 60 playoff games. He scored in double overtime on April 27, 2024, when the Islanders avoided being swept by the Hurricanes in the first round with a 3-2 win. Carolina eliminated New York three nights later with a 6-3 win in Game 5.
The Islanders missed the playoffs by nine points in 2024-25 and by seven points last season. New York is 7-5-2 this season despite scoring just 40 goals.
“We all know how much ‘Barzy’ means to this organization and to the guys in the locker room, so seeing him out there with the boys, even for just a little bit today, was great,” Islanders left winger Anthony Duclair said.
The Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup defense hit a rare speed bump Tuesday when their four-game winning streak ended with a wire-to-wire defeat. It marked the second such loss of the season for Carolina and the first since a 5-2 setback to the Washington Capitals on Oct. 2.
The Hurricanes fell 4-1 to Nashville despite outshooting the Predators 30-20. It was the eighth time this season Carolina has surrendered 20 shots or fewer.
“We’ve got a new day tomorrow — fresh start,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “It’s a long season, but we don’t want to have games build on top of each other like that.”
The four-game winning streak was the second-longest of the season for the Hurricanes, who won seven straight from Oct. 3 through Oct. 17 following a 0-1-1 start.
Carolina leads the NHL with 12 wins and 26 points — tied for the third-most in franchise history through 17 games with the 2024-25 Hurricanes (13-4-0).
The 2021-22 Hurricanes had 29 points (14-2-1) through 17 games while the 2005-06 squad had 27 points (13-3-1) on its way to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.