Rookies Boeser & Barzal go head-to-head as Canucks face Islanders (bo horvat)

bo horvat

Rookies Boeser & Barzal go head-to-head as Canucks face Islanders

By Carol Schram

Nov 28, 2017 • 1:53 pm

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Tuesday November 28 - Vancouver Canucks at New York Islanders - 4 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650

Vancouver Canucks: 24 GP, 11-9-4, 26 pts, fifth in Pacific Division New York Islanders: 23 GP, 14-7-2, 30 pts, third in Metropolitan Division

The Vancouver Canucks' residency in the Big Apple is nearing its end with Tuesday night's game in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders.

The Islanders may not know where their long-term home will be or whether their captain John Tavares is about to bolt as an unrestricted free agent, but Doug Weight has his team playing great hockey this year. Ironically, that's especially true at Barclays Center. The Islanders are the only team in the NHL that's still unbeaten in regulation on home ice, with a 7-0-2 record.

Given that the Canucks haven't won an overtime or shootout game yet this year, that's a very worrisome stat for Vancouver—although maybe they're better prepared now after Monday's shootout practice?

The hype machine has cranked up this week for the Islanders' Mathew Barzal, who comes into tonight's game one point ahead of Brock Boeser in first place in the rookie scoring race. Chosen seven spots ahead of Boeser in the 2015 draft, Barzal's doing some heavy lifting as the Isles' second-line center, skating between familiar former Western Conference foes Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle.

Eberle didn't score in his first 10 games with the Islanders but has produced steadily since breaking the goose-egg. He's now up to nine goals and 17 points on the season and made headlines over the weekend when he talked about how his confidence eroded during his time in Edmonton.

This is the quote that everyone's talking about:

“The Edmonton media can be pretty brutal and your confidence goes and this is a game you can’t play if you don’t have confidence,… Eberle said. “It’s that simple. It’s the Edmonton Oilers and everything around it. When you read articles every day about how much you suck, it’s tough.…

Ignore them.

“You can’t,… Eberle replied. “It affects you and I lost my confidence. The biggest thing for me since I got here with the Islanders, is trying to get that back.…

It's a rare admission from a player that yes, they do see and hear what's being said about them.

Players under such bright spotlights are subject to intense scrutiny, especially in Canada. Harsh words are thrown around more liberally than ever in this social media age and unless a player can turn criticism into motivation, it's bound to sting.

Eberle's World Junior performances earned him hero status in Canada for a long time, so it's not surprising that he had a tough time processing the barbs. It'll be interesting to see how he looks tonight with that weight off his shoulders.

Barzal's the flavour of the week among the league's rookies now that Brock Boeser's on a one-game pointless streak, but Brock and Bo Horvat did stop by the NHL Network studios in New York on Monday for a Q&A session.

They're not exactly pinning the charisma meter but they do offer some interesting insights into life on the team, including the funniest player, best dressed and impressions of coach Travis Green (Brock: "Honest").

No word yet on whether or not Nikolay Goldobin will play his first NHL game of the year tonight. Ben Kuzma caught up with Goldy after practice on Monday.

“I never played PK early in my life and it’s hard,… Goldobin told Kuzma about his new role with the Comets in Utica this year. “I decided to do this and hounding players has helped me a lot, helps me battle for the puck.…

Goldy adds that Comets coach Trent Cull has given him "..that push. He’s showing me with video when I’m doing something wrong and something right. And I’m thankful. I was disappointed in myself (not cracking Canucks roster) because I’m only human.

“But I had to understand when everybody talked to me that it’s a process and I want to get better and get confident. I’m working hard. And even the practices are better here because the puck is moving quicker.…

Travis Green says that adding the PK to Goldy's skillset serves two purposes—improving his hockey sense and helping ensure that he'll get a decent amount of ice time once he does crack the Canucks lineup.

“It (penalty kill) is going to give him a different feel. Young, offensive guys look at the game offensively and in today’s game, you have to understand defensive responsibilities and the importance of it and the hard work it takes to play well.

“You have to win puck battles to kill penalties and you can’t just rely on instincts. Good penalty killers have good hockey sense and it’s not a glorious job."

With Brandon Sutter and Derek Dorsett both out of the lineup, there are definitely penalty-killing minutes available for the Canucks forwards. That's one role that Alex Burmistrov can play. We'll have to wait and see whether or not Travis Green is comfortable enough with what he's seeing from Goldobin to give him a look on this road trip.

This much, we know:

Finally, after our Roberto Luongo sighting on Monday in Jersey, he went on to beat the Devils 3-2 last night, earning himself this honour:

He shares the achievement with one other netminder: Patrick Roy.

Enjoy the game!

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