On Thursday, concerns about Matt Barzal’s condition appeared to begin to ease as he emerged from the tunnel for practice at MetLife Stadium.
However, after taking a photo with the rest of the team at center ice, Barzal quickly returned indoors before practice officially began.
So while the Islanders’ biggest superstar appears to be a question mark for the team’s biggest game against the Rangers on Sunday afternoon, coach Patrick Roy downplayed those concerns after practice.
“I’m pretty confident he’ll be in the lineup Sunday,” Roy said. “We are currently undergoing maintenance.”
According to NHL.com, independent media was not allowed on the field at MetLife Stadium, so they couldn’t see the line rush after the team wore jerseys without numbers, but Hudson Fassing He skated in Barzal’s usual spot, to the right of Bo Horvat.
This was Fassing’s first time skating with the team, having missed the past five games with a lower-body injury of his own.
Roy did not say whether Fassing would play Sunday, but unlike Barzal, he was available to talk to reporters about Fassing.
“It feels good to be back on the field,” Fassing said. “I’m glad I was able to finish practice well. I’m excited to be back with the team.”
Given that this was a relatively light practice that amounted to a league-mandated photo opportunity, Barzal’s absence far outweighs his absence from Wednesday’s high-intensity practice at Northwell Health Ice Center. It is worth noting.
After hanging up his skates, Barzal watched Thursday’s game from the Islanders’ bench.
There are still two days until the Islanders are back in action, but any absence at any time would be a serious blow to Barzal given their precarious position in playoff contention.
The only game Barzal missed this season was Dec. 2 against Florida, which the Islanders won while he was out with an illness.
Barzal missed the final 23 games last season after injuring his ankle on a hit by Craig Smith against Boston on Feb. 18, but returned for the first-round playoff loss to the Hurricanes.
He leads the Islanders with 56 points and ranks 10th overall in the league with 41 assists.
Pierre Envall, who had been moved up to the first line before Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Kraken, returned to the second line, with Anders Lee returning to Horvat’s left flank.
