Mathew Barzal
Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2017
1-6–7 (3 GP)
Five-assist night set NYI rookie record
Second among rookies in assists and points
Mathew Barzal was in all the right places Sunday night, picking up five assists to make New York Islanders history as part of an impressive seven-point week, which helped the Coquitlam, B.C. native gain serious traction among the rankings of rookie point-getters.
Barzal posted 1-6–7 over three games, building to what would stand as a five-game point streak by Sunday.
Much to the delight of the home crowd at Barclays Center Monday, the Islanders put an end to the Golden Knights' winning streak with a 6-3 win, denying Vegas of becoming the first NHL expansion team to win six consecutive games in an inaugural season. Barzal picked up his third goal of the season in the victory by wiring home a beautiful off-the-post pass from teammate Anders Lee on the power-play.
The Isles travelled to Washington for a matchup against the Capitals in an eventual 4-3 loss, where Barzal picked up an assist while logging 18:19 of ice time to rank second among team forwards behind Isles captain John Tavares.
Sunday, however, was when the real magic happened. With the Islanders back on home ice to host the team's Hockey Fights Cancer night, New York picked up a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The team wore special lavender warmup jerseys, which were earlier auctioned off in October to raise money for the initiative.
In addition to the funds and awareness raised, the Islanders also had some special guests in attendance who got to join them on the ice during the national anthem. The night was made sweeter with a win, but some one-on-one time with some Islanders, including Barzal himself, helped too as he and teammates signed autographs and spread smiles across the faces of children battling severe illness.
Topping off an #Isles win with something bigger than the game. 💜
Keep up the fight. #HockeyFightsCancer pic.twitter.com/imlKuXGni3
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 6, 2017
Before sticking around postgame, Barzal made a bit of team history by becoming the first rookie in Islanders history to record five assists in a game. For his performance, he was named the game's First Star. Also notable, Barzal is the first Islanders rookie to have a five-point night since Tavares did it in 2006-07.
Barzal's 10 assists in the 2017-18 season place him second for NHL rookies behind Will Butcher (12) of the New Jersey Devils, while his 13 points have him currently tied with Canucks rookie Brock Boeser for second among all rookies behind Clayton Keller (16) of the Arizona Coyotes.
Complete listing of the 2017-18 NHLPA.com Players of the Week here.