Analyzing Mathew Barzal and His Underperforming Statistics
There is no question that Mathew Barzal is extremely talented, but he’s struggled to execute offensively this season.
At the moment, Barzal is no longer the Islanders’ top-line center and his linemates — Zach Parise and Oliver Wahlstrom — are far from the best wingers on the team. Some of Barzal’s underlying statistics are disappointing, to say the least, but it’s not all his fault. Let’s analyze them.
Lack of Lighting the Lamp
Mathew Barzal scored 22 goals in his rookie season, but hasn’t been able to match that since. It doesn’t look like that will happen this season either.
With only 14 goals this season, Barzal is tied for third-most on the team with Oliver Wahlstrom. On March 31, Barzal snapped a 15-game streak without a goal.
Barzal’s shooting percentage this season is at 10.3%, which is the second-lowest of his career. Barzal is on the Islanders’ first power-play unit but has only scored once on the man-advantage. Statistically, this could be Barzal’s lowest-scoring full season of his career.
Inconsistency of Linemates
The underperforming statistics of Mathew Barzal are concerning, but there is more to it. Barzal has been paired with Parise and Wahlstrom for approximately the last 14 games, but before that, it changed on almost a nightly basis. Barzal is no longer playing with Jordan Eberle, who is a member of the Seattle Kraken, or Anders Lee, who is playing with Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier.
Barzal has scored two times with Parise and Wahlstrom since his return from a lower-body injury. Barzal needs a superstar on his line to keep up with his skill. Playing with Wahlstrom and Parise isn’t the best for the young center. Adding a superstar like Johnny Gaudreau or Filip Forsberg in the offseason through free agency would really help stabilize Barzal and improve the Islanders’ offense.
Advanced Statistics
Barzal has the seventh most expected goals on the team with 13.8. His current wingers, Parise and Wahlstrom, rank higher than him. Barzal has tried to improve his puck decisions this season, but still leads the Islanders in turnovers with 66 — but only 12 of them are in the defensive zone, meaning that most come in the neutral zone or offensive zone. On the flip side of things, Barzal’s assists per 60 minutes (1.89) lead the Islanders and he is second behind Brock Nelson in points per 60 minutes (2.67).
All statistics courtesy of MoneyPuck.com.
Writer for Drive4Five covering the New York Islanders.
