Islanders’ Barzal to be a healthy scratch against Hurricanes on Oct. 30

The New York Islanders will be without center Mathew Barzal in their lineup when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, NC, on Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, head coach Patrick Roy announced that Barzal would miss the game due to a late arrival at the rink, but that he would be available for Friday’s matchup at home against the Washington Capitals. 

In addition to Barzal’s exclusion, Roy also confirmed that defenseman Alexander Romanov would return to the lineup. 

“That’s the culture of our team,” Roy said in the New York Post, of scratching Barzal. “We made the decision not to play him tonight. And Barzy’s not happy; he doesn’t feel good about it. He respects the decision; he understands it. He was really good about it.

“Like I said to him, it happened to me when I was in Colorado. Different way, but I missed a practice, missed two games. That’s the culture of our team; we believe in it. But he’s good about it. He’s very good about it.”

Through nine games this season, Barzal has scored two goals and eight points, while averaging 21:09 of ice time each night, trailing only Bo Horvat for the most among the team’s forwards. 

The 28-year-old native of Coquitlam, BC has a team-leading $9.15 million cap hit each season, with a contract set to expire at the end of the 2030-21 campaign. 

Last season, he played just 30 games due to injuries but still amassed six goals and 20 points. In total, he has 136 goals and 470 points through 539 games in his NHL career, having initially been selected 16th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. 

Romanov, who draws into the lineup on the blueline, has played in four games for the Islanders this season and has averaged 18:12 of ice time. He last played on Oct. 23 against the Edmonton Oilers.