Top Individual Performances of the 2017-18 Season

Hockey is the ultimate team game and the success or failure of a team depends on the sum of its parts. Unlike other sports, the top players in hockey still only see the ice for a third to half of a game - tops.
But while the collective supersedes the individual, there are some games where a guy just takes over. The Islanders had a handful of such performances this season and NewYorkIslanders.com is celebrating some of the best individual performances this season.

Video: NYI@NYR: Barzal records his second five-point game

MATHEW BARZAL'S FIVE-POINT GAME VS THE RANGERS - JAN. 13:

When it comes to top individual performances of the season, all three of Mathew Barzal's five-point games could occupy a spot on the list. Barzal became the first rookie in 100 years to post three, five-point games and the first to do so since Joe Malone in 1917-18. He led the Isles with 85 points and it's remarkable that 15 of them came from just three games.
With all due respect to Barzal's five-assist nights against Colorado and Detroit, his five-point game against the Rangers stands above the rest.
Barzal scored two goals - including the game-winner - and added three assists in a 7-2 takedown of the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, one of the Isles four wins against the Rangers this season.

Barzal seems to raise his game against the Rangers, scoring 10 points (3G, 7A) in four games vs the Isles archrivals, his most against any team in his rookie year.
In the process of his five-point night, Barzal scored an Isles goal-of-the-year candidate in the 7-2 win, zipping a backhand top corner past Ondrej Pavelec in the second period. Barzal's got a great release on his backhand, but to thread the needle top corner from 15 feet out was just ridiculous.
Head Coach Doug Weight summed it up pretty succinctly after the game: "Obviously Mat is special and made some real great plays."
Honorable Mentions:
Mathew Barzal's five-assist nights vs Colorado and Detroit
Jordan Eberle's four-assist night vs the Rangers

RYAN PULOCK FIVE-POINT GAME VS CHICAGO - JAN 20:

A five-point night from a forward is rare enough, but five-point nights from defensemen are seldom seen.
Ryan Pulock accomplished the feat on Jan. 20 scoring a goal and adding four assists in the Islanders 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Pulock became the first Islanders defenseman since Uwe Krupp in 1993 to record a five-point night, a 25-year span.
Pulock began his night with a three-point first period (1G, 2A), which included a snipe over the shoulder of Anton Forsberg. The rookie blueliner added another assist in the second period - on the eventual winner - and dished a helper in the third to complete the five-point affair.
That was a turning point in Pulock's season, as the rookie defenseman scored 23 of his 32 points from Jan. 20 onward.
"He was just real aggressive," Weight said of Pulock. "You see a difference when someone gets confident. They immediately get stronger, faster, braver, it's an amazing word. Pulie has been slowly getting confident."
Honorable Mention:
Johnny Boychuk's three-point game in Calgary

JAROSLAV HALAK & THOMAS GREISS POST BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS:

In a two-day span, the New York Islanders went from having zero shutouts to two - with two different goalies.
Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss pitched back-to-back shutouts for the Islanders on Feb. 15 and 16, turning aside a combined 95 shots in the process.
Halak was up first, making 50 saves in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers, further fortifying his command over the Isles crosstown rivals. Halak was a perfect 4-0-0 against the Rangers this season, posting a 1.47 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage over the four wins.
"I think 41 has the spell on the Rangers more than our team as a whole, he seems to play good every time we play them," Thomas Hickey said.

The next night Greiss did his part, stopping 45 shots in a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Greiss also suffered an ankle injury in the closing minutes of the win, but stayed in net to see the shutout through.
"He was outstanding," Weight said of Greiss. "He was just a big piece of that win. And on the team's behalf, I thought we had the best effort in front of Thomas we've had in the last six weeks."
Honorable mentions:
Jaroslav Halak stops 38-of-39 in 2-1 win in Vegas.
Thomas Greiss stops career-high 52 shots in 5-4 OT win in Montreal.

JOHN TAVARES' NATURAL HAT-TRICK VS NASHVILLE - OCT 28

John Tavares only needed 7:14 to score a natural hat trick in October, singing a sweet tune in Music City.
Tavares scored three straight goals to put the Islanders ahead 6-1 against the reigning Western Conference champions - also his second hat trick in four days after scoring three vs Arizona on Oct. 24.
Tavares' first goal was a redirection off an Anders Lee shot and he banked his second off a defenseman's skate in front of the net, but his third was an absolute beauty. It's not often we see Tavares stop and tee up a slap shot, but the captain powered one top corner to complete the trick.
Honorable Mentions:
Josh Bailey hat-trick vs Columbus
Brock Nelson hat-trick vs Detroit
Mathew Barzal hat-trick vs Winnipeg

CHRISTOPHER GIBSON'S 50-SAVE WIN VS CALGARY - MARCH 11

Christopher Gibson was a busy guy in his first three games with the Islanders this season. Gibson was thrown right into the fire with games in Pittsburgh, Edmonton and Calgary, facing off against some of the league's top talent.
Gibson picked up his first win of the season in Calgary, making 50 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Flames. Don't be fooled by the run support, Gibson played a huge role in the Islanders win, keeping the Flames at bay as they pressed in the second half of the game.
Gibson turned aside 37-of-38 shots in the final 40 minutes and stood tall as the Flames outshot the Islanders 19-4 in the third period. He became the first Finnish-born rookie to make 50 saves in a win.