Looking Back: 9-Game Point Streak Showed A Different Type of Mat Barzal

In the loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday, New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was unable to push his point streak to 10 games.
During his nine-game point streak, Barzal registered three goals and 11 assists.

Of the three goals, two of them served as the opening tallies of the contest in games against the San Jose Sharks (Dec. 2) and the Buffalo Sabres (Dec. 30) with the other the eventual game-winner against the New Jersey Devils (Jan. 13).

In the three games that Mathew Barzal scored in, the Islanders went 2-0-1 and in the games where Barzal registered two or more points, the Islanders were 2-0-2.

Something to pay attention to with Barzal’s three goals is that none of them came from the deking variety we have become accustomed to seeing from no. 13.

All three goals came from shooting the puck, which he shot on average 2.09 times per game over his point streak. That was lower than his season average 2.52 shots per game, but the quality of his shots is what paid dividends.

Instead of staying alongside the boards, Barzal found space in the slots, which is where two of his three goals came from. This is not something we have seen often as most of his goals or plays come from movement on the sides, never really up the middle unless he’s on a breakaway.

There were very few “gimme” shots for opposing netminders. Smarter decisions were made, and shots that Barzal may have taken in the past were passed up for better opportunities.

As for the assist side of things, Barzal recorded a pair of assists four times in these 11 games.

His most important assist came against the Edmonton Oilers on New Year’s Day, as he fed Noah Dobson seconds before the young defenseman potted the game-winner in a come-from-behind victory.

Barzal recorded five hits, three blocks and won 56.52% of his draws to go along with the three goals and 11 assists.

Barzal showed a more two-dimensional aspect to his game on this point streak. He was not just a pass-first thinker, despite the number of assists he collected.

He made his usual quick passes and yes, turned the puck over quite a bit with 18 giveaways. But for a player that tends to collect penalty minutes, Barzal only made his way to the box one time over those nine games.

For the longest time, Barzal was considered just a playmaker. This season he is fourth on the team with seven goals, just two shy of the team lead.

He’s first on the team with 15 assists and leads the Islanders wi

Despite the streak coming to an end, the Islanders will need Barzal to bounce to shake off the zero from Saturday’s game as the next two games come against a team in the Philadelphia Flyers that sit in the spot above them in the Metropolitan Division, as well as the Wild Card race.

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