Islanders’ Mathew Barzal out with upper-body injury; timeline for return unknown

On Friday, the New York Islanders announced forward Mathew Barzal is out with an upper-body injury.

The 27-year-old has left the team in the middle of a road trip to return to Long Island to be evaluated by team doctors. The Islanders say a more definitive time frame will be revealed once Barzal is checked out.

When or how Barzal was injured hasn’t been disclosed. However, in the second period of the Islanders’ game on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Barzal took a hard hit from Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov. Barzal was seen hunched over on the Isles’ bench but was able to continue for the rest of the game.

The Coquitlam, British Columbia native played 22:46 of ice time, registering two shots on goal and a plus/minus of -1 in a 2-0 loss, marking the Islanders’ third consecutive defeat.

In 10 games this season, Barzal has scored two goals and three assists for five points, averaging 21:12 of ice time with a -3 rating.

Barzal hasn’t been immune to the injury bug in his eight-year NHL career. He missed time during the 2022-23 season with various lower-body injuries, limiting him to just 58 games. Barzal bounced back to have a relatively healthy 2023-24 campaign, which saw him register a career-high 23 goals, helping the Islanders finish third in the Metropolitan Division.

Barzal is in the second year of his eight-year contract extension he signed in Oct. 2022. The deal carries a $9.15 million cap hit, with a modified no-trade clause, through the 2030-31 season.

The former Seattle Thunderbird has appeared in 510 NHL games, scoring 130 goals and 317 assists for 447 points. He has also scored 45 points in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff games.