Mathew Barzal was in the Islanders’ lineup Saturday in Pittsburgh with no lingering effects from defenseman Mike Matheson’s hit on him two nights earlier.
In fact, Barzal blamed himself for getting shaken up when Matheson was penalized for boarding at 15:27 of the third period in the Islanders’ 4-1 loss on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
"I feel fine," Barzal said. "It was sore for a few minutes after the game. But I got some work done right afterwards, woke up the next morning and felt pretty much back to normal.
"I didn’t put myself in a great spot," Barzal added.