Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Bo Horvat hasn’t scored in 12 games. TWELVE GAMES.
He’s pressing, slumping, and snake-bitten all at once, and that trifecta of bad juju was all on display in overtime in last night’s 2-1 loss to Montreal.
Coming down the left side on a 2-on-1 in the extra session, Horvat turned the puck over when trying to slip by the defenseman. The Canadiens would score on the ensuing possession when Nick Suzuku’s shot was stopped by Ilya Sorokin but deflected off Horvat’s skate and back on Suzuki’s blade for the game-winning goal and another losing point for the Islanders.
“I love Bo. He’s putting too much pressure on himself scoring goals,” said head coach Patrick Roy. “It’s his main focus. Bo Horvat is a 200-foot player. He’s a guy that will get those chances and will get those goals.”
Mathew Barzal was viewed as the main beneficiary of his arrival on Long Island, but stats imply that Horvat needs Barzal more than the other way around. While Anders Lee, Kylie Palmieri, and others have stepped up in Barzal and Anthony Duclair’s absence, Horvat has understandably put pressure on himself to score, something he needs to stop doing to find the net.
“He should keep playing his game. They [The goals] will come,” Roy added. “When you do good things out there, good things are going to happen to you. I would love to see Bo play free on the ice and not focus too much on scoring.”
