Rangers archrivals get more bad injury news — Mathew Barzal on IR, Scott Mayfield out

NHL: New York Rangers at New York Islanders
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The New York Islanders, who’ve overcome a raft of injuries to win seven straight games, pass the New York Rangers in the standings and move within four points of a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, got some more bad injury news on Monday.

The Isles announced that top-line forward Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury sustained in the final two minutes of the third period during a 3-2 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. They placed him on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon; Anthony Duclair took his place on the top line with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat for their home game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

In addition, defenseman Scott Mayfield left in the second period in the win at Tampa Bay and is listed as day to day, also with a lower-body injury. Neither played Sunday, when New York’s winning streak ended with a 6-3 road loss to the Florida Panthers.

The Islanders (24-21-7) lead the Rangers (25-23-4) by one point. They are four points behind the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, who each have 59 points and own the two wild cards, and one point behind the Boston Bruins and the Lightning.

NHL: New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning
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Barzal, one of the League’s most dynamic skaters and playmakers, has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) and is plus-10 in 30 games this season. He missed 21 games from Nov. 1 to Dec. 12 with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old led the Islanders in assists (57) and points (80) last season, as well as finishing with an NHL career-high 23 goals.

The speedy forward has good career numbers against the Rangers, with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) in 31 games.

Losing him for the second time this season is a massive blow for the Islanders.

Latest injuries to Rangers rival further cloud playoff picture in East

Mayfield, a stay-at-home defenseman and a regular on the penalty kill, has seven points (two goals, five assists) and is plus-14 in 50 games. He also has 71 hits and is third on the Islanders with 87 blocked shots.

The Islanders have been battered by injuries this season, especially on the blue line, where they are now without three regulars.

NHL: New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning
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Noah Dobson, their top offensive defenseman, is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury and won’t return until after play resumes following the 4 Nations Face-off on Feb. 12-20. Ryan Pulock is on injured reserve after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 3-2 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 25. Mike Reilly remains out after he sustained a concussion on Nov. 1 and had a procedure to deal with a heart issue that was uncovered during his recuperation.

Two other regulars on defense, Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov, have missed more than 10 games with injuries. Mayfield had been the only regular who hadn’t missed substantial time.

The salary-cap room from placing Dobson on injured reserve was used to sign former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who was a free agent after returning to North America following a stint in the KHL earlier this season. DeAngelo scored the overtime winner against the Lightning and has quickly become a regular.

The Islanders also traded a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 27 for Scott Perunovich, who has two assists in three games, and claimed defenseman Adam Boqvist on waivers from the Florida Panthers on Friday; he had a goal against the Lightning in his Isles debut the next night.

New York’s top free-agent signing last summer, forward Anthony Duclair, also missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury.

In addition, the Isles are without their regular backup goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, who hasn’t played since Nov. 29 because of a lower-body injury. He stopped skating and facing shots last week, and there’s no date set for his return. They’re also without goalie Marcus Hogberg, who sustained an upper-body injury late in the win against Carolina and had to be replaced before overtime. Jakub Skarek, the organization’s No. 4 goaltender, made his NHL debut against the Panthers on Sunday and made 26 saves in the loss.

John Kreiser covered his first Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and is still going ... More about John Kreiser
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