If there’s one thing no Islanders fan wants to see, it’s the team’s young first-line center, Mathew Barzal kneeling on the ice, with his helmet off, and holding his face. But that was the sight late in the third period of Game 5 of the Islanders’ second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers in Toronto.
With 4:47 left in regulation, and the Islanders trailing by two goals, Barzal had taken a stick to the face by Flyers captain Claude Giroux. Thoughts of a comeback were secondary to the health of the Isles’ 23-year-old star at that point.
Somehow, the Islanders did end up scoring two goals to tie the game and force overtime, before eventually losing, 4-3, on a goal by Scott Laughton at 12:20 of the extra session.