Three Ways To Get Barzal Going, Expectations vs. Reality
The Islanders star forward has yet to record a point at 5-on-5 through eight games.
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Before we get to some changes that can help get Mathew Barzal going, catch up on the latest stories:
ISLANDERS NEWS
After A Hot Start, Islanders Allow Six Straight Florida Panthers Goals To Lose 6-3 - THN
Islanders Alexander Romanov Out vs. Panthers With Upper-Body Injury; Lamoriello Not Worried - THN
Two Islanders Lines Crack NHL’s Top-20 Expected Goals Percentage List; A Frustrating Statistic
With the 2024-25 NHL season almost three weeks old, MoneyPuck.com released their list of the top 20 lines based on Expected Goal Percentages.
What are Expected Goals, and how are they calculated?
This advanced statistic works by grading each shot based on certain metrics, such as shot distance, angle, and quality.
The scale is 0 to 1, with 0 meaning the shot was unlikely to go in, while 1 means the puck should have been in the back of the net.
Two New York Islanders lines cracked the list. Anthony Duclair, Bo Horvat, and Mathew Barzal's top line ranked 10th, and Maxim Tsyplakov, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri's second line ranked 13th.
Expectations aren’t always the reality, and only one of these two lines has made their chances count.
Read more at The Hockey News.
Three Ways To Get Barzal Going
Through eight games this season, New York Islanders start forward Mathew Barzal has four points, with one goal and three assists (all primary).
None of his points have come at 5-on-5, with his goal an empty-net tally against the Colorado Avalanche (6-on-5).
Two of his assists have come on the power play, which is 3-for-26 (11.54%). His other assist came on Bo Horvat’s overtime winner against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Barzal is coming off a point-per-game season with 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 80 games, playing an extremely vital role in the Islanders’ ability to make the playoffs.
There’s no question that if Barzal doesn’t get going, making the playoffs for a third straight season will be a tall task.
Here are three ways the Islanders can get Barzal cooking again: