Barzal glad to be in better form this time for Islanders entering playoffs

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders are facing the Carolina Hurricanes to begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season, but there are some differences this time around.

The most notable one for the Islanders is the health of Mathew Barzal.

Unlike a year ago, the forward is not shaking off rust following an injury. He’s also coming off his highest-scoring season since 2017-18, when he had 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

In 80 games this season, Barzal had 80 points, including an NHL career-high 23 goals.

“It’s nice to be healthy,” Barzal said Friday leading up to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Carolina on Saturday (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, MSGSN, TBS, BSSO, SNP, SNW, SNE, SN360, TVAS). “Last year, I was coming off the injury. I didn’t have a ton of skates before the playoffs, and I just felt rusty. It [stinks] having to shake off rust in the playoffs. So, it’s nice coming in and feeling good.”

Last season, Barzal sustained a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 18 and missed the final 23 games of the regular season. He returned to the team for its final practice ahead of Game 1 against Carolina.

“I’ve felt pretty good now for a little while,” Barzal said at the time. “I knew this day was going to come. But to actually have it here and be back with the boys and be out there, it just lifts my soul, almost, you know what I mean?”

But Barzal wasn’t able to lift the Islanders in the best-of-7 series. He didn’t look like himself, playing all six games, scoring two goals on 14 shots and finishing with no assists for New York, which scored two goals or fewer in three of the losses.

After the productive regular season he just had, the Islanders, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, will be relying heavily on Barzal against the Hurricanes, the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan.

“I didn’t see him in the playoffs last year,” said New York coach Patrick Roy, who was hired Jan. 20 to replace Lane Lambert. “I didn’t watch those games, but I’m confident he’s going to have a big playoffs. His mindset has been very good, and he’s playing some good hockey. Since we’ve put him with Bo Horvat, they’ve been clicking, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he’s going to play in the playoffs, absolutely.”

Barzal will be appearing in the playoffs for the fifth time in his eight NHL seasons. He was part of the team under then-coach and current Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz that reached the third round in 2020 and 2021. In 55 playoff games, Barzal has 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists).

He'll be facing a Carolina team that looks different than it a year ago. The Hurricanes bolstered their forward group prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 by acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals.

But Barzal said this isn’t quite the same Islanders team, either.

“They’ve got a little bit of a new look with some new guys and whatnot,” Barzal said. “I think as a team we have a little bit of a different style and a new look as well. We’ve definitely played these guys a lot and we’ve had some great battles. My respect to the guys on that side. With how they play, they play a solid, hard game, and I think so do we, so it’s going to be a good matchup.”