Bo Horvat stayed hot in the face-off circle for the NY Islanders with a perfect night

New York Islanders center Bo Horvat has been struggling to find the back of the net this season, scoring only five goals in 22 games after three straight 30+ goal seasons. While we wait for the 29-year-old to get hot, he's doing his best to contribute in other ways.

There's no substitute for scoring goals, but he has been dominant in face-offs, winning 57.8% this season, which would be a new career high. “Bo was on fire, winning 80% but all of our guys were really sharp,” head coach Patrick Roy said of Horvat’s after Saturday’s win. “All season we’ve been very good in faceoffs. has been working with the guys.”

Horvat stayed hot on Monday night, winning all seven draws he took versus the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the sixth NHL player to go 7-0 or better this season. According to statistician Eric Hornick, Horvat is the first Islander to go 7-0 or better since Derek Brassard went 8-0 against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020.

Overall, it was a spectacular face-off night for the Islanders' centers, winning 27 of 40 overall (67.5%) to improve on their NHL best-mark of 56.2%. The Toronto Maple Leafs (53.8) and Edmonton Oilers follow (53.4%). As good as Horvat's been, he doesn't have the highest percentage of face-off wins on the team. That designation goes to JG Pageau, who is winning 60.7% of his draws.

“It’s a one-on-one battle that you try to win every time,” Pageau said. “Everyone is involved, it’s not only the centers, but you also need the wingers and the d-men to help you out and win those battles. They’re key moments of the game, so we have to keep improving and keep working on it.”