Maturing Mathew Barzal Is Having His Smartest Islanders Season
This might not be Barzal's best season in the NHL. However it may be his smartest season he's every had, per No. 13 himself.
EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is flourishing this season. Back healthy after two separate long-term injuries, the latter of the two claiming the rest of his 2024-25 season back on Feb. 1, the 28-year-old looks as dialed in as ever.
Through 64 games this season, Barzal has 18 goals with 42 assists for 60 points. It’s not his best statistical season by any means, recording 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) back in 2017-18, when he won the Calder. His second-best NHL season came in 2023-24 when he recorded 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 80 games.
However, some could argue that Barzal is playing the best hockey of his career right now.
But what does No. 13 think?
Happy Free Friday!
Q: Do you feel like you’re playing the best hockey of your career right now?
Barzal: “I’d say I’m probably playing the smartest hockey of my career. When I was younger, I attacked everything. You watch young guys now, like Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini, and they attack everything. I did that a ton when I first came in. Now it’s more about structure, timing, and knowing where to be on the ice. I don’t know if it’s necessarily the best I’ve played, but it’s definitely the most polished I’ve felt.”
Q: How much has learning the defensive side of the game helped your overall play?
Barzal: “When you’re an offensive player coming out of junior, the hardest thing to learn isn’t the structure — it’s believing that playing good defense actually helps your offense. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. When you’re young, it’s hard to commit to that idea. I remember a junior coach telling us that the more we hit or strip pucks as top players, the more offense we’d create. At the time, we thought it was crazy, but when you get older, you realize there was truth to it. When you commit to the defensive side and play well there, there’s a real sense of satisfaction after a win because you know you played for the team.”
Q: Even if you don’t score, can you still feel satisfied with your game when you contribute defensively?
Barzal: “Yeah, for sure. I don’t judge my game solely on offense. Winning is the biggest thing. Sometimes we’ve already got a few goals on the board, and my job is to play solid defensively. There’s a lot of satisfaction in contributing that way. But obviously, it’s nice when you can score too.”
BONUS:
Q: After the California trip and so much time on the road, what does it mean to get back home and see the building sold out again?
Barzal: “It feels like we’ve been on the road the entire season, so to finally get back home — when we got off the plane from St. Louis, a lot of the boys were pretty happy about that. We really appreciate the fan base. Anytime you have a sellout and good energy in the crowd, it definitely feeds into our game. If I were living here and I were a hockey fan, this is the kind of game I’d want to be at.”
Q: What has it been like having young players like Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie around the room?
Barzal: “I think the timing has been great with them coming in during a season where we’ve had some pretty exciting games, Schaefer playing a huge part in that. Off the ice, Schaefer is just a happy-go-lucky kid who’s obviously amazing at hockey, but he’s just fun to have around. Same with Cal Ritchie. It’s nice having young blood in the room. Everything is so new for them. You see their eyes light up when they go into a new rink or score a goal or get an assist. I’m in my 600th game now, so I’ve done it a little bit before. But watching their excitement — Ritchie celebrating a goal like crazy, Schaefer being fired up no matter who scores — that youthfulness is contagious. It kind of brings you back to when you were young in the league.”
Q: Are they good at handling jokes/chirps?
Barzal: “Yeah, they’re great kids. They don’t have egos at that age, and they shouldn’t. You don’t want to come into the locker room and not be able to take a joke — that’s kind of the code in the NHL. Both of those guys are easygoing and awesome kids.”
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Like the new Lineup hope it clicks! Gotta hand it to Darche he made this team more skilled, tougher, and experienced ! The rest is up to the players, they have a chance to have a run to the playoffs. Also a punchers chance in the playoffs to leverage Sorokin at his very best.