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Islanders’ Mathew Barzal is rookie of the month

Mathew Barzal mentions Jason Chimera when he talks about how he’s managed to do what he does.

Barzal is 20 years old and full of the type of vigor that comes with being 20 years old. Chimera has played 1,085 games in the NHL without winning a Stanley Cup, and every part of his 38-year-old body has been sacrificed in the attempt to reach his sport’s highest echelon.

Said Barzal of his passion: “I want to get into the playoffs and I want guys like Chimmer and Seids (Dennis Seidenberg, who won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins) — I’m playing for these guys as well; I want to get into the playoffs.