Islanders Mathew Barzal Practiced Friday Ahead of Series with Hurricanes

Mathew Barzal returned to practice Friday for the New York Islanders, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports.

Barzal missed the last quarter of the season for the Islanders after suffering a knee injury versus the Boston Bruins on February 18. His return will be a welcome addition to a team that struggles to score goals on a regular basis. Barzal only had 14 goals and 51 points in 58 games, but his presence will open things up for his linemate, Bo Horvat.

The key to this series will likely come down to how well Ilya Sorokin plays in goal for the Islanders. If Sorokin is on top of his game, the Canes could find the going extremely tough, as they have had problems scoring goals due to the season-ending injuries of Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty.

Barzal is expected to play when the Islanders open up their first-round playoff matchup on Monday versus the Carolina Hurricanes. The Isles are -184 (+1.5) on the puck line and +138 on the moneyline. The over/under is 5.5, over (+104), and under (-128). You can find the lines and props for this game and all others on the FanDuel Sportsbook.