Barzal dominates center ice, orchestrating dazzling slot passes that fuel the Islanders' offense and unlock linemate scoring chances. Witness his genius.
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is back at center ice for the first time since Bo Horvat's arrival back on Jan. 20, 2023.
While certain aspects of Barzal's game make him a better fit on the wing than at center ice—his 34.4 face-off percentage sticks out—his ability to control center ice has been stellar this season.
Although the goals down the middle haven't come, with just one through five games to go, along with three assists, he's been tremendous at finding his teammates in the slot, leading the league in that category.
Many of you will think that Barzal's finding a player in the slot comes from his go-to move, where he breaks into the offensive zone along the left half-wall before peeling back and hitting his man.
We aren't here to tell you that hasn't happened, but we do want to highlight his assist to Kyle Palmieri from their 5-4 win against the Ottawa Senators.
Barzal, who was incredibly patient in his own zone before leading the rush, broke through the middle of the ice and into Ottawa's zone before dropping the puck to Palmieri, who was skating just behind him in the slot.
Once the puck left Barzal's stick, he lifted the Ottawa defenseman's stick and continued to skate North toward Linus Ullmark, giving Palmieri more time and space to pick his spot, which he did:
In the game before, a 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers, Barzal's power-play pass from inside the left dot to Horvat in the bumper slot was a thing of beauty:
His ability to put that puck inside that small window for Horvat to do damage is such an underappreciated skill.
Barzal's passing makes him a special player in this league. If his teammates continue to finish off these on-the-tape slot plays, then No. 13's stat line should look mighty fine this season.