New York Islanders rookie Mathew Barzal continued making a name for himself Saturday by recording his first NHL hat trick in an afternoon victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
The Coquitlam, B.C., native’s performance caught the eye of Don Cherry.
“Three today. We aught to talk about this guy, a B.C. boy,” Cherry said Saturday night during the Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “He just popped out of nowhere.”
Heading into the 2017-18 campaign, Barzal, the 16th-overall pick from 2015, didn’t get the same type of Calder Trophy buzz players like Clayton Keller, Brock Boeser, Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick, Charlie McAvoy or even Islanders teammate Josh Ho-Sang were getting.
Yet Barzal has shown glimpses of a future superstar this season and with his three-goal outing he leapfrogged Boeser for the NHL rookie scoring lead.
“This guy’s got the magic hands, I’ll tell you that,” Cherry added.
Barzal now has 35 points in 36 games, which is all the more impressive when you consider he only had three points in his first nine games. Lately he has been playing on a line with Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle.
“Their line was excellent,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said after the game. “It was great to see him get the hat trick. He’s got composure at a young age.”
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