NY Islanders center Bo Horvat named NHL 2nd star of the week after catching fire

Both the New York Islanders and Team Canada needed Bo Horvat to knock the rust off before the Olympic break.

Horvat didn’t just do that — he caught fire.

On Thursday, the National Hockey League named the Islanders forward its Second Star for the week ending Feb. 5, a fitting capper to a stretch in which Horvat looked fully back to his driving, difference-making self at exactly the right moment.

After returning from injury late last month, Horvat had three meaningful games to rediscover his timing, pace, and touch before heading to Milan with Team Canada. He responded with five points (three goals, two assists) in three games — and, more importantly, two game-winning goals against Metropolitan Division opponents.

On Feb. 3, Horvat delivered one of his best performances as an Islander, posting two goals and an assist — including the overtime winner — in a 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh. He finished the night with a career-best plus-5 rating and powered New York to its league-leading sixth overtime win of the season.

Two nights later, Horvat followed it up with another statement, recording a goal and an assist in a 3-1 road win over New Jersey in the Islanders’ final game before the Olympic break. His third-period winner was his fifth game-winning goal of the season and the 600th point of his NHL career — just the second time in 12 seasons he’s scored game-winners in back-to-back games.

Through 44 games, Horvat leads the Islanders in goals (24), multi-goal games (5), and multi-point performances (12), placing him among the most productive Islanders scorers of the past three decades at this stage of a season.

For the Islanders, Horvat’s surge steadied a playoff push. For Canada, it confirmed something just as important: their center is heading to the Olympics sharp, confident, and rolling.