New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert provided a status report ahead of Monday's Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The New York Islanders welcomed Mathew Barzal back to a team practice for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury on Feb. 18.

"I thought he looked good," Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. "I think, probably, maybe just a little bit of timing at times, but I thought he looked good. I thought he skated well, and his legs looked good."

The Hockey News asked Lambert if he believed Barzal would be ready to go for Game 1 on Monday.

"We are," Lambert said. 

Barzal missed the final 23 games of the season but is a critical and potential series-altering addition.

READ MORE: Mathew Barzal Rejoins Islanders at 1st Postseason Practice

As for defenseman Alexander Romanov, who missed the final five games due to an upper-body injury, he has been skating on his own for the last few days.

Lambert shared that Romanov would not be available for Game 1.

That means rookie Samuel Bolduc is likely to stay in the lineup, a youngster that has looked strong at times but had a rough game in the regular-season finale, not taking a shift in the third period. 

THN asked Lambert about the confidence level in Bolduc entering the postseason.

"He's a young guy who's learning, and we always hope that any player who makes mistakes -- and everyone does in every game at some point or another -- rebound from it," Lambert said. "So that's going to be an important thing.

"But if you look at the last game we played in Carolina, I thought he was very good at moving the puck, maybe one of our best guys, so there's a familiarity with that building for him."

The Islanders will likely be practicing Saturday and Sunday before flying to Raleigh, as we will keep you updated ahead of Game 1.