The Islanders may be getting closer to a boost from the injury list, and the signs came during today’s gameday skate. According to Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News, center Mathew Barzal and winger Matias Maccelli were both full participants and had no contact restrictions. Neither will play tonight, but both are moving in the right direction.
Barzal still hasn’t appeared this season as he continues to work back from lingering knee trouble. Maccelli has been sidelined for nearly three weeks with a lower-body issue, even after opening his season well with six points in eight games before the injury.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan, Friday brought a rough night for the Blue Jackets on multiple fronts. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported that center Sean Monahan and winger Dmitri Voronkov both left early because of injuries, Monahan with a lower-body issue and Voronkov with an upper-body problem. There was no postgame update on either player.
Monahan has had a quiet start to the year, with just one goal and five assists in 16 games. Voronkov has already been scratched several times and has been the subject of trade speculation, so any injury absence would pause that chatter for now.
In Carolina, defenseman Alexander Nikishin is expected to make his season debut tonight, per team reporter Walt Ruff. Nikishin signed a one-year, $3MM deal a couple of weeks ago after the trade and long-term contract he wanted didn’t come together, and he spent time getting his conditioning back up after not being with the team at training camp. He is slated to skate on the third pairing with Shayne Gostisbehere.
Ruff also noted that Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal was on the ice for today’s morning skate as an extra forward. Staal has missed the last dozen games with a calf injury. Through his first six games this season, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner had not recorded a point, but he was still bringing his usual edge with more than three hits per game and winning nearly 56% of his faceoffs.
In Other News...
Islanders Attendance Slide Sends A Bigger Message About This Team
A quieter building has become part of the early-season story on Long Island, and it says something beyond just the numbers on the turnstiles. Through the first stretch of home games, the Islanders have not given fans many new reasons to show up in bigger waves, even with a few names on the roster who can still draw interest. The concern, as Arthur Staple points out, is less about one rough week than about a franchise that has not clearly defined where it is headed.
For a fan base that wants a team worth investing in, the current mood feels familiar in the wrong way. The Islanders do have pieces that can still matter, including Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin, but promising talent alone does not always fill the seats if the larger picture is hazy. Until the organization gives the market a clearer sense of direction, the attendance dip looks like more than a temporary lull. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders May Finally Get The Speed Boost Their Top Six Needs
The Islanders top six may soon get a needed jolt of pace, with Mathew Barzal and Matias Maccelli making visible progress at practice. Both forwards have moved out of non-contact jerseys and into regular warm-up gear, a small but meaningful sign that they are getting closer to returning from injury as New York looks to sharpen its attack.
Ryan Pulock is still working back in a non-contact jersey from an upper-body injury, so the blue line remains a separate question. For now, the Islanders are hoping all three players can be available for the upcoming three-game road trip to California, though each will still need to clear further medical evaluation before anything is settled. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Resilience Is Being Tested In A Way Fans Know Too Well
The Islanders have spent the early part of the season living on the edge of the playoff picture, and the fact that they are still hanging around it says something about how well they have weathered a rough stretch. A 7-6-2 start is hardly comfortable, but it looks sturdier when measured against the injuries that have already thinned out the lineup and forced others into bigger roles. Head coach Peter DeBoer has pointed to the teams effort and structure as the reason it has stayed afloat, with players stepping up to keep the group competitive.
Still, the latest week offered a reminder of how fragile that balance can be. Consecutive losses to the Oilers and Hurricanes pushed the Islanders down in the leagues power rankings, and the margin for error is getting smaller as the schedule wears on. With key contributors already unavailable, the challenge now is not just surviving the next few games, but doing so without letting the season drift away from the identity that has kept them in the hunt so far. [Read more 🡒]