Islanders' Mathew Barzal tries to get up to speed during injury-impacted season

SALT LAKE CITY — Mathew Barzal appreciated coach Patrick Roy complimenting his play since his return nearly a month ago from a 21-game absence for an upper-body injury.

And Barzal did enter Saturday night’s game against the Utah Hockey Club — the Islanders’ first-ever visit to the Delta Center to face the relocated Arizona Coyotes to conclude a three-game road trip — with an assist in each of his last four games.

But Barzal is still striving to feel 100%.

“I’d say the last five games I feel almost normal,” he told Newsday. “I didn’t touch the ice for five weeks in an increment of the season where guys are playing 20 games and getting better. So it was a big regression. I was naive thinking that I could take time off like that and come back and be fine. I got humbled quickly.”

The Islanders entered Saturday looking to set a season high with a third straight win. Injuries to top-six forward Anthony Duclair and defenseman Adam Pelech that forced them to miss significant time during the season’s first half have played a role in the Islanders’ inconsistency, but that’s not the sole reason.

Having the slick-skating Barzal at his best is a must if the Islanders are to mount any sort of playoff push.

“Every line he’s been on since he’s been back, they’ve been the best line on our team,” Roy said after Wednesday’s practice in Las Vegas.

According to the NHL’s advanced analytics data, Barzal was leading the Islanders in shot attempts differential at plus-104 while skating five-on-five.

Barzal produced three goals and eight assists in his first 20 games, including one goal and five assists in his first 10 games since rejoining the lineup on Dec. 15. The first eight of those were spent centering Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He’s played on Brock Nelson’s right wing along with Lee on this road trip.

“It makes a huge impact for us,” right wing Kyle Palmieri said of Barzal’s recent play. “How dynamic he is with the puck and the space he creates. The team feeds off that possession and offensive-zone time. Everyone is this locker room will tell you it’s a lot more fun to play in the offensive zone than it is the defensive zone. So he’s been playing great since he came back.”

Barzal had a little extra motivation for Saturday’s game beyond looking to extend the Islanders’ two-game winning streak, which was only the third time they’ve accomplished that this season as they head into a season-high seven-game homestand.

His parents, Mike and Nadia Barzal, flew in from Vancouver. Barzal has pressed them to attend more games.

“It’s always nice having them,” said Barzal, 27. “I told my parents I’m in year eight now and they need to start coming down to more games because I don’t want to be retired one day and them having missed out. My dad’s trying to check all the boxes and get to every road game, so I figured he’d knock this one out.”

Of course, it’s tough to feel like an NHL veteran playing in front of the folks.

“For sure,” Barzal said. “They’re my parents. As I grow, certain people see me a certain way. But they know me as a 5-year-old kid. They’ve been through every step of the way.”

Even with his parents in town, Barzal said he didn’t take time to explore the newest NHL city.

Palmieri, though, said he saw the sights a bit as he visited Salt Lake City, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, for the first time.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “The mountains are a pretty special sight. There’s not too many cities that we get to go to that you see that significant of a mountain range. We got to explore the city a little bit yesterday. It was nice to spend some time here. You can’t really beat those views.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.