Islanders Fall 4-2 to Jets When Casey Cizikas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/casey-cizikas-new-york-islanders-kyle-maclean-karson-kuhlman-brian-pinho] went down on Jan. 9 with a lower-body injury, New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-new-york-rangers-stadium-series-ajr] head coach Lane Lambert had to decide on how to manage his lines down a key center. If Cizikas had been placed on injured reserve, that would have allowed for a call-up of depth center Karson Kuhlman or prospects Kyle MacLean and Otto Koivula to fill the center of the ice. The Islanders, for whatever reason, elected not to place Cizikas on IR and just alter their lines. The decision that was made was to separate the Islanders dynamic duo of Mathew Barzal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/mathew-barzal-new-york-islanders-all-star-game] and Bo Horvat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/bo-horvat-new-york-islanders-vancouver-canucks-trade-lamoriello], who have been electric for the entire season. These were the lines the Islanders ran for their next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs: Lambert made it clear that Barzal and Horvat would certainly get ice time together, and that they did in a 4-3 overtime win over Toronto. Barzal had a phenomenal showing, with a goal and three assists, including the overtime tally. There's no coincidence that Horvat was on the ice with Barzal for all four goals. Although Barzal played more minutes with Simon Holmstrom and Kyle Palmieri (6:43), he played 6:23 alongside Horvat and Anders Lee. But Lee was only on the ice for one of the goals, with two coming on the power play and the other coming at 3-on-3. Everything was okay for the Islander's top duo because they were still getting significant minutes together. Then Nashville happened. Despite Horvat, Barzal, and Lee playing 6:37 together at 5-on-5, the second most out of any line, the dynamic of the line was off their game, being outshot 6-5. When Barzal was on the ice, the Islanders were outshot 10-9, also being outshot 14-11 when Horvat was out there in a 3-1 loss. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNjk2MjMzOTA1MjAyOTc2/usatsi_22288176.jpg] Barzal was on the ice for the go-ahead goal with 7.9 seconds to play alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Matt Matin, with Martin committing a "cardinal sin" turnover. Maybe things would have ended differently if Horvat was also out there. Likely knowing the importance of reuniting Barzal and Horvat full-time, Lambert did just that ahead of their game with the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Rather than have Barzal as the third-line center, Pageau filled his usual spot while winger Hudson Fasching played limited minutes as the fourth-line centerman. Despite the duo being back together, the game went south and quickly as no one had their legs in a 5-0 loss. When Barzal was on the ice, the Islanders were outshot 12-3 and 9-3 with Horvat out there at 5-on-5. For the first time all season, Barzal had gone two consecutive games without a point. Horvat was held to no points over those last two games as well. Ahead of their matchup Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, Lambert decided to revert back to Saturday's lineup, separating his duo after a shaky...shaky team game against Minnesota. Barzal was sent back to the third-line center role, this time skating alongside Cal Clutterbuck, who was elevated -- a weird decision given the need for offense against a team that had allowed two goals or fewer in 12 straight games. That streak would improve to 13 straight games, with the Islanders falling 4-2 for a third straight loss. This time, Lambert barely played his true top line, just 4:18, with a lot of that having to do with the five penalties the club took, taking five for a second straight night. They were outshot 4-1, 8-6 with Barzal on the ice but outshooting opponents 10-9 with Horvat out there. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNjkxNzQzNzg1MjY1MDQy/usatsi_22310056.jpg] So, to recap, the Islanders are 1-3-0 since deciding to separate Barzal and Horvat initially and have scored just seven goals over their last four games, with just three over their last three outings. Barzal, outside of a four-point night in Game 1 of their separation, has been held pointless in three straight games and is a minus-4, with Horvat earning just one assist and is a minus-1. With how much the second line has struggled, the Islanders need their top line back together, as it seems offense will be the only way the Islanders will snap their skid, and the dynamic duo has carried the team for most of the season. You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [http://hockeynightny.com/] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey] live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season on Twitch [https://www.twitch.tv/hockeynightny], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@hockeynightny], Twitter [https://twitter.com/hockeynightny] & Facebook [https://facebook.com/hockeynightny]. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNjA2MzgxNTc4NjkyNTM5/hockey-night.jpg] TOP STORIES
