The Silver Lining To An Otherwise Forgettable Preseason Game -- The Islanders Have A First Line That Dazzles
New York, NY—The New York Islanders' third-period debacle — blowing a 4-1 lead before falling 6-4 to the cross-town rival New York Rangers — will garner the headlines on Tuesday morning.
But it being preseason, it’s important to look at the positives.
And the biggest positive of the night for Patrick Roy’s club was the performance of their new-look top line.
The threesome of Anthony Duclair, Bo Horvat, and Mathew Barzal went to work from the opening shift, with each player finding the scoreboard in the 6-4 loss.
Barzal netted two goals, Horvat added a goal, and Duclair recorded two assists.
According to Natural Statrick, when the trio was on the ice — Horvat’s goal came with Matt Martin and Barzal, not Duclair — the Islanders outshot their opponents 7-4, outscoring their opponents 2-0, outchancing them 8-1.
“The top line played very well,” Roy said postgame. “They were very good offensively and defensively. Barzy had a great backcheck. Horvat had a nice goal on the delayed penalty. I’m very happy with the way they played.”
The top line was expected to be legitimate this season, but because of Duclair’s physicality and down-low game, the potential just got a tad higher.
“All you have to do is watch, and you can see how easy Duclair is to play with. He’s always open,” Barzal said. “I thought he was great.”
Even though it was only their first game together, Barzal and his linemates learned quickly about how they have to play to be effective.
“If we're going to be successful as a line, we got to be hard on pucks and we have to forecheck hard,” Barzal said. “I thought Duke did a good job of fore-checking. He’s a bigger guy than I thought he was. He was good with winning battles and getting in the corners, and he's not afraid to hang on to it down there. So, I think that's going to be the key for our line.”
Kyle MacLean, who had a fantastic night for the Islanders, raved about the top guys.
“Those guys were flying out there and looked to have really good chemistry,” MacLean said. “So, yeah, that was good to see.”
The crazy part about their performance against the Rangers is that outside of basic line rush drills and some odd-man rushes, the chemistry between the three seemed as if they had played with one another for years.
Now, we await to see if they can bring their A-game consistently when they get their second game — likely Friday at home against the New Jersey.
SUBSCRIPTION REMINDER:
For $5 a month or $50 for the year, subscribe to “The Elmonters,” and be prepared for every second of the Islanders season on, and off the ice!
We will be running a free trial for the first week of training camp, then most content will go behind a paywall.
The Elmonters newletter will be distributed every morning, Monday-Friday, and plenty more Rapid Rosner emails & alerts when there’s a story to break or a hot topic to discuss.
Top Line All Gain Points, But Islanders Let Game Slip Away, Lose 6-4 To Rangers
New York, NY -- The New York Islanders' new top line dominated in their first showing, but it wasn't enough, falling 6-4 to the cross-town rival New York Rangers after leading 4-1 in the third.
Read the rest at The Hockey News.
More Islanders News
(Click Story to read)…
Islanders Community Events & Calendar:
JOIN THE KIDS CLUB: Click image below for info:
OPENING NIGHT!
Pregame Fan Fest at The Park. Scarf giveaway for all fans presented by UBS. Alumni will make appearances!
Click image below for more ticket info: