Mathew Barzal shuts down the Patrick Roy rumor as Islanders pressure mounts
Photo credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mathew Barzal just buried the Patrick Roy rumor, and his words hit harder with the New York Islanders season on the edge.
Barzal did more than defend Roy. He exposed how lazy the outside read was on a room that still bought into its coach.
That matters on April 9. Roy was fired on April 6, Peter DeBoer took over, and New York entered its final push at 42-31-5, one point behind Ottawa for the second wild card with the Senators holding a game in hand.
If the room had gone cold on Roy, Barzal had an easy lane to stay safe. He chose the opposite and called the report ridiculous.
That tracks with what Barzal said in January, when he praised Roy's energy, his winning background, and the value of hearing those stories from Montreal.
You can see the edge in Barzal's answer when he slams the door on the idea that Roy's Cup talk wore players down.
"That couldn’t be more untrue. If anything, we love hearing stories about the teams that he was on that won the cups, especially his team in Montreal. He’d always bring up just how they were underdogs all year, and that kind of stuff fueled us. So that report is just, it’s completely ridiculous."
- Mat Barzal
- Mat Barzal
Mathew Barzal resets the New York Islanders story
Fans can sniff out fake damage control fast. This did not sound fake.
The bigger problem looks more tactical than personal. Mathieu Darche said the club had slipped, lost four straight, and needed a different voice, not a locker room revolt.
That points back at execution. The Islanders got squeezed in tight games, their margin vanished, and the late slide turned belief into stress.
Barzal has still produced 19-51-70 in 77 games, which is real top-six offense. This quote says his value right now also sits in how he protects the room from outside noise.
DeBoer gets the last few games to rescue the standings, but Barzal's pushback leaves a clear read. Roy may have lost his job, yet the Islanders' real crack was results, not respect.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Macklin Celebrini sends clear message about Connor McDavid after five-point night
Macklin Celebrini sends clear message about Connor McDavid after five-point night
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 9|127 ANSWERS Mathew Barzal shuts down the Patrick Roy rumor as Islanders pressure mounts Did Mathew Barzal reveal the real Islanders problem? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 79.5 % |
| No | 26 | 20.5 % |
| List of polls | ||