Mat Barzal Scratched by Islanders' Patrick Roy After Showing Up Late to Practice

New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal will be scratched for Thursday night's road game against the Carolina Hurricanes after arriving late to a morning skate, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters Thursday (h/t Newsday's Andrew Gross).

"He was late this morning here," Roy said Thursday, per Gross. "So that's the culture of our team and we made the decision to not play him tonight. Barzy doesn't feel good about it but you respect the decision. He understands it. He was really good about it."

Roy added, per Gross: "Absolutely no one here is mad at Barzy. It's just the culture that we put in place. We're a team. We stick together."

Barzal has been skating as the Isles' second-line center in his 10th season with the team. He recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) in his first nine games of the 2025-26 season.

Roy said that the Islanders' lineup had not been solidified as of Thursday afternoon, according to Gross.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman then reported rookie forward Cal Ritchie would draw into the lineup in Barzal's place.

Ritchie, a 2023 first-round pick who is considered the Isles' top forward prospect, made his NHL debut last season with the Colorado Avalanche. He was traded in March and began the 2025-26 season with the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders.

Although he recently sat out three games with a lower-body injury, Ritchie returned to Bridgeport's lineup on Wednesday and recorded an assist in a win over the Hershey Bears.

Slotting in Ritchie on the second line would allow the Islanders to potentially avoid splitting up top center Bo Horvat from what has so far been the team's most dominant line this season.

Horvat, Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heinemen have been on the ice for six Islanders goals, and just one goal against, while skating at 5v5 so far this season, per MoneyPuck.

Sidelining a top producer like Barzal against an Eastern Conference playoff contender that currently ranks fourth in the NHL with 3.67 goals per game is a risky choice for the Islanders, who currently sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with a 4-4-1 record.

Roy could be hoping, however, that Ritchie not only helps the Isles stay competitive during Thursday night's division matchup but also proves he is ready to create some roster competition down the center in Long Island. Any fourth-line combination the Isles have tried with Casey Cizikas in the middle has so far struggled to control play down this early stretch of the season.

Puck drop between the Islanders and Hurricanes is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center.