COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mat Barzal cut a frustrated figure Tuesday night — not just about the Islanders loss to Anaheim, but about his own struggles to start the season.
Barzal’s lack of five-on-five production, with the Islanders’ biggest superstar yet to score an even-strength goal, finally came to a head in the 3-1 loss to the Ducks.
Coach Patrick Roy broke up the top line and cycled Barzal through a series of combinations in an attempt to get him going.
“My line with Bo [Horvat] and [Simon Holmstrom], I hadn’t scored a five-on-five goal,” Barzal said. “At some point, Patty’s gotta make a change. I feel like it kind of woke the group up a little bit.”
Barzal did indeed end up contributing a power-play goal, but that did not help quell his mood after the game, when he repeated, “It sucks,” twice, and a slamming noise could be heard after he exited the dressing room.
Though Anthony Duclair’s absence has not helped matters, the partnership between Barzal and Horvat — which made the Islanders tick last season — has not produced in the same way to start this season.
Though the two had enjoyed a 23-16 high-danger chance advantage over 118:40 on the ice together heading into Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jackets, they had just a 49.57 percent shot share and a 50 percent goals share, per Natural Stat Trick.
A year ago, the Islanders outscored opposing teams 51-35 with Barzal and Horvat on the ice together, with Barzal putting up a point per game for the first time since his Calder Trophy-winning rookie year.
“He’s gonna make his plays, he’s gonna get his opportunities,” Horvat said. “I think he just expects a lot out of himself, as does everybody in this room. It’s not that he’s mad at anybody else or frustrated with anybody else. Just, he wants to be a difference-maker every single night.
“He’s trying out there, I will give him that. He’s not giving up. He’s doing all the little things to try and help us win. It’s just a matter of it going in for him.”
Roy echoed the same rhetoric, saying Barzal is getting chances, and eventually the puck will go in.
Still, Roy declined to say prior to Wednesday’s game whether he would keep Barzal and Horvat together against Columbus, though he did say that in the long run, they would be back together even if separated for the time being.
“There’s moments that sometimes it’s good to change something,” Roy said. “You eat chicken every night, sometimes it’s not as fun. Maybe you need some sauce.”