Islanders hope rookie Mat Barzal can play Malkin to Tavares' Crosby

Mathew Barzal has watched John Tavares play a lot of hockey during his young NHL career.

As the New York Islanders' second-line centre, the dynamic rookie gets the chance to watch the team's star from the bench on a regular basis.

And during his month-long stint in the league last season, which saw Barzal suit up for just two games before being shipped back to the Seattle Thunderbirds of WHL, Islanders coach Doug Weight would show the 20-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., native highlights of Tavares in an effort to get him to emulate the four-time all-star's techniques, in particular on the forecheck.

"I would say, 'Watch Johnny's work ethic on the forecheck. Watch how's he's not a physical guy, you're not a physical guy, but you can play physical in a certain way with your stick, using your edges and you can hound pucks,'" recalled Weight, who was an assistant at the time before taking over for Jack Capuano when he was fired last January.

"Hounding pucks was such a huge thing for me because he's such an explosive skater — he's got to be a ferocious forechecker. It's all about getting the puck back. When the puck's on his stick he's a game-changer."

And apparently, the Islanders' 16th pick in the 2015 draft picked up a few things.

Following a five-game pointless streak to start the season, Barzal has racked up 27 points in 23 games and now leads all rookies in scoring. He has passed the likes of Arizona's Clayton Keller (23 points in 31 games) and Vancouver's Brock Boeser (26 points in 26 games), who grabbed the bulk of headlines directed at this year's freshman class after their hot starts.

Weight said Barzal's play has been "vital" for the 16-9-3 Islanders, who sit in a three-way tie for second in the hyper-competitive Metropolitan division, trailing only the New Jersey Devils (16-74) by a single point going into Friday night play.

In particular, the slick-skating freshman has provided a significant boost to the team's offence, which is second in the league in goals with 204 after finishing 11th in 2016-17.

Weight said he has been impressed by Barzal's skating and edgework, as well as his ability to hold onto the puck just long enough to set up an open man.

"The rink hasn't gotten bigger since I started playing and people have gotten bigger and faster," Weight said. "[And] he amazes me with the amount of ice he can find and the room he can create. When you pair that with his ability to find people and have the skills to make passes – it's pretty dangerous."

Weight said Barzal's play alongside Jordan Eberle and Andrew Ladd has created a "second identity" behind Tavares' first line, which has helped spread the scoring burden and in some cases forced opposing teams to split up their best defenders in an attempt to deal with the double threat. 

The second line may, in fact, be one of the best in the league. Among those with at least 50 minutes together, the Barzal-Ladd-Eberle combo is 12th with a Corsi For Percentage of 60.34 and eighth in Relative Corsi For Percentage — which measures the change in shot attempt differential for a team when a player or line is on the ice compared to off of it – at plus-11.86, according to Corsica.

Weight said the line has been so effective in part because Eberle (12 goals, 9 assists) and Barzal feed off of each other. While the former Oiler, who was acquired in the summer from Edmonton, lacks a heavy shot, Eberle has a quick and accurate release and finds open areas. Meanwhile, Weight said Ladd is strong on the forecheck and "uber-smart," giving the pair freedom to make plays and take chances.

While it may have felt "catastrophic" to Barzal when he was sent back to juniors last season though he believed he was ready to start his NHL career, it's clear to Weight that the move prompted him to improve his play. 

Weight said the coaching staff wanted to show Barzal not only what he needed to be an NHL player, but how he could be a "great" one with a 15- to 20-year career. They stressed the importance of becoming a complete player by working on his defensive zone coverage and faceoffs.

"He's earned it and he's worked at it and I think that's going to reward him throughout his career because he sees these things paying off," Weight said.

Weight believes Barzal has the drive to get better, and expects him to be a top centre and an 80-point scorer on a consistent basis, especially as he gets stronger.

Despite Barzal's emergence and the Islanders' strong start to the season, Tavares' free agency this summer looms in the background.

But the team is hoping to build a contender around the duo, in the mould of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Tavares and Barzal standing in for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the foundation down the middle. 

And Weight hopes Barzal will not only be able to watch Tavares raise the Stanley Cup, but be there alongside him.

"John Tavares is our captain and I'm not comfortable not having John Tavares back," Weight said. "He's our engine, he's our leader, he's a tremendous pro and everything I said about Mat Barzal's work ethic, he's learning from John, he feeds off John, so this conversation, to be blunt, wouldn't be happening without John Tavares supporting Mat, being a good teammate for Mat, being a leader for Mat and teaching Mat."

"So it's integral for us to have John back in our organization because he's John and because we need him, but Mat will do nothing but benefit from having John as a leader ... as a player, as a person."