Rangers nemesis is disciplinary scratch for Islanders vs. Hurricanes
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, who has more career points against the New York Rangers than any other team, will pay the price for being late to the team’s morning skate by being a healthy scratch for their game at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
Coach Patrick Roy said the disciplinary move will last only one game and that the speedy center will be back in the lineup when the Islanders visit the Washington Capitals on Friday. Barzal did take part in the morning skate after his late arrival, but Erik Heineman replaced him on the top power-play unit.
“That’s the culture of our team, we made the decision to not play him tonight,” Roy explained. “Barzal doesn’t feel good about it, but he respects and understands 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.”
New general manager Mathieu Darche has said he wants to create a new culture with the Isles. He comes from the Tampa Bay Lightning, where top-line center Brayden Point was scratched for similar reasons last season.
The Rangers likely wouldn’t mind if Barzal were out of the lineup when the Islanders come to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 8. He has 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) in 31 career games against the Blueshirts. That’s nine more points than he has against any other NHL opponent– even though he missed all four games against the Rangers in 2024-25 because of injuries, including a broken kneecap on Feb. 1 that ended his season.
Barzal has two goals and eight points in nine games this season, and averages 21:09 TOI, second among Isles forwards behind Bo Horvat (21:16).
Roy reportedly did not answer whether the policy of scratching a player for being late to the rink is new as of this season.
“I can’t go back to how things were in the past, but I know how things are today,” he said, according to the New York Post. “I think everybody knows now.”
But his next response indicated that changes are being made under Darche, who took over as GM after the Isles decided not to renew the contract of Lou Lamoriello.
“No, it’s not my standard,” he said. “It’s the organization’s standard.”
Injuries limited Barzal to 30 games last season, when he finished with six goals and 20 points. In 539 NHL games, he has 470 points (136 goals, 334 assists). He had one assist on Tuesday, when the Islanders lost 5-2 to the Bruins in Boston.
Barzal is the Islanders’ highest-paid player, according to PuckPedia, carrying a cap hit of $9.15 million through the 2030-31 season.
The 28-year-old center was selected by the Islanders in the first round (No. 16 overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft. He won the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie in 2017-18 but has never reached the 85 points he put up in his first season.
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