Less than three weeks ago, Bo Horvat was on the brink of a 13-game goalless streak.
The cliché is that points come in bunches, so it may not be surprising that Horvat has since scored eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past seven games entering Monday's game. That includes a season-high three points in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
“He was shooting the puck free; [like] the goal he scored there [in Toronto]” coach Patrick Roy said before the Islanders humiliated Buffalo in their final game before the holidays on Monday. “I think he'll be a great fit to play with.” [Maxim Tsyplakov] and [Simon] Holmstrom now. It works fine. ”
The combination of Horvat and Tsyplakov coincided with the No. 14 break, and the first time Roy tried it was the night Horvat ended his goal drought by scoring against the Hurricanes on Dec. 7.
Tsyplakov and Horvat, who had played 104 minutes and 49 seconds of 5-on-5 together on the ice before Monday, were outscoring their opponents 8-2 with an expected goals percentage of 54.34 — and Roy, even if the games were back-to-back. He did not hide that he hoped that the two would not be separated. The Islanders' forward group is rejuvenated.
Doing so is part of the reason why Horvat and Mathieu Barzal haven't played together yet, a trade-off that Roy is willing to make.
“I think Beau likes to play give-and-go in the neutral zone.” [with Tsyplakov]” said Roy. “I think that's a good fit for him. He wants a player who moves the puck quickly and I think that's great for him. And Barzee loves skating with that puck in the neutral zone, so he to play together [Jean-Gabriel] with pajo [Anders] Lee also played a very good match. ”
Roy said there was no intended message by playing five-on-six with Barzal on Saturday, which resulted in Barzal scoring an empty-net goal.
“I’m not trying to send a message,” Roy said. “I go with guys I trust, and everyone played well in that game. … If the players are committed to playing solid defense, it doesn't matter who's on the ice at the end of the game. I don’t care.”
Ilya Sorokin made his 11th consecutive start for the Islanders on Monday. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played in goal for the Sabers.
Rasmus Dahlin (back spasms) returned to Buffalo's lineup after missing Saturday's loss to the Bruins.
