Dissatisfied Barzal Tired of Islanders Sneaking Into Postseason

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal wants to not have to sneak into the playoffs every year. He spoke on youngsters he thinks will play critical roles in changing that going forward.

It took until Game 82 for the New York Islanders to lock up a playoff spot this season. 

Yes, they scratched and clawed while Mathew Barzal watched the final 23 games as he worked his way back from a lower-body injury.

But just getting in is nothing new for this Islanders core. 

Besides Barry Trotz's first season as the head coach -- New York finishing second in the Metro in 2018-19 -- it's been a mental and physical grind to just find a way to play postseason hockey. 

In 2019-20, the year COVID-19 shocked the world, the Islanders got into the playoffs due to playoff expansion, with their point percentage good enough through 68 games.

In 2021-22, a shortened 56-game campaign, the Islanders finished fourth in the East Division, the final playoff spot. 

While first-year head coach Lane Lambert had to deal with an abundance of injuries to key pieces, the Islanders didn't play their best hockey when healthy, and if not for the Pittsburgh Penguins losing to the Chicago Blackhawks the final week of the season, the Islanders would have missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

"You look around the league, you just gotta get in, and any team has a chance to win," Islanders top defensemanAdam Pelech said.

And he's not wrong as the eighth-seed Florida Panthers defeated the greatest statistical team in NHL history in the Boston Bruins. The second-year NHL franchise Seattle Kraken, who finished in the top wild-card spot, took down the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.

Although anything can happen, as we saw with this New York Islanders team in their back-to-back runs to the semi-finals, Barzal is tired of just barely getting in.

And his words hold weight, as he's committed the next eight years of his career to the organization. 

"The goal is to be in the playoffs every year. I think this year, it was fighting for that last spot, but I want to be in a position where we’re not just trying to sneak into the playoffs," Barzal said. "It's going in and having a little comfort halfway through the season. I feel like the last two years, it's been 45 games in, and we're scratching and clawing. I think those first 30 to 40 games, especially up until Christmas and the All-Star break, has got to be the main focus next year to try to put ourselves in a position where it makes it easier in those last 30 games."

The Islanders went 17-12-1 through their first 30 games, which was good enough for 10th in the NHL at that point. 

However, three teams in the Metropolitan Division sat ahead of them then, so it's interesting to see that after 82 games, they finished in the same spot. 

Barzal's comments were justified, as most if not all of his teammates rather be safe well before Game 82.

And there were injuries that certainly impacted the Islanders' ability to be safe with Barzal, Pelech, Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom, Cal Clutterbuck all out long-term, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Simon Holmstrom, and Noah Dobson missed some time. 

But there was lackluster production as well which certainly played a part. 

With how much young talent has become a focal point in today's regular season, the Islanders are a tad behind in that regard.

But with very little cap space, as of now, to bring in elite, young talent, Barzal pointed to Ilya Sorokin in goal and a few younger players who he thinks can help get this team to a safer spot. 

"I mean, I feel confident here. We got some really, really good pieces," Barzal said.  Obviously starting with Ilya (Sorokin), I mean, he gives us a chance every night, but I think there are some really good pieces here and I think our best days are still ahead."

Sorokin put together a Vezina-caliber season, and although was shaky at times in the postseason, at 27, he's the elite goaltender that very few teams have, one that gives his team a chance at two points every night. 

The now third-year NHLer, who has one year left on his contract, is eligible to sign an extension this summer, and as long as he is in goal, the Islanders' window to win remains open. 

"I think every year we can be in the playoffs and be a contender," Barzal said. "Wahlstrom getting hurt this year (hurt), but he's obviously going to be a big piece. You saw when he was playing just how much fire he brought in. A Dobson or Holmstrom next year...I think he's going to step up. And so I think we're still heading in the right direction."

READ MORE: Islanders Wahlstrom Ecstatic To Get Back on Ice Soon, Explains Injury & Offseason Plan

Wahlstrom was having a solid start to his season, getting over 20 games alongside Barzal, before his season-ending knee injury. 

Noah Dobson struggled this season after getting off to a strong start offensively, as the Islanders desperately need him to develop into a high-level transitioner. 

In his first season in the NHL, Simon Holmstrom showed well defensively but told The Hockey News towards season's end that he knows he has more to give on the offensive side of the puck, finishing with six goals and three assists in 50 games. 

The biggest question mark heading into the 2023-24 season is how will Bo Horvat bounce back.

Horvat, traded to New York before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, signed an eight-year extension, but failed to produce in blue and orange the way he did in blue and white.

After 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games in Vancouver, Horvat scored just seven goals with nine assists in the final 30 games of the season, before just one goal and one assist in six playoff games. 

The Horvat acquisition led to Barzal's move to the wing position, after only playing center at the NHL level. 

It was an experiment for 12 total games and was an adjustment for Barzal.  

He spoke on that move and how he felt about playing the wing moving forward. 

"That's ultimately not my decision. I think whether I'm a winger or a center, if me and Bo are on the ice together, we should be able to create.

That's not something that happened in the playoffs, in which the Islanders were eliminated in six games. 

"It was unfortunate in the playoffs that we couldn't get a little more done," Barzal said.  "But I think when you have that those two combinations, we should be able to create whether I'm on the wing or down the middle. So yeah, positionally, like I said, that's not really my call."

Barzal continued: "I've been a center for, I don't know, 15 years so I wouldn't say it was extremely natural right away but playing with Bo (Horvat) or playing a little bit with Pageau, they make it easy because they are just in the right positions and they are predictable. I would say the biggest thing is as centerman is crossing over a little more, whereas wingers, there's a little more stop and start, kind of on your side of the ice a little bit more. So I think that was the one thing get used to. I wasn't in all areas of the ice as much as I was at center. So there's definitely a little bit of a mentality shift but like I said, I mean, whether I'm on the wing or center, if I'm on the ice with Bo or Nelson or whoever I mean, we should be able to create."

Now, Barzal's health is a justifiable reason why he and his linemates weren't effective enough in the playoffs. 

Not only did Barzal miss a tremendous amount of times, but he never looked quite like himself in the playoffs, despite being deemed healthy. Not to mention, he had very little time to rekindle whatever kind of chemistry he had with Horvat through their six regular season games together, which led to the two being separated at times in the playoffs. 

Although an excuse on a silver platter, Barzal did not go that route after two goals in the first round. 

"I feel fine. When it's a lower-body injury, sometimes it makes it a little harder because you can't really skate over the course of your rehab. So, you know, it's different," Barzal said. "If it's an arm or shoulder kind of thing, you can still keep that cardio, so I'd say that was tough jumping in the fire, right in the playoffs, but I don't think it's an excuse at all. I think I felt good out there. It was just a tough series. It really was."

Barzal's focus this offseason is to get stronger and quicker, something he said is his goal every summer. 

When the 2023-24 season does begin, Mathew Barzal is going to have to be the key player that he was earlier in the season, with 14 goals and 37 assists in 58 games. 

His play does dictate Bo Horvat's, but as Barzal mentioned, the young talent in the organization will also need to raise their game if the Islanders are not only going to find themselves back in the postseason but safe well before the final game of the regular season.