HENDERSON, Nevada- Mathew Barzal believes having Lane Lambert as their new head coach might be just what the New York Islanders need.

Lambert, who was the team’s associate coach for the past four seasons, was promoted to head coach on May 16 following the firing of Barry Trotz.

“Barry was awesome. I have nothing negative to say about him, Barzal said Thursday. But I think sometimes a team just needs a new voice, a new face. »

Barzal, who was on the NHL Players’ Media Tour of North America at Lifeguard Arena in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, believes the fact that Lambert was already with the team should make the transition easier.

« I think we all have a good relationship with him because he was our coach. [associé] in the last few years and that he has the respect of the locker room, which is really important for a coach who is coming, said the forward. I think he’s going to do a great job and I can’t wait for it to start. »

The Islanders finished last season with a 37-35-10 record and missed the playoffs, having reached the Stanley Cup semifinals the previous two seasons. Barzal recalled that the team had struggled due to absences due to COVID-19, and not due to a 13-game away streak at the start of the season since the construction of the new stadium of the he team, the UBS Arena, was not yet finished. What hurt the most was an 0-8-3 streak between Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

the attacker Josh Bailey received a positive test on November 16, then six other players, Anders Lee , Casey Cizikas , Ross Johnston , Adam Pelech Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene, ended up on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol between then and Nov. 27.

 » [La séquence sur la route], it wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t horrible, Barzal pointed out. It was COVID that was brutal for us. In the NHL, it’s impossible to be a competitive team if you’re missing eight players from your usual roster. These 11 games were therefore difficult. I took part in all of them and it was brutal. We were arrested during all the meetings. »

Barzal finished the season tied with Brock Nelson led the Islanders in scoring with 59 points, and his 15 goals were his career-worst tally.

The 25-year-old striker says he doesn’t feel any external pressure to perform better this season, and insists he’s putting pressure on himself to up his game and the team’s .

« I always put pressure on myself, no matter the situation, » he said. If we want to be successful, I have to be among the best players in the League. I don’t think I’ve been consistent over the past year. There are things that didn’t work that I’m not happy with.

“At the end of the day, it’s a team sport, and I know that when I play well, the team has a better chance of winning. »

Barzal can become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. He wouldn’t say if negotiations had started, but it was clear he wanted to stay in New York.

“I love Long Island, it’s a place I want to stay. It’s still a business, but in the end, I love Long Island. If we can find a middle ground that’s fair for everyone, I’ll sign tomorrow. »

But right now, his priority is getting the Islanders back to the playoffs.

“We have to be playoffs because we believe we have a playoff team. We have a good structure. We have players who can make a difference, and now it’s all about making the playoffs. »

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