What happened: Simon Holmstrom, Mat Barzal and head coach Pete DeBoer spoke after the Islanders' win. Barzal had opened up after morning skate, per Newsday's Andrew Gross, about his "dark days" and an unexpectedly long road back from a knee issue.

Why it matters: Barzal said: "It's been about two months since we found something that's been really working." He described the layoff as "so much time off, literally having to rebuild the leg.

What to watch: Barzal's knee remains the storyline to track as the Islanders move through the 2026-27 regular season.