No one expected Casey Cizikas to be back on the ice with the team a few days after blocking a shot off the hand.
No one expected Casey Cizikas to be back on the ice with the team a few days after blocking a shot off the hand.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- When New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy told us Saturday morning that forward Casey Cizikas would take warmups, it was a stunning development.
After the forward took a howitzer off the left hand in their 5-4 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it looked like he'd miss significant time after just returning a handful of games prior after a 10-game absence due to a lower-body injury:
"It was tough to see. He took a high stick that game. He got stitches, and he came back and took that shot. He ran into Holmstrom," Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said.
Like the media, Barzal and his teammates were shocked that Cizikas was back in the lineup after just missing one game.
"I was shocked. I saw him after Tuesday's game, and he had that look on his face where he didn't look like things were too good," Barzal said. "But then, 48 hours later, he was playing.
"That's a testament to him. Honestly, he's a warrior. Like, he will play through anything for the boys. He's truly an Islander, like everything we talk about being. He's a warrior. He's a leader, and he leads by example."