The New York Islanders recently visited Capital One Arena, handing the Washington Capitals a 3-1 loss on Halloween. The win was capped off by Mathew Barzal’s empty-net goal with 1:16 remaining in regulation. And the tally may have been motivated by revenge for an earlier prank.

Before the Islanders arrived in DC, they played the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina, the night before. Barzal did not feature in the game, as he was punished by head coach Patrick Roy after being late to the morning skate, an incident that a Capitals player reportedly made sure Barzal was reminded of when he arrived in the nation’s capital.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the antics in his most recent 32 Thoughts column.

“Something I’d laugh at if it happened to me: When the Islanders visited Washington last week, someone with the Capitals who is friendly with Mathew Barzal jokingly had an alarm clock placed in his dressing room stall,” Friedman wrote. “The talented forward missed the previous night’s game in Carolina because he was late for the morning skate. We learn our lessons, take our lumps and move on.”

While Friedman did not specifically name the culprit, the list of possible suspects is short. Only four members of the Capitals’ current roster have been teammates with Barzal either in the NHL or with the Canadian national team.

Anthony Beauvillier – 2014-15 U18 Canada, 2015 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, 2016 U20 World Juniors, and seven NHL seasons together with the Islanders
Pierre-Luc Dubois – 2014-15 U18 Canada, 2017 U20 World Juniors, 2018 World Championship, and 2022 World Championship
Dylan Strome – 2015 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, 2016 U20 World Juniors, and 2017 U20 World Juniors
Logan Thompson – 2022 World Championship

Beauvillier quickly became the leading suspect due to his and Barzal’s long spell together on the Islanders, and The Elmonters’ Stefen Rosner later confirmed his involvement.

“Yeah, it was Beau,” Barzal told Rosner.

Barzal and Beauvillier have been friends for 13 years, since they first met at the 2012 Allstate All-Canadiens Mentorship Camp in Mississauga, Ontario. When they linked up again for national team duties in 2014, the two were paired as roommates by Team Canada, further strengthening their bond.

A year later, they were reunited once more as the Islanders used two first-round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft to select the two. They then played together for parts of seven seasons on Long Island before Beauvillier was traded to the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022-23 campaign.

Beauvillier has since played for four more NHL teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and now the Capitals. His now two-season stint with the Caps is the first time he’s stuck with a team over an offseason since he made the move to Vancouver from the Islanders.

Barzal has stuck with the Islanders his entire NHL career, twice hitting the 80-point mark in a single season for the club. The healthy scratch was his only game he’s missed this season for New York, something that shouldn’t be able to happen again now that Beauvillier has supplied him with all the tools necessary to get to the rink on time.