Bo Horvat’s start to the season keeps getting louder for the New York Islanders.
With the team still searching for some early consistency at 1-2-0 and juggling injuries - Mathew Barzal has yet to debut, and Alexander Romanov is out for the season with an ACL injury - Horvat has been the steady force driving the offense. The captain has stepped right into the spotlight and matched the responsibility that comes with the role.
He carried a three-game point streak into the matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks, after picking up an assist in the opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs and scoring against both the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Then he stayed hot in the Islanders’ 4-1 win over Chicago.
Horvat put New York on the board late in the first period, scoring on the power play with 59 seconds left after a setup from superstar defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He wasn’t done there. With 1:33 left in the game, Horvat sent the puck from the defensive zone toward the empty net and buried his second goal of the night.
That gave him the 41st multigoal game of his career and pushed him to four goals through five games this season. It’s exactly the kind of production head coach Peter DeBoer has been talking about since training camp and through the opening stretch of the year.
Captain Horvat SCORED THAT. pic.twitter.com/SDR0x7vQAg
There was a concerning moment after the second goal, though. Horvat was forced out of the game after taking a hard hit from Frank Nazar, who drove his shoulder into the side of Horvat’s head and was also removed from the game.
Horvat left the bench and went to the back soon after, and he did not return for his lap when he was announced as the game’s first star.
That’s something the Islanders will be watching closely. Losing Horvat would be a major setback, especially with how central he’s been to their plan. He entered the game averaging 19:37 of ice time per game, the most of any Islanders forward, and he led the team’s forwards again against Chicago at 17:53.
In Other News...
Islanders Fans Have A New Puppy Story To Follow This Season
The Islanders spent part of their week at UBS Arena doing more than hockey work, taking part in the 10th annual Pucks and Paws Calendar photo shoot with the Guide Dog Foundation. The project pairs current and future service dogs with players, and the calendar goes on sale Nov. 25 with proceeds supporting the foundations work for veterans, first responders and people who are blind.
It also keeps the teams Puppy with a Purpose tradition rolling along in its seventh year, giving fans another offseason-adjacent storyline to track once the ice gets busier. This latest puppy is just getting started on the path that service-dog candidates follow, and the Islanders are again tying one of their most feel-good community efforts to a cause with a bigger purpose than anything that shows up in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Already Face A Depth Problem Four Games Into The Season
Four games into the season, the Islanders are already trying to patch together a lineup that has been hit from several directions. Mat Barzal is still working his way back from a knee injury after missing training camp, and the blue line has taken another hit with Isaiah George suffering a long-term injury in a recent game. For a team built around structure and depth, that kind of early attrition puts pressure on every pairing and every line combination far sooner than anyone expected.
The timing is especially awkward because the injury list keeps growing before the schedule has even settled in. With Alexander Romanov unavailable and the defense already thin, the Islanders do not have much room for error as they sort through replacements and call-up options. And with Bo Horvat also dealing with a head injury, the team is now facing questions up front as well, leaving its depth chart looking a lot shakier than it did just days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Prospects Big Opportunity Just Took A Brutal Turn
The Hamilton Hammers got a real showcase night in their first home game as the Islanders new AHL affiliate, with more than 14,000 fans packing the building and giving the operation an immediate jolt of buzz. Even in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Toronto Marlies, there was plenty for the organization to like about the setting, which had the feel of an important first step in building the next wave of Islanders depth.
Isaiah Georges night, though, changed the tone quickly. The defenseman left in the second period with an injury, and head coach Jay McKee did not sound optimistic about a quick return, a tough development for a young player who had already dealt with injuries last season. For an Islanders prospect group that needs every meaningful game it can get, losing one of its more interesting blue-line pieces this early is a brutal twist to start the affiliation era. [Read more 🡒]