Islanders Top Line Showing Positive Multi-Faceted Game Early On

ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders' new-look top line got off to a fiery start when they torched the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in their first game together.

Mathew Barzal scored twice, Bo Horvat scored once, and newcomer Anthony Duclair tallied two assists in a 6-4 loss.

When on the ice, the Islanders outshot their opponents 6-4, with an Expected Goals Against of just 0.2, and performed quite well in their own zone, per NaturalStatrick.com.

The trio set the bar rather high, so magic was expected again when the threesome hit the ice on Friday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Despite a 5-1 beatdown, the top line wasn't clicking on offense like we saw earlier in the week.

Barzal and Horvat each had three giveaways, with Duclair recording one, all of which came in the offensive zone.

The positive was that they found ways to be effective defensively.

Despite the Islanders being outshot 5-2 when their top line was on the ice, the Devils didn't score a goal, owning a 0.51 Expected Goals Against.

"I thought they did well defensively," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "I love the fact that that Barzal is backchecking and helping out. And Bo's there as well. So, I'm very pleased with the way they're playing."

Through two games, Duclair has certainly shown off his speed and skill, but one thing he doesn't get enough credit for is his reads, which help tremendously in the defensive zone.

He picked off a slot pass during Friday's affair, leading to a rush chance.

"Duclair's a player that has a good sniff for the play," Roy said. "I mean, he opens up the ice for Barzy and Bo and makes great plays. He's got a good IQ."

While the line wasn't rewarded offensively at 5-on-5, they didn't let it get them down, using the power play to leave their mark.

With 16 seconds to play in the first, Barzal fed Horvat in the bumper before he wired one past the glove of Devils goalie Jake Allen to give the team a commanding 3-1 lead:

It was a big goal at that juncture of the game, and it was rewarding for a line that had chances at 5-on-5 but just couldn't finish off strong plays.

As the game went on, their defensive play continued to lead the charge.

When your top guys are performing well in the defensive zone, there's no question the bench sees that.

It can become infectious, and we saw that on Friday, given the defensive play from the rest of the three forward lines.

Roy has explained numerous times that while having a true top line is a luxury, the Islanders will only succeed if they can run all four lines.

It's not common to find top lines in the NHL that can play shutdown defense on a nightly basis.

But with Barzal, who led the NHL in takeaways last season, Horvat, who is one of the better 200-foot centers in the league, and Duclair, who reads plays rather effectively, this line could be one of the better all-around top lines in the league.

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