Ahead of their game against the Washington Capitals, New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] head coach Patrick Roy spoke about his lineup plans with Mathew Barzal [https://x.com/stefen_rosner/status/1983945058194694604] returning from a disciplinary scratch and Calum Ritchie [https://x.com/stefen_rosner/status/1984312971510624490]up from Bridgeport. Roy says that Ritchie, who played seven NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche last season before being optioned to juniors, will be on Barzal's wing, with Kyle Palmieri on the other flank. Prior to the game, Barzal addressed his tardiness that led to him being sat. “There’s a set bus time in the morning. And I wasn’t on it," Barzal told local reporters. " I was there for the meetings and everything. But Mathieu, at the start of camp, made it clear that punctuality was a big thing. He wants to set a culture here, as do all the players here. So, unfortunately, I was the first guy to have an alarm clock issue. Yeah.” He said it was definitely the first time, and while he was not pleased not playing, he understood it and doesn't feel like he has to address the room. "There was a ton of dialogue. No hard feelings from both sides. It is what it is," Barzal said. "Like I said, unfortunately, I was the culprit of an alarm-clock issue. It obviously killed me not playing. It’s funny, when I was younger, when I was 8-10 years old, if I did something wrong, my dad wouldn’t take away my Xbox or PS4. He wouldn’t let me shoot pucks in the garage. Not playing yesterday was super tough. It is what it is. We move on and have a good one tonight. "The best thing about Patrick and Mathieu and management that I’ve had here for my whole career is you wake up the next day and you come to work. You do what you’re expected to do. No carryover from anybody.” Ritchie also spoke pregame, and after his flight to Raleigh was cancelled on Thursday, he hopped on an 8:30 flight and is ready to go. “It’s been insane the last couple of days. Really looking forward to it," Ritchie said. "I know my family’s super excited. They couldn’t be here. Now they’re watching back home, so it’s really exciting.” “It was pretty crazy. I was on the ice in Bridgeport. I was ready to pack up and leave to go to Wilkes-Barre, to play on the road. And I got told to get off the ice, pack up my stuff, and go to the airport. So did that, and then a lot of delays, a lot of cancellations yesterday with the weather. I was disappointed yesterday, but I’m glad I was able to make it today.” Ritchie said that the flight delays were "pretty painful." As mentioned, Friday night will not be Ritchie's NHL debut, but getting back to the NHL after a long summer of hard work and dedication, along with a short stint in the AHL, means a lot. "I’m so excited. Obviously, since I’ve been here, it’s been incredible," Ritchie said, as someone who took part in development camp back in July, rookie camp, and training camp in early September. "Since being sent back, we’ve been trying to work on all the things we need to get back to this level. At the NHL level, it’s a dream. I’m really excited to play for the Islanders tonight and put on that jersey for the first time in a regular season game.” The Islanders battle the Capitals at 7 PM ET on MSGSN.
