New York Islanders: Mathew Barzal a sight to behold as he runs riot against Caps

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is just a wizard with the puck on his stick.

Another night and another sublime and ridiculous outing from Mathew Barzal who absolutely lit up the Washington Capitals on Thursday, leading the New York Islanders to a huge 8-4 win over the Caps with the battle at the top of the loaded East Division really starting to intensify.

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Despite losing Captain Anders Lee for the year with a knee injury, the Isles have hardly missed a beat and are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, while it helps their cause that they boast one of the most naturally gifted young and exciting talents in the entire National Hockey League in Mat Barzal.

This kid can do things with the puck on his stick that others can only dream of, which is on display on a nightly basis, but there are times where the forward produces an absolute filthy move that just blows your brain and leaves your jaw firmly on the floor.

We saw that a few weeks ago when he broke down ice with rapid speed, shrugging off Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen like he was a rag doll before stopping and dragging the puck between his legs to beat Linus Ullmark with one of the sickest goals you will ever see.

You know its good when you make it on CNN.

Mathew Barzal absolutely runs riot with incredible night against Capitals

Well, Barzal was at it again on Thursday night and, while his highlight reel goal from a few weeks ago will take some beating, the Islanders star did put on an absolute clinic against the Washington Capitals and he produced a few moments that proved why he’s one of the most dynamic game-changers in the game today.

It was a five point night for Barzal who made one hell of a statement to the rest of the NHL, and his stellar 7.63 Game Score is the top single-game performance in the league this season, which is pretty impressive when you consider some of the stunning individual displays we have been treated to so far this year.

Barzal recorded his career fourth hat trick and also tallied two assists to give him 33 points (13 G, 20 A) on the year, but it was some of his individual moments of brilliance that really stood out and again hammered home the point that he boasts the elite ability to be able to break open a game with a single slice of genius.

The first example of that came 16:09 in the first period when Barzal collected the puck from behind his own net before putting the turbo engines on and flying down the ice, weaving his way in and out of a crowd of Washington players and displaying all the grace of an elegant figure skater, before displaying his killer instinct by going top shelf on Vitek Vanecek with a beauty of a shot.

The whole sequence was just breathtaking.

Barzal’s second goal was also impressive as he took a pass through the crease by Jordan Eberle before spinning his man and burying the puck for his second goal of the game to give the Islanders a crucial 4-2 lead.

The elite pivot would complete his hat trick in the final minutes of the game with an incredible display of some pretty neat hand-eye coordination skills, and he also showed off some beautiful playmaking ability on Eberle’s second goal of the game in the second period, biding his time before firing a nice dish over to his teammate for the one-timer.

It was just a breathtaking display of dominance by Mathew Barzal who absolutely torched the Washington Capitals from start to finish in what was one of the most impressive standout performances of the 2020-21 season so far and, not only did he help the New York Islanders claim what could be a massive win in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it was also another reminder of just how incredibly and insanely skilled Barzal is when he has the puck on his stick.