Mathew Barzal Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

It seems like the New York Islanders have disappointed us all season long. I can’t overlook them in a matchup here against a Buffalo team that has been in a complete tailspin. Buffalo has given up 3.11 GA/60 in the month of March. Mathew Barzal, Jordan Eberle, and Anders Lee are my go to stack in this game. The Islanders have generated 13.07 HDCF/60 in the month of March, which is very encouraging. Devon Toews is a great salary saver on defense and playing on the top power-play unit.

There was plenty of talk of how Mathew Barzal would do this season with John Tavares out of town. On one hand, he was going to be the top line centre, top power play unit, he was going to be the man. However, he was also now going to face the toughest matchups rather than having a bit more freedom on the second line. Well, he has shut the critics down as he has been completely dominant this season. Barzal has put up 13 goals and 43 points in 46 games playing in more of a 1a/1b line role as Anders Lee anchors his own line from the left side. Barzal will be with Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier as the New York Islanders take on the Washington Capitals this evening. The Islanders are on the tail-end of a back-to-back which is not ideal, but the Caps have struggled from a possession standpoint as of late. Since the Christmas break, Washington has the 24th ranked CF% at 47.53 and allowed a 60.99 CA/60 which is the sixth worst in that time frame.

The Islanders like they are starting to buy into the system that Barry Trotz has laid out for them as evidence of the team going 8-2 in their last 10 games. Mathew Barzal has been big part of this as he has snagged nine goals and four assists over the last nine games. Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier skate with him on the 5x5 situations but Barzal has also tallied 14 of his 38 points while the team has had the extra attacker. This is important because the Blues just happen to lead the league with 11 power play goals given up over the last three weeks. This equates to a 60% penalty kill average for the Blues so taking a look at the Islanders power play unit is definitely worth a look this evening.

With 15 points in his last 10 games, Mathew Barzal is really starting to heat up. He's playing between Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey as the New York Islanders host the Chicago Blackhawks. The Islanders have won seven of their last eight games, scoring at least three goals in each of their seven wins. They now take on a team that has struggled as of late, with the Blackhawks sporting an ugly 63.18 CA/60 over the last three weeks which is the third-worst mark in the NHL. Barzal is a solid one-off play as his wingers don't play on the same power play unit as him, but they both play on the second unit together so there is some correlation on PP2 if you stack this line.

Mathew Barzal is centering Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey as the New York Islanders host the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa has been terrible defensively and whole they've been better as of late, they are still allowing a league-worst 3.89 goals against per game. As the top centre with John Tavares off to Toronto, Barzal has done a fine job picking up 29 points in 35 games. Barzal and Bailey are both on the top power play unit as well which is great considering Ottawa has the 30th ranked PK which kills off just 74.3 percent of their penalties.

Perhaps the most interesting game of the night, the streaking Capitals, winners of five straight, head to Brooklyn to take on the New York Islanders who haven't been the same doormat they were last season. While the Islanders are not a very inspiring offense, they are averaging 3.50 goals per game on home ice. Barzal had a slow start to November, but since then he has picked up two goals and six assists in his last eight contests. Barzal has also been more aggressive during this stretch, averaging three shots on goal per game. Last season against the Capitals, Barzal buried a goal and three assists in four meetings. Even on a five game slate, Barzal will not see the ownership of some of the other centers available like Barkov, Backstrom, and Tavares. Roll with him in tournaments.

We have yet to see the monstrous ceiling game from Mathew Barzal, but he does have five multi-point efforts in 17 games this season, and he seems to be finding his game lately, gathering a goal and three assists over his last three games. As a rookie last season, Barzal reigned supreme in the "Battle of New York" as the talented center tallied a jaw-dropping 10 points (3G, 7A) in just four meetings against the New York Rangers. With a moderate price tag on both DraftKings ($5,500) and FanDuel ($5,800), we could see Barzal erupt against a Rangers' team which has allowed 3.89 goals per game so far in their nine road games this season. Fire him up as an elite tournament play.

Sophomore center Mathew Barzal has been quite reluctant to shoot, taking just nine shots on goal in 10 games, so we have yet to see his ceiling-type game, but tonight could be the night. Pittsburgh's offense is always the hot topic, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired as noted by their Eastern Conference-worst expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.86 xGA/60) at 5v5. Matt Murray has been more miss (6, 5, 5) than hit (0, 1) in goals allowed in his five starts despite posting a 4-1 record. The Islanders check in as heavy underdogs which will make sure Barzal flies under the radar, but the Penguins have been a team that often plays down to their competition. Furthermore, the Penguins are banged up right now with Kris Letang being a game time decision. Under Barry Trotz, the Islanders have been a tougher nut to crack than people had expected.

Mathew Barzal has a very quiet seven points in seven games to start the season, though just one goal and seven shots are not ideal. He's playing with Jordan Eberle and the pointless Anthony Beauvillier. They are taking on the Florida Panthers, a team that is allowing four goals against per game — the third worst mark in the NHL. With the Islanders on home ice getting a slight boost, it is Barzal and Eberle that stand out a bit more as they play on the top power play unit together. Though, Beauvillier is very cheap at just $3,500 so even though he's pointless, he is a cheap third-wheel to include in your full-line stack at a discount. He has the talent to really bounce back from this slow start and you want to be on him the game he does so, not the game after.

If you're looking to differentiate your lineup without fading the Islanders in a great matchup, consider taking the second line which features rookie standout Mathew Barzal, Jordan Eberle, and Anthony Beauvillier. They draw a juicy matchup at home against a hapless Rangers squad that has allowed the most high danger scoring chances among road teams over their past 25 games. This bodes well for the second line of the Islanders, who enter tonight's game with a combined 32 points over their last 10 games, which includes a whopping 19 points in just three previous meeting against their cross town rivals.