Mathew Barzal (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — On a night in which he recorded a goal and an assist during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Mathew Barzal hadn’t felt this good during a game in quite some time.
“Last game is probably one of my favorite games in a couple years,” he told amNewYork on Tuesday ahead of the Islanders’ matchup with the Minnesota Wild at UBS Arena. “I just felt like I had a higher energy and I could skate for a mile so that was definitely nice.”
First came a twirling zone entry with two-and-a-half minutes in the first period off a pass from his center and linemate, Bo Horvat. Spinning down the right boards before a quick cut toward the middle of the ice and the Hurricanes’ blue line, Barzal then reached around for a forehand pass back to the wall for defenseman Noah Dobson, who streaked in on his backhand to score the game’s opening goal.
WHAT A GOAL BY DOBSON. pic.twitter.com/Vlk8LN4THi
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 5, 2023
Up 2-0 eight minutes into the second, Barzal caught the Hurricanes on a delayed offside to spark a rush beginning in the Islanders’ zone down the middle of the ice. At the Carolina blue line, he dished to his left for Horvat, who entered the zone and got to the circle before centering it back to Barzal. In a flash, he went from his backhand to his forehand to roof a wrister home for his second goal of the season.
The pass from Horvat and the goal by Barzal. 👏 pic.twitter.com/BNKFDk6Xgl
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 5, 2023
“I felt like I was doing a lot of stuff that I’m good at like twisting and turning and creating space and doing all that stuff using my speed,” Barzal said. “The big thing for me last game was that I was hard on pucks, created some turnovers, and was good on the forecheck. When my game isn’t going well, I tend not to do that stuff as much and last game I just had an “eff it”…
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