There might not be a player in hockey who hears "shoot" more than New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal.

Since breaking into the NHL in 2017-18, Barzal has been a playmaker, skating through the neutral zone and pulling up along the half-wall more often than not to buy time for his linemates to catch up before hitting them for goal-scoring opportunities.

But, like we saw in the 2023-24 season, Barzal has a strong shot. He scored a career-high 23 goals, shattering his previous mark in shots on goal with 240, surpassing the 179 he set in 2018-19.

While on The ForePlay Pod, host and die-hard Islanders fan Frankie Borrelli asked Barzal about his shooting decisions, and No. 13 was honest about his thought process when it comes to shooting or passing the puck.

“It's all top of the head, man,” Barzal said. “I think that's the best part about hockey is that it's so reactionary. I feel like you have to have a certain toolbox to be able to do those things. Everyone's got different toolboxes, skills, and you know what they can do on their edges and hands and certain things. But I just say, growing up, my idols were Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, and Pavel Datsyuk, Claude Giroux ... and you watch those guys play so creatively.

“Like Patty, I was obsessed with Patty Kane growing up. I would say he was the most revolutionary player, in a weird way, because the way he stick-handled was just so different. Crosby is such a bull where it's almost hard to emulate it, because he's so thick. He's got that straight blade, like he does things that no one can do. Patty Kane was a little more relatable with having soft hands, being creative, and being like a little smaller guy, like dodging checks and being slippery. Same with Datsyuk, who had a very unique style — skill, deception, saucer passes, backhand ... I watched those guys religiously growing up. I was on YouTube, watching their highlights, and I was watching their games at night. I was just obsessed with hockey. I love being creative with anything I do. It's hard to, like, explain that, that kind of shit sometimes.”

That brings us to Barzal’s decision-making on the ice.

“I don't say before the game, like, ‘Hey, Bo [Horvat], I'm gonna fake the pass this way, and then come down and hit you.’ It just presents itself. And that's just how I react. You know what I mean?" Barzal said. "That's the cool thing about hockey, man. It's so reactionary. There's nothing like it. It's such a fluid game. You can't be a dummy out there. The puck is moving too fast. There are too many big bodies out there in a tight area.

“When watching from the bird's-eye view, fans are ‘Shoot! Make this play. Make this play.’ You come down at ice level ... man, there is no room out there. Yeah, no room.”

Barzal then addressed the hesitancy when it comes to shooting.

“In practice, you come down with no defenders, nobody on you, and you shoot on Ilya Sorokin or one of these NHL goalies. People think, ‘Oh, it's a grade-A chance, a guy right in the slot.’ Dude, that shot in practice with no traffic in front goes in maybe two out of 10 times — maybe, right? You can't just walk in and shoot and score. So what's the point sometimes to shoot? You gotta make a move. You gotta make a move.

“And I'm the one handling the puck. So if I can sell a shot and pass that has a better chance of going in, [I'm going to do that]."

Barzal continued: 

“How many goals are scored off one-timers? How many goals are scored off give-and-goes, like quick give-and-goes? There's so many different ways to score, but you can't just, like, walk in and shoot and expect ... like Vasilevskiy, he's 6-foot-6. There's no net," Barzal said. "You can't just, like, walk in and shoot. You need traffic. It's got to be the right timing. So, I mean, I do think there's a nice balance. Maybe I can shoot. But it's not just easy to just shoot and score. You gotta have traffic.

“There are certain things that have to line up, and at the end of the day, that's just my game. Like, I love to pass. I love to control the puck. I get it. Maybe I should shoot some more. People tell me that all the time, but, trust me, I'm looking to shoot.”

With Barzal now going back to center and not having an elite shooter like Horvat on his wing — he'll still have talent; we just don't know who will flank him yet — he'll likely need to shoot more if he wants to be a productive player this upcoming season.

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 PHOTO: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images