New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal (13) celebrates with teammate Bo Horvat (14) after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Arizona Coyotes Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
ELMONT, N.Y. — Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello appeared to put down quite a challenge in front of two-thirds of his first line in center Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.
When asked how he thought they were performing this season, the Hall-of-Famer said that they both “have much more to give and I believe they will and I think that’s the good news. I think their abilities and what they can bring… but I think they have more to bring, yes.”
Barzal, who is in his first full season on the wing after moving from center when Horvat was acquired in January, is flirting with a point-per-game pace this season with five goals and 11 assists in 19 games. Horvat’s start to his first full season with the Islanders has been slower. In 18 games entering Saturday night’s clash with the Philadelphia Flyers, he has five goals — a notably slower pace than the one he showed last year when he scored a career-high 38 with the Vancouver Canucks and Islanders.
But when asked by amNewYork to clarify those comments, Lamoriello pumped the brakes to set the record straight.
“Don’t misinterpret my answer to that question. Mat’s been playing very well,” Lamoriello said. “We like to think that players like Bo and Mat, there’s always more to give and we’ll never accept where they’re at that time. And that’s an unfortunate thing, but that’s what happens… That’s not saying that they’re not doing very positive things.
“You see them out there on the power play, you saw them out there in the last 30 seconds [of Friday night’s 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators]. So they’re doing the right things and Mat scored a big goal last night and has been playing well. But, I’ll never give…
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