{"id":83320,"date":"2020-08-18T08:15:19","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T12:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=83320"},"modified":"2020-08-17T20:25:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T00:25:18","slug":"mathew-barzal-leading-new-york-islanders-over-washington-capitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/08\/18\/mathew-barzal-leading-new-york-islanders-over-washington-capitals\/","title":{"rendered":"Mathew Barzal Leading New York Islanders Over Washington Capitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>New York Islanders<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Washington Capitals<\/span><\/a> have fought through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. New York and Washington both won two of their matchups this season, tying for 14 goals apiece. However, the Islanders have swept the Caps so far, clinching all three games already played behind the play of Mathew Barzal<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow a sleepy performance in the East round robin, <\/span>Alex Ovechkin<\/b><\/a> continued to be subdued throughout this series. In Game 3, the Isles held Ovechkin to just one shot, which was unsuccessful. Instead, Barzal’<\/span>s overtime goal has cemented him as the offensive force. So far this series, Barzal capitalized on his chances, and coupled with superb goaltending, the Isles may complete their eighth sweep in franchise history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Islanders Dominating Play<\/h2>\n

Results<\/h3>\n

The Barzal and <\/span>Brock Nelson<\/strong><\/span><\/a> lines took over for the Islanders in Game 1. At 5-on-5, these lines combined for nine shots, only allowing four. The top line to watch for Washington was expected to be <\/span>Nicklas Backstrom<\/b><\/a>‘s \u2014 who is out due to concussion procedure \u2014 along with Ovechkin, and <\/span>Tom Wilson<\/b><\/a>. Without Backstrom, however, <\/span>Evgeny Kuznetsov <\/b><\/a>was added to the top line, and the results have not been as expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Nelson line particularly was unstoppable in Game 1, finishing with 100 percent expected goals. While they were badly outshot in Game 2, the line tallied one of the two 5-on-5 goals and created four high-danger chances, surrendering just one. While much of the Nelson line\u2019s success can be attributed to sheer talent, one cannot ignore how all three of New York\u2019s 5-on-5 goals were due to blunders from <\/span>Lars Eller<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u2019s line. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Capitals called Eller to the No. 2 center spot after Backstrom\u2019s injury. His bad turnover on a breakout resulted in a goal from <\/span>Matt Martin<\/b><\/a> in Game 2. This is a far cry from the Capitals from the regular season, who were seventh in Corsi For in 5-on-5 in comparison to the Islanders who ranked 29th. After Game 3, the Caps were 18th in Corsi For in 5-on-5, below teams eliminated in the qualifying round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Islanders are on track to outscore their regular-season appearances against the Capitals. After Game 3 they scored 11 goals in three games in comparison to the 14 goals scored during the regular season. Washington only has five goals from these three games despite also notching 14 goals in these teams\u2019 previous four matchups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the Islanders have a 65.9 percent expected goals and 24 high-danger chances to Washington\u2019s 10. Once near the top of the league in 5-on-5, Washington only scored two 5-on-5 goals. New York\u2019s forwards completely took over this series so far. As Washington\u2019s middling bottom-six forwards continue to play, the Barzal and Nelson lines made their presence almost unnoticeable. Besides taking foolish penalties, these Caps’ players have made very little difference in how the game has played out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barzal Overtime Goal and Top Line Dominance<\/h3>\n

If the Mathew Barzal overtime goal showed something it was how hungry the Islanders are. Barzal is no longer a rookie, but the play he has produced over the course of the playoffs is a culmination of his journey from a young player with promise to an unstoppable force. However, he is still only 23 and has not reached his peak yet. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, one cannot credit Barzal alone for that precise overtime goal. <\/span>Derrick Brassard<\/b><\/a> won a board battle in his zone and passed the puck to <\/span>Jordan Eberle<\/b><\/a>, Barzal\u2019s consistent partner. Eberle skated into the neutral zone and saw Barzal cheating at the Capitals’ blue line until the puck crossed over. The ever-speedy Barzal skated to the goal line to put a <\/span>deke feint on Capitals goaltender <\/span>Braden Holtby<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. The Washington netminder came across the crease, allowing Barzal to sink the puck for the Islanders overtime wine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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what a feeling \ud83e\udd29 pic.twitter.com\/F13utpqfyI<\/a><\/p>\n

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 16, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n