Stefen Rosner on Morning Cuppa Hockey Talking Islanders NEWARK, NJ -- When the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] blew their fourth third-period lead in seven games on Friday night against the New Jersey Devils, the team was pissed. They were so close to taking home a 3-2 regulation win against a divisional opponent in the first leg of a back-to-back, but a failure to clear a puck resulted in heartbreak: "They were all pissed off that we gave up that goal," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "Sorry for my language, but they were all pissed off." There were two ways the overtime period could have gone. The Islanders could have folded, suffering a devastating loss, or the team's top players could bail them out from sadness and allow for a major sigh of relief before a bus ride home. They accomplished the latter and while a win is all about the team, it was ultra important that the overtime heroes were Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. The Islanders' most dynamic duo and highest-paid players had struggled offensively to open the 2024-25 season, with Barzal entering the game with just four points (one goal, two assists) in six games, while Horvat had three points (two goals, one assist). Especially with Anthony Duclair out long-term, a four-to-six-week timeframe with a lower-body injury, it was even more important that the duo pick up the slack, especially with the Islanders struggling to score. All they needed was 25 seconds. After Bo Horvat shot down the left half-wall, he made a no-look pass to Barzal, who was stationed inside the left face-off circle. Following the pass, Horvat went behind the Devils' net before skating backward from the goal line to the beginning edge of the right circle while opening up for the one-timer. Barzal read the play like a children's book: "It feels so good," Horvat said postgame. "I think we've been playing really good hockey. It's just a matter of it going in for us. It was a heck of a play by him to get that puck over to me. And it definitely gives us confidence going into tomorrow night." The Islanders host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night at UBS Arena. Prior to puck drop, we asked Roy about what he's seen from his top-line duo. He chose to talk about Barzal. "Barzy doesn't produce as much as he would love to, but I said to him, I am very happy with him in the way that he forechecks, and his backcheck. He makes plays, and he's playing really well defensively. He's coming down low. He's doing a lot of good things that I do believe that will pay off eventually." Narrator voice: "It did." The Islanders have offensive talent up and down the linemate, but usually, when Barzal and Horvat are going, the team is going. Sure, it may have taken overtime for the two to leave their mark, but an important goal it was, more so mentally than anything else that the two could come through for their team.
