By Larry Brooks
https://nypost.com/2019/04/11/the-moment-wasnt-too-big-for-mat-barzal-and-the-islanders/
April 11, 2019
Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders scores the game-winning goal during the first overtime period past Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on April 10, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
You know, there was this absurd rumor going around town that this marked Mat Barzal’s playoff debut. As if anyone could believe that.
As if anyone could believe that this kid who dominated his limited-time matchup against Sidney Crosby and produced a magical stutter-step play in front of Matt Murray before Josh Bailey picked up the loose change off the post to put away the Penguins 4-3 at 4:39 of overtime in Wednesday’s Game 1 on Long Island.
“You can’t let anything get to you,” said the 21-year-old reigning Calder Trophy winner. “You have to stay focused. Being a young guy getting his first taste of the playoffs, it was so exciting.”
The Coliseum rocked, though not to the levels of legendary, in a game in which momentum seemed to swing by the moment. Referee Francois St. Laurent was overmatched, as usual. A couple of Islanders “goals” were taken off the board, one off an offside challenge 33 seconds into the match that took over 10 minutes to resolve. The less experienced Islanders never lost their cool.
“I was really happy with Barzal in particular,” Barry Trotz said after coaching his 20th playoff game against Pittsburgh over the last four years, the first 19 of those matches coming from behind the Washington bench. “He set the tone. He managed the puck, he was skating, he was dangerous.
“You wouldn’t have known it was his first playoff game. He wasn’t [overwhelmed] by the moment or the atmosphere or anything like that.”
The Islanders set the tone in this one, sagged through the midsection of the match, and then picked it right back up again, even surviving the extra-attacker goal scored by Justin Schultz with 1:29 remaining in the third period to extend the contest. They may be the new kids on the block, but there is no reason for them not to believe in themselves.
They took a punch and got back up.
“’We’re the underdog, we’re the underdog, we’re the underdog,’” parroted Robin Lehner, who had an outstanding game in recording his first playoff victory in his first playoff start six years after making two relief appearances for the Senators against the Penguins. “That’s fine. We dominated them at times.”
Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders is defended by Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on April 10, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
Dominant is too strong an expression to use in analyzing the Barzal-Crosby matchup, but the kid — that would be Barzal, not Crosby — owned a 7-1 attempts edge on the center whom Trotz had called, “The Gold Standard” before the match. Thing is, the coach limited Barzal’s exposure to Crosby, going with him for only 3:21 of head-to-head five-on-five play. Casey Cizikas got 7:28, Brock Nelson 3:40 and Val Filppula 3:13.
“When he’s out there against you, you want to have the puck,” Barzal said of facing Crosby. “You try and manage it as well as you can and not turn it over. We’ve got four lines that can go up against him.”
Crosby never flashed his gold-standard game. Indeed, Evgeni Malkin, who completed a subpar regular season, was consistently the most dangerous Penguin. Phil Kessel had his moments too, notably through the second period in which the Islanders bore the brunt of the Pittsburgh attack. They bent, did not break. For a unit getting its first playoff test, the resolve and poise were admirable.
“I liked our composure on the bench,” said Trotz, who bemoaned the team’s inability to block the shot from Schultz that found its way past a screened Lehner. “You play close games and that leads to being confident [in those situations].”
No one has doubted Barzal’s confidence since he nailed down a job last year and produced a 22-goal, 85-point freshman season. His numbers dipped to 18 goals and 62 points this time around when Trotz demanded that everyone play responsibly on both sides of the puck. There was a learning curve.
But the talent and the precociousness never went away. Barzal juked and juked some more in the slot after bolting down the left side and for a moment it seemed as if his sorcery would go unrewarded when his shot clanged off the post.
“I was trying to be patient, but I thought I overstayed my stay a little bit,” he said. “It was great to see Bails swoop in like that.”
So it was over. The playoff neophyte had one game and one victory under his belt. So of course he talked like a veteran, or perhaps like someone working for Lou Lamoriello.
“We’ll enjoy it a little bit and grab dinner,” Barzal said. “After that, it’s back to work.”
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