New York Islanders Star Mathew Barzal's Injury Fate Confirmed

The New York Islanders announced some unfortunate news regarding Matthew Barzal's injury fate today.

The New York Islanders are in a tenuous position right now. Through 54 games, the team has 57 points with a 25-22-7 record.

That is good for 5th place in the Metro Division, and they currently sit just four points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Their path to the playoffs from here is still slim, but they certainly have a chance to compete with teams like the Blue Jackets and Red Wings.

Unfortunately though, that path just got a little bit harder with the team's latest announcement.

Veteran forward Matt Barzal underwent a minor knee procedure after blocking a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning last weekend and is expected to be out approximately six weeks.

Luckily for the Islanders, we do have the Four Nations tournament break coming up so the team only has 11 games between now and March 14th.

Barzal is a key part of the Islanders offense, with 20 points in 30 games played this season.

Last year he had 23 goals and 80 points in 80 games.

That being said, Barzal is on many fans' bad side right now after a video of him insulting the fanbase emerged online.

Those fans might be quick to forgive him though if he were able to help carry the team to the playoffs.

With this injury though he will not be able to impact the on-ice results until the middle of next month, which does not leave a lot of time until the end of the season to make some magic happen.

Hopefully the team can tread water in his absence and if their last ten games are any indication, they may very well do so.

The Islanders are one of the hottest teams in the NHL with an 8-2-0 record over their last ten, which is what has propelled them right back into the playoff race.

Whether or not the team can continue to play at that pace remains to be seen, and they have a tough matchup tonight against the Minnesota Wild.

If they can get the two points in that one that would go a long way to aiding their unlikely path to the playoffs this season.

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