With 21 games remaining in the New York Islanders lackluster regular season, general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz know how valuable these remaining games are for evaluation. Although the lineups can be altered, Trotz has elected to keep his three forward lines together as the Islanders have played significantly better than they did early on in the season.

One of the lines that have not produced, point-wise, is the line of Zach Parise, Mathew Barzal, and Oliver Wahlstrom. And although the line accounts for the play of the entire threesome, the main focus is on the duo of Barzal and Wahlstrom.

Since Wahlstrom was drafted 11th overall back in 2018, the belief was that, eventually, his shot with Barzal’s playmaking ability would be dynamic.

Trotz had been rather patient with Wahlstrom, as he has tried to develop him into a two-way forward, knowing how important that would be with a guy like Barzal.

With the season going the way it has, Trotz eventually decided to unite Barzal and Wahlstrom and has allowed them to play together for the last six games.

What you have seen on the ice is an adjustment period as both players need to build up chemistry. Throughout the early evaluation, the line has created chances for themselves, but have just one goal to their name which was scored by Parise in the first of the six games, against the Anaheim Ducks.

However, they have done a rather strong job at keeping the puck out of the net, Trotz’s biggest concern with pairing the two together.

“My biggest fear is that, you know, if it’s a chance fest, then we’re going to probably end up on the bottom end of those a lot of times so we want to make sure that you know, it’s more in their court, you know, the chances for versus chances again,” Trotz said. “So far it’s been a good marriage.”

It’s about growth right now between these two, as if all goes well from now until the end of the season, and these two click, we could be looking at the dynamic duo that has always been on the vision board. But again, it’s about growth.

Back on Saturday against the Dallas Stars where Mathew Barzal created space and set Oliver Wahlstrom up in a prime shooting lane near the right circle. Instead of firing a shot on goal, Wahlstrom elected to deke to the slot, losing the puck in the process. Although Wahlstrom’s offensive creativity should not dissipate alongside Barzal, there’s a time and place.

That’s part of the process of learning to play. He instead of going to space, he’s maybe going to support when it maybe doesn’t have to just that will come, you know, that will as it gets to know and have more reps with piracy and Zach.