For the first time since his rookie season, Barzal recorded a five-point night (3G, 2A) and in doing so, registered the third hat trick of his young career.
"What I liked about his play and he got rewarded for it is he played the right way," Trotz said. "He moved the puck, got it back, got open, went to the hard areas, drove to the net. He went to the slot and didn't try to do it by himself, he trusted his teammates. He was skating, He had lots of juice tonight, he got on the scoresheet and continued to be dangerous all night. He was hard to contain I'm sure for them and when he's using his teammates and moving the puck like he was and getting it back and making things happen he's going to get rewarded."
With his first goal of the game, Barzal made his second case for goal of the year - after scoring a between-the-legs stunner against Buffalo on March 6 - with a coast-to-coast beauty. The 23-year-old center jetted up the entirety of the ice from behind the Islanders net, wove in and out of the Caps lineup before burying a wrist shot short side of Vanecek at 16:09.
Barzal's second goal featured a spin-o-rama move at the goal mouth to tuck the puck past Samsonov in the final 1:07 of the first period. After Eberle corralled a Scott Mayfield point shot and sneakily fed it behind Samsonov, who was caught far out of his crease, Barzal spun his defender off with a 180 rotation to bury the backhander and his second goal of the game.
He nearly picked up his first hat trick of the season - and what would have been the third hat trick of his career - on a second-period breakaway, but Samsonov gloved his attempt.
Barzal's efforts finally broke through late in the third period with 1:06 left to play. He showcased his Opening-Day-esque talents and swatted a puck from mid-air past Samsonov for his third goal of the game and the Islanders' eighth and final goal.
The five-point night was encouraging for Barzal, who had gone without a goal for 10-straight games from March 7-27. Now, he's anything but dry as the electric forward has eight points (4G, 4A) in his last three games. He was complimentary of his linemates following the game, who, as a trio, totaled nine points (5G, 4A).
"We were just playing good hockey all night," Barzal said. "We probably could have had two or three more, just seemed like every time we got the puck, we made clean breakouts, clean rushes and just finding each other. When guys are playing to their strengths, that's when a line goes. Leo was doing his thing in the corner getting us the puck. Ebs was making his little plays and I was skating. When we're doing those things it can be a good line."
