Islanders Top 3 Players of the Week: Mathew Barzal shines in great week

⭐️⭐️ Josh Bailey

It's time to give Josh Bailey credit where it's due. Bailey absolutely killed it last week and had quite the milestone week as well for himself and the Islanders as a whole.

First and foremost, we at Eyes on Isles would like to congratulate Josh Bailey on his 1,000th game with the Islanders. Bailey is only the third player to achieve such a feat. Besides Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier, Bailey is now the third Islander to reach 1,000 games played with the blue and orange.

On Wednesday against the Rangers, Bailey picked up his first goal of the season early in the third period. The goal not only extended the Islanders' lead to 2-0 but also finally got Bailey on the board in the point column in the new campaign. However, Friday night in Carolina was really where his milestone was hit.

Bailey's goal turned out to be the game-winning goal against the top team in the Eastern Conference. With around three minutes left in the second period, off a forced turnover by Alexander Romanov, and a beautiful assist by Barzal, Bailey was able to find the back of the net, giving the Islanders the 3-2 lead in Carolina.

"For Josh, it's fun to see that. You can't write it any better, him getting the game-winner. Huge part of the franchise and this team, so well deserved."

- Brock Nelson

While the game in Carolina marked Bailey's 1,000th game, it was made much more special by scoring a highlight reel, game-winning goal. Bailey gets a lot of hate from the fans, sometimes rightfully so, but when he's good, he's good. Bailey has become a cornerstone of the Islanders whether a lot of fans like it or not.