If the Islanders are going to win Game 3 tonight, they need Bo Horvat to play like a star. They need him to be the best player on the ice, the leader, and to provide more offense than he has shown. That is what they acquired him for.
Bo Horvat has played 111 games for the Islanders since he was acquired in a midseason trade with the Vancouver Canucks last season. I’ve seen enough to say he has been a disappointment. Yes, he scored 33 goals this season. Yes, he scored a goal in the Islanders’ 5-3 Game 2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
How many of those goals were goals he scored when it didn’t matter? Where was he when the Islanders needed him the most, like in Game 2 when they needed him to score in the third period to answer the Hurricanes’ run? He hasn’t been a factor when the situation calls him to step up. The Islanders acquired him to be the guy, and too often, he has been a passenger rather than a driver. He comes off as soft rather than a grinder.
Horvat earned a minus-two rating in this series against Carolina. He managed only three shots in Game 2, which is unacceptable for a player of his caliber. He didn’t record a hit. He was so passive in that third period. If he plays like that, the Islanders will not beat the Hurricanes. They need him to figure it out in Game 3 when the series shifts to UBS Arena on Thursday night. He is one of the players who needs home cooking.
It would be nice if he could score a multi-goal in this series. He only scored four multi-goals all season.
It would also be nice if he could put more pressure on the offense when he has the puck. He needs to create traffic, do a better job with puck handling, and be quick with the puck. In other words, he needs to do what an elite scorer has to do. It’s time for him to fight to the front of the net and finish his scoring chances. Too often, he gives up too quickly.
We haven’t seen Horvat play with abandon in his time here. He seems too passive, tries too hard to fit in, and is too unselfish for his own good. He must stop taking a back seat to Mat Barzal and Brock Nelson altogether.
It’s great that he is durable, that he works hard, and that he speaks up. But the only thing that matters is putting the puck in the net in a tight game. Too often, he hasn’t delivered.
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy hasn’t called him out for fear of losing him, so he has no choice but to coddle. Still, one has to wonder how much patience this proud coach will have for him. Eventually, he is going to get frustrated. Remarkably, he has been so calm during his time here, but his patience runs out sooner or later.
Horvat is here for the long haul. Days after he was acquired last season, he signed an eight-year extension. The Islanders need to get a lot more from him throughout his contract. He is only 29, so his best days are not behind him. He must show that his best days as an Islander will come. It would be nice if he started showing that now.
Right now, he’s a poor man’s John Tavares. Both put out great numbers, but both come up small way too often. Horvat needs to change that perception by providing more offense than he has shown in this series. The spotlight has to be on him. He came in as a mercenary and has yet to fit in.
He has been here for a year. It’s time for him to stop adapting and start doing. Do it Thursday.
