EXCLUSIVE: Mathew Barzal & Anders Lee Break Down Islanders’ First Game Under Pete DeBoer
Mathew Barzal & Anders Lee share their takeaways from the Islanders’ first game under Pete DeBoer, detailing early system changes, mindset shifts, and what clicked in the win.
ELMONT, NY — The New York Islanders hit the ice following their 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs today.
I caught up with forwards Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee to get their thoughts on the team’s performance in their first game under head coach Pete Deboer, plus much more.
Happy Free Friday, Part 2:
Q&A: Mathew Barzal
Stefen Rosner: What was the message going into last night, and how do you guys feel like you, you know, responded?
Mathew Barzal: “I felt like we played pretty true to the message. He wanted us to play quickly, and we did. He wanted us to attack the net. He just wanted us to turn pucks up quick. I think that was his biggest thing, and keep our feet moving in the neutral zone when we’re checking and just reloads. And I thought we did a good job in all those areas.”
Stefen Rosner: You came out on fire. I think you guys took three shots in the first 40 seconds. Is that more of a mental thing or an opponent-based thing?
Mathew Barzal: “I think Toronto was on a back-to-back, and we tried to catch them off guard early. They’re out of the playoffs. We know what they have been going through the last 48 hours, and we just tried to jump on them. And we did. I think we had, could have been two, three, four nothing early. I really liked our start.”
Stefen Rosner: Ottawa is in a much different situation than Toronto. I know the structure wasn’t perfect, but I guess what stride did you see your team take, just in terms of the structural play, under DeBoer?
Mathew Barzal: “I think every zone you just saw us on top of guys. You saw us just reloading really hard. And those were some trigger words that he used, just being above guys and backtracking hard, that allowed our D to get up and have a good gap so we can kind of tilt the ice at times, and that’s the kind of language he was speaking yesterday, before the game, and throughout the week. So I thought we did an excellent job. Honestly, I thought everyone was really dialed in. Sometimes, you have a new coach, and that first game is an easy one to play in, because you just want to go get that win for him, especially when we’re at that point in the schedule or in season. So we just have to bring that same intensity.”
Stefen Rosner: One of the things that I saw that DeBoer was working on with you guys was the forward and the neutral zone opening up for the pass rather than sticking out a stick to direct the puck into the offensive zone for dump and chasing, forechecking. I mean, how much of a difference did that make when you can just possess in the Neutral zone the way you did last night?
Mathew Barzal: “Possession through the neutral zone is huge. Obviously, I think it’s okay to dump it in, as long as it’s a smart dump, so you have speed on the puck and support so you can get back. But I think that getting our weak-side defenseman involved, having him join the rush, is going to help our winger push out to thread on a breakaway, so that it pushes their D back, which allows us to come up with a speed advantage with their D-men backing up. So yeah, he’s got some good ideas.”
Stefen Rosner: So obviously, Sorokin has faced a ton of shots this year. But I mean, when you’re able to do what you guys did yesterday, how big is that to take the pressure off him?
Mathew Barzal: “It probably was a tough night for him, honestly. I mean, he just played in Carolina, where he got peppered with about 150 shot attempts, and then last night he only had 12 shots. I think he’s just so good whenever. I think that he should win the Vezina, hands down. No question. Like, he should win the Vezina regardless of whether we’re in the playoffs or not. What he’s done for this team this year has been just insane. He should be in the Hart and Vezina conversations. He should win the Vezina hands down.”
Q&A: Anders Lee
Stefen Rosner: Not everything would be completely fixed in just a couple of practices. But what do you think of how you guys played yesterday, structurally?
Anders Lee: “I think we did our best to execute. I think our work ethic was in the right place. I think we were reloading really well out of the offensive zone, and we turned over a lot of pucks that way. The structure side of things, we’re going to continue to execute. But for a day one, game one, I think we did a pretty good job of doing what we were asked to do.”
Stefen Rosner: What about your line with the addition of Simon Holmstrom?
Anders Lee: “Yeah, we were great. I thought we had a really nice game. We could have walked away with a few. It was just one of those nights where we walked away a little empty, but we were all over it. I’ve played a ton with Homer, played a ton with Bo, and I just like our line a lot, especially in that first game. The production will come, but I think we were right on top of it.”
Stefen Rosner: One of the things that DeBoer pointed out was opening up for passes in the neutral zone. How big a difference is that?
Anders Lee: “That’s part of the mindset, a little bit, part of the verbiage that Pete’s come in and used. It’s not really like reinventing the wheel with what we were doing, but it’s focusing on some different things that are going to allow us to play faster and put ourselves in a better position, whether it’s coming out of a breakout or the other side, either on a forecheck or creating some plays off the offensive side.”
Stefen Rosner: In terms of getting shots early, was that more mindset or execution?
Anders Lee: “I think it was definitely a mindset. We knew Toronto was on a tough back-to-back, had to travel and all that stuff, and we have three, four days of rest, so we understood the task at hand, but I think the way we were playing allowed us to give ourselves the opportunity to shoot, and guys didn’t pass it up.”
Stefen Rosner: You’re focused on your next game. We’ll see how the scoreboard shakes out. What’s it like being in the position you are in right now, just one point back of Philly and playing an opponent who is also in that must-win situation? Like, talk to me about the opportunity that’s here for your team, right now, at home?
Anders Lee: “It’s awesome. Like we’ve been saying, this is the best part of the year, this push, the challenge that we’re in right now. It’s awesome. It’s what you want as a competitor and as a group to respond to what’s going on. And, we've got to take it a day at a time. We took care of our game against Toronto, and it’s no different now. We got to have a big one against Ottawa, and we’ll go from there.”
Stefen Rosner: Did you get a chance to speak with Patrick Roy?
Anders Lee: “I talked to him afterward, and wished him the best, and thanked him for everything. The guys in this room cared a lot about Patty, and Patty cared a lot about us, and we were in this thing the whole time together. We were all pulling the same rope, and things just went the way they went. And we wish nothing but the best for Patty, and he wants us to make the playoffs. Patty said he’s gonna be cheering us on, and has our backs and the whole deal. And that speaks a lot about who he is and how much he cared about this group.”
Stefen Rosner: Not every coach who gets fired would act this way. So, that has to mean something to this group.
Anders Lee: “He’s a good man with high character, and he really put everything he had towards helping us have success and helping us grow as a team and putting us in a position to win. And, I think he can walk away knowing he did everything he could to do that, and walk away with his head held high. I thought he made great strides this year as a coach, and that his mindset and messaging were on par all season. It just worked out the way it did. But I think Patty’s got a great future in this, if he wants to be done.”
I did ask Bo Horvat about making the playoffs for Roy:
“We want to get there, not only for us in this room, but obviously, the work that he put in all season to get us to the spot. We want to do it for him as well.” — Bo Horvat
LATEST NEWS
SCORE PRIORITY PLAYOFF ACCESS
