New York Islanders: How To Get Anthony Beauvillier Scoring Again

Anthony Beauvillier has slowed down for the New York Islanders recently. Here’s how they can get him producing on offense again.

It’s been a very odd season for Anthony Beauvillier in 2018-2019. After a season full of bus trips to Bridgeport, Beauvillier came on strong in the second half of 2017-2018 for the New York Islanders and the expectation was that he’d start the same way this year too.

He started about as ice cold as you could possibly get. He had one goal, his only point, in 16 games. It took Beau a demotion to the third line and a Michael Dal Colle call up but he caught on fire in game 17.

He scored four goals in two games and ended up having a productive November and early December. Now, heading into mid-January, Beau has cooled off once again. In the last eight games, he’s been held without a goal and has just three assists.

Right now, he’s playing with Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey on the top line. If Beau, the finisher of that line, isn’t finding the net you have to shuffle up the forward lines in order to create some magic.

Perhaps a line combination like this can help jump-start Beauvillier and the rest of the offense:

Lee – Barzal – Eberle

Dal Colle – Nelson – Bailey

Beauvillier – Filppula – Komarov

Martin – Cizikas – Clutterbuck

Right now Barzal is carrying his line, like by a lot. Barzal is a superstar so putting someone who is on pace for 30 goals on his wing could be effective. Putting Jordan Eberle on the right side is in hopes that he catches on and plays just like he did last year with Mathew Barzal on the second line.

The second line is an interesting shakeup. Brock Nelson has been fantastic this year for the Isles. With 15 goals he’s on pace for a career high of 30 goals, as it looks like he’s reaching his potential that Islanders fans have been waiting for since he was drafted.

On the right is old reliable Josh Bailey. He’s not flashy, he won’t score a ton but he’s effective and he’s on pace for 62 points which is the perfect fit for a second line. Putting Michael Dal Colle on the second line is a bit of a stretch but I’d like to try it.

The idea here is that Nelson can act as the shooter, Bailey as the playmaker and Dal Colle as the net-front presence. MDC is six-foot-three and 204 pounds, he should be able to hold his own in front and it might put him in a position for more scoring chances.

The third line is attempting to recreate the magic that we saw earlier this year. Beau really stepped up his game on the third line with Filppula and Komarov. Those are two vets who can hopefully get Beau back to doing what he does best, score.

At the end of the day, Beauvillier might not be a consistent top-six player. It’s hard to project what he’ll be at the NHL level with his inconsistency. Maybe a third liner who gives you 40-45 points is what he’ll be and that’s completly fine.

Of course, the old fourth line is fine you don’t have to touch it. The three of them work well together in their role and have revitalized the Islanders bottom six after last year’s disaster.

A move to the third line would prove much more beneficial than a scratch pad day or a trip to Bridgeport. Beauvillier, Ho-Sang and Dal Colle have done just about all they can in the AHL. Now it’s about figure it out at the NHL level.