Power play is biggest difference for Islanders without Mathew Barzal
Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on February 14, 2023. Credit: Getty Images/Al Bello
Losing top-line playmaker Mathew Barzal and his unique skating and stickhandling skills to injury was inevitably going to alter how the Islanders played.
So far, Barzal’s absence has been felt most on the power play.
Entering Friday night’s game against the Kings at UBS Arena, the Islanders were 0-for-9 on the power play since Barzal exited early in the first period of last Saturday’s 6-2 road loss to the NHL-leading Bruins. Barzal, who has 14 goals and 37 assists in 58 games, is listed as week-to-week with a suspected knee injury.
But for the Islanders to boost their postseason chances as they battle seven teams for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots, they must operate more efficiently on the man advantage without Barzal.
“It’s just getting comfortable,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “Some guys are in different spots. Different plays. But, as a unit, we still have the concepts of what we want to do. We want to move the pucks quick, deliver them to the net. Especially in the break-ins, it’s definitely a little different. We just have to adjust a little bit and come in as a unit of five, rather than the one man [Barzal] and he would pick up his speed.”
Dobson remains the quarterback of the first power-play unit but now has the puck on his stick more near the blue line, controlling play, rather than Barzal working with the puck along the walls or trying to create holes in the penalty kill with his skating.
The right-shooting Kyle Palmieri has taken Barzal’s spot along the left half-wall while the left-shooting Brock Nelson works on the opposite wall, leaving both in good shooting positions for one-timers. Bo Horvat is in the bumper position between the circles while Anders Lee is the net-front presence.
Of course, moving Palmieri to the first unit and having Jean-Gabriel Pageau (injured reserve/upper body) also missing has depleted the second unit. That quintet now consists of defenseman Sebastian Aho running the point, defenseman Ryan Pulock on the left half-wall, Otto Koivula, called up from Bridgeport, on the opposite wall, fellow Bridgeport call-up Arnaud Durandeau in the bumper position and Zach Parise at the net.
That puts even more of an onus on the top unit to resume scoring.
“Special teams, they are so key, not only all year but especially when it comes down to crunch time when you are in those 2-1 or 3-2 games,” Horvat said. “It’s going to help you win hockey games, especially in the playoffs. Hopefully we get there.”
Horvat’s acquisition from the Canucks coincided with a 5-for-13 power-play spurt before Barzal was injured.
“[Barzy] has got tremendous skill over there and he reads plays really well,” Horvat said. “It definitely gives us a different look when you’re used to one thing and it changes. But having Nellie and Palms back on their strong sides gives it a similar look to what it was when Barzy was there.”
If the Islanders can set up in the offensive zone, they have opportunities to pass the puck into a good shooting lane. But the zone entries have been spotty without Barzal, who would usually get a drop pass at the Islanders’ blue line and carry the puck up ice and into the offensive zone.
“It almost simplifies things a little bit,” Lee said. “There might be little areas where there might be a little bit of a learning curve. Even though we won’t replace Barzy with his skill, we’ll replace him with someone that will do other things differently and we can work off of that for sure.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
