New York Islanders 2017-18 NHL Season Month By Month

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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 23: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders celebrates his goal at 2:20 of the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at the Barclays Center on December 23, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

November – Meeting Barzal

Record: 8-3-1 (15-7-2 2nd in Metro)

Yes. Mathew Barzal had already been on the team for a month now. And yes, he was even on the team last season for two games. So technically we already met Mathew Barzal. But neither of those times did we know what Mathew Barzal was going to be.

By November we knew.

It’s not to say that October wasn’t a good month for Barzal. He was back in the NHL – where he belonged – and he was putting up points. Through 12 games in October, Barzal has seven points.

We forget that things started off slowly for Barzal. He didn’t put up his first NHL point until game number six against the Los Angeles Kings. His first goal would come a game later against the Rangers. It was a good month. But November is where he took off.

Through 12 games in November, Barzal put up 17 points. Three goals and fourteen assists. In those twelve games, he had three multi-point nights. A two-point night against Philadelphia, a three-point night against Carolina, and a five-assist night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Getting five assists in a single game had only been done five times in Islanders history. Brent Sutter, Stefan Persson, Pat LaFontaine, Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin. Three Hall of Fame players are on that list. And Barzal would go on to do it a second time in February.

We knew he was going to be special, we knew he’d be great, but by November it was all but confirmed.

The Islanders were taking full advantage, powering themselves to the second of the Metropolitan Division by the end of November.