Mathew Barzal Doesn't Travel With Islanders On Their Two-Game Canadian Road Trip

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal didn't travel with the team for their two-game road trip. He'll miss his seventh straight game on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators and his eighth straight game on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Barzal, who is working his way back from left knee inflammation stemming from a previous knee injury, has now been skating on his own for a week. 

The Islanders are 3-3-0 without Barzal, with Cal Ritchie taking over his role at 5-on-5 as the second-line center, while free-agent signing Matias Maccelli has held down the fort on the left half-wall on a thriving top power-play unit. 

Whenever Barzal is ready to be activated from Injured Non-Roster, the Islanders won't have to send anyone down, as they'll likely place injured defenseman Alexander Romanov (torn ACL) on Injured Reserve or Long-Term Injured Reserve.