Anthony Beauvillier noticed his own absence.
He and Islanders’ teammate Mathew Barzal have a long-held routine in pre-game warmups, rapidly passing the puck to each other on the blue line as they skate closer and closer, then slaloming through a row of pucks, Barzal always first, then Beauvillier.
But Barzal skated through the pucks alone with Beauvillier missing nine games because of a lower-body injury. It was Beauvillier’s first lengthy absence in his five NHL seasons, but he was back in the lineup for a second straight game as the Islanders opened a two-game series against the Penguins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.