New York Islanders: Anthony Beauvillier Over-Under 44.5 Points

Coming off a breakout second half with the New York Islanders, can Anthony Beauvillier capitalize on it and finish with 45 points or more or will he be 44 or under?

In his second year in the NHL, at 20-years-old, Anthony Beauvillier had a very successful season with the New York Islanders. It was a year that included trips to the AHL, but he finished strong and made a name for himself in the top-six.

In 71 games, Beau finished with 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists). Anthony started slow, in his first 20 games he only had six points on the season. It was January onward where Beauvillier saw his most success, after a trip to the minors.

Beau played 71 games last year, so if you cut that number in half it rounds out to 36 games as the halfway point. In his first 36 games, Beau had 12 points (8 goals, 4 assists). From games 37 to 71 Beau had 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists). His production doubled.

Arguably the biggest reason for the increase was joining Mathew Barzal on the second line. He found some great chemistry with Barzy and Eberle and they became one of the more productive second lines in the sport.

This year, there’s no guarantee that he plays with Barzal again. In all likelihood, Barzal and Eberle move up to the top-line, which leaves either Beauvillier or the 40-goal scorer, Anders Lee, to go on their left wing.

You can make a fair argument for either guy taking that spot. I think I would prefer to keep Beauvillier – Barzal – Eberle together and then keep Bailey and Lee together on the second line.

Yes, there’s always a chance that a player regresses to the mean, but Beauvillier showed way too many signs of improvement in 2017-2018 to think he’ll put up 30 points again. If he continues to play like he did in the second half last year he can be a top-six forward for this team for a very long time.

I’m hammering the over here. Finishing with 45 points or more for Beau should be doable, especially if he does end up playing with Barzal again. 2018-2019 can be a fun year if we can watch the likes of Anthony Beauvillier, Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock and hopefully others develop their game.