Mathew Barzal’s return to the Islanders’ lineup went about as expected Monday night, and — according to Barzal himself — maybe even a little better than that.
“I actually felt better than I thought I was going to feel, to be honest with you,” Barzal said Tuesday regarding theof the first-round playoff series. “I thought my lungs and legs felt all right.”
Rust was apparent in Barzal’s game early on, which was expected, but he seemed to knock if off fairly quickly. Given that they drew a tough matchup against the line of Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast, those numbers — while not overwhelming — are encouraging for their ability to impact the series.“You’ve seen us play Carolina, there’s not a lot of pucks out there,” Lee said. “Not a lot of ice. It’s a tough team to pop into, tough style of hockey. I thought [Barzal] did the best he could and played a good game.
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