Islanders’ Roy drawing inspiration from Rocky during Barzal’s injury absence
During a bout of adversity, New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy is drawing inspiration from Rocky.
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During a bout of adversity, New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy is drawing inspiration from Rocky.
Asked after Tuesday’s practice how the team managed without star forward Mathew Barzal earlier this season — and how they will do so again now that he’s out once more — Roy referenced the iconic movie.
“Well, I mean, it’s funny because I was watching (the first) Rocky yesterday,” replied the coach. “You know, at the fight, Rocky was bouncing up and down, and Apollo looks at him like, ‘What are you doing? Go down.’ And Rocky refuses to go down. He did not win the fight, but he wins the next one.
“So, you’re gonna say to me, ‘Yeah, it’s a movie,’ but I think we love people that refuse to go down. We love people that want to battle for their dream, people that are gonna fight. So that’s what we’re gonna have to do.”
Roy’s comments come one day after the Islanders announced Barzal would be out indefinitely due to a lower-body injury. He already missed a chunk of time earlier this season after suffering an upper-body injury in late October, which saw him miss 21 games and return in mid-December.
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The Coquitlam, B.C., native has recorded 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in the 30 games he has played this season. He was forced to exit Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after blocking a shot.
When asked Tuesday if the 27-year-old is expected to return by the end of the regular season, Roy told reporters, “That I do not know.”
The Islanders, who recently had their seven-game win streak broken on Sunday by the Florida Panthers, do not currently occupy a playoff spot. They sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division, 11th in the Eastern Conference and 20th in the league overall.
The team is also dealing with several other injuries right now, including Scott Mayfield (lower body), Noah Dobson (lower body), Ryan Pulock (upper body), Mike Reilly (chest) and Semyon Varlamov (lower body).
