Islanders Matthew Barzal's Bar: 'That’s The Leadership We Need From Him'

BUFFALO, NY — New York Islanders forward Matthew Barzal was a menace in the second half of their 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Islanders Tie Game Late in Third, Lose 3-2 In Shootout To Buffalo A thrilling late-game comeback forced overtime, but the Islanders ultimately fell short in a nail-biting shootout.

He scored his 10th goal of the season at the 19:37 mark of the second to cut the Islanders’ deficit to 2-1:

That extended his point streak to seven games (two goals, five assists).

Then, on the power play with goaltender David Rittich on the bench for the extra attacker, Barzal hit Emil Heineman on the tape for the tying tally with 28 seconds to play in regulation:

Barzal was all over the place in overtime with a few breakaway tries but could not bury.

Then in the shootout, Barzal scored on a nifty backhand move:

The Islanders have gone 1-2-1 without Bo Horvat and it’s been a struggle to produce, especially off the rush. 

Patrick Roy has been waiting for someone to rise up and he got that kind of performance from No. 13 when the team desperately needed a spark on Saturday.

“Well, it's a great opportunity for him to lead the team, and he's doing that,” Roy said. “So I mean, that's the leadership we need from him, producing every night, giving ourselves a chance to be in every game. And I feel that’s a role Barzy wants to play as well. So I mean, it's nice to see him be successful.”

Horvat isn’t expected to be out much longer, already a week and a half into what I heard was a 1-3 week timeline.

Could he return later this week against the New York Rangers on Saturday?

Given that Horvat skated on his own Friday morning — he didn't travel because there was no morning skate — one would think he's getting very close.

Until he's back, the Islanders need Barzal playing like a No. 1 center.

The point streak is nice, but if you noticed, he was making key plays defensively on Saturday. He was pushing the pace, crashing the net and he did win 7-of-13 face-offs (53%). 

That's the Barzal that this team needs and that's the Barzal the Islanders got on Saturday.