"Barzal remains one of the NHL's great inkblot tests - you can watch him dominate shifts with the puck on his stick, or you can wonder why that dominance doesn't always translate into points. Over the past two weeks, he's tallied only three points in six games. Yet the Islanders have won seven of their past nine, and Barzal has been at the center of so much of their offensive flow."
"His move back to center has forced him into more defensive responsibility, more puck management, and more two-way engagement - all areas he says have improved dramatically. His 17 points in 22 games aren't eye-popping, but Barzal insists he could easily have "10-15 more," calling missed conversions more a matter of luck than process. Most importantly? He doesn't care about the stat sheet - not anymore."
Mathew Barzal is contributing strong two-way play and significant offensive-zone presence despite modest scoring totals. He has 17 points in 22 games and tallied three points in his last six, while the Islanders have won seven of nine. Analytics place him in the 84th percentile for offensive-zone time and among the forwards allowing the fewest expected goals. A move back to center increased his defensive responsibilities, puck management, and two-way engagement, all of which have improved markedly. Barzal frames missed scoring chances as bad luck and prioritizes team wins over individual statistics.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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