The New York Islanders suffered a tough loss to the Boston Bruins over the weekend, but the full cost of that loss hasn't been felt until this morning.
In a devastating update, the Islanders have confirmed that star forward Mathew Barzal will be out "indefinitely" with what the team has only described as a "lower body injury." We don't have any additional details on the nature of the injury just yet, no surprise from a Lou Lamoriello run team, but it's pretty clear to see how Barzal was injured over the weekend.
Early on in the first period of Saturday's game against the Bruins, Barzal was on the receiving end of a hit from Bruins forward Craig Smith. Although Barzal would remain on the ice it was clear that he was feeling the ill effects of that hit, and he would eventually head back to the bench and sit there for a while. Barzal attempted to get back on the ice during a break in the game, but he was clearly favoring his knee while doing so and would eventually leave the game entirely.
Looking at the slow motion replay of the hit, you can see that Barzal's skate appears to go into the boards at an awkward angle, and that would certainly line up with a potential knee injury. Knee injuries are also exactly the kind of thing that can keep a player out long term, so while this is only speculation everything does seem to be pointing to Barzal's knee at this time.
Update: Lane Lambert wasn't willing or simply wasn't able to give clarification even on whether or not this could impact Barzal's training camp for next season.
Update 2: As per Islanders insider Andrew Gross, the Islanders are reporting that they are hopeful that Barzal will return prior to the end of the season.
