New York Islanders’ Mat Barzal out indefinitely with lower-body injury

The New York Islanders have announced that center Mat Barzal will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

Barzal suffered the injury early in the first period of Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins when Craig Smith hit Barzal into the boards. While not a particularly rough hit, it was the angle at which Barzal hit the boards that did a lot of the damage, and he went to the room shortly after.

It was just Barzal’s third shift of the game, logging just 1:32 of ice time before he left. The Islanders would go on to lose that game 6-2, with the score already 1-0 for the Bruins when Barzal exited.

It’s a big blow to the Islanders, as Barzal is having a bounce back season with 14 goals, 37 assists, and 51 points in 58 games. That includes eight points in seven games since the Islanders acquired Bo Horvat and he joined Barzal’s line with Anders Lee (technically six games since Barzal barely played against the Bruins).

With Barzal out, it looks like Arnaud Durandeau will slot into the lineup and make his NHL debut in Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has 13 goals, 20 assists, and 33 points in 48 games for the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL.

Simon Holmstrom will also be a beneficiary of the injury, as he will slot onto the top line alongside Horvat and Lee. Holmstrom has just three goals, one assist, and four points in 31 games with the Islanders this season.

Barzal was the 16th overall selection for the Islanders in 2015, and is currently in his seventh season with the Islanders in the NHL. He’s in the final year of a three-year contract with a $7 million cap hit, with an eight-year extension with a $9.15 million cap hit set to kick in next season.

Barzal’s injury will make the Islanders path to the Stanley Cup playoffs even tougher, as their current skid of four losses in their last five games has already put them in murky waters. They currently sit in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-24-7 record, and currently hold the final wild card spot, but out of the six teams competing for those final two spots, they’re tied with the Florida Panthers for the fewest games remaining on the season.