After a slow start in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mat Barzal has finally found his groove and is heating up at the right time for the Islanders.

Entering the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Barzal had 24 points in 30 playoff games played. After two years of playoff experience under his belt and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before, expectations were high for the Islanders’ number one center. However, to start off the Penguins series, Barzal struggled.

Although Barzal improved his game each game during the series, Barzal only finished the series with three assists. Three assists in six games are simply not good enough for the Islanders’ star. To beat the Boston Bruins in round 2, Barzal needed to be way better.

Although Barzal could not get onto the scoresheet in Game 1 and Game 2, his presence on the ice was tremendous, creating much more opportunities than from the previous series. It was clear it would only be a matter of time before Barzal found the back of the net.

In Game 3 against the Boston Bruins at the Nassau Coliseum, the first game at the Nassau Coliseum in the second round in 28 years, Barzal finally found the back of the net. Barzal scored the game-tying goal in Game 3 with around five minutes left in the third period to send the game to overtime.

From there onward, it was clear the elite centerman would go on a tear, and he has.

In Game 4, a massive game for the Islanders, Barzal was able to find Kyle Palmieri in the slot to the game up at one. Then Barzal proceeded to score the go-ahead goal in the third period with around six minutes left that turned out to be the game-winner.

In Game 5, Barzal opened up the Islanders scoring on the power-play with an absolute rocket. Then, Barzal threaded a perfect pass to Jordan Eberle later in the game.

Barzal has been crucial for the Islanders all season, and he has stepped up in the second round against the Boston Bruins. Now, the Islanders will be coming on Barzal to keep heating up as the playoffs continue.

Ethan Halle

Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.