"Roy said Barzal was late to the rink in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday morning. Roy said the center will be back in the lineup for Friday night's game at the Washington Capitals. "That's the culture of our team. We made the decision to not play him tonight," Roy said before the loss. "Barzy doesn't feel good about it, but you respect the decision. He understands it. He was really good about it.""
"Roy told Barzal that he had been disciplined for the same issue while playing for the Avalanche during his Hall of Fame NHL career. "It's not a big deal here. It happens. We know that," Roy said. "No one here is mad at Barzy. It's just the culture we put in place. We're a team. We stick together. Compassion is a very important thing.""
Mathew Barzal did not play in the Islanders' 5-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes because he arrived late to the rink and was disciplined. Coach Patrick Roy said Barzal understands the decision, will return to the lineup for Friday's game at Washington, and stressed the team culture and compassion behind the move. Barzal had been slated to play with Anthony Duclair and Kyle Palmieri. Roy noted a similar disciplinary incident earlier in Barzal's career with the Avalanche. Barzal, 28, is in the third season of an eight-year, $73.2 million extension and has two goals and six assists in nine games this season.
Read at ESPN.com
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