Mathew Barzal led the New York Islanders to a 4-3 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues on March 11, capping a comeback from a three-goal deficit and earning the team’s Iron Man mask as player of the game.
The result is significant for the Islanders as it keeps them competitive in the Metropolitan Division standings. The team now has 79 points, tying them with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have one game in hand and sit in second place. Both teams are three points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who also won their game that night.
Barzal contributed to three of the Islanders’ four goals, including a secondary assist on JG Pageau’s goal late in the second period and another on Bo Horvat’s power-play goal that tied the score. In overtime, Barzal scored his seventh career OT winner by going one-on-one with Jordan Kyrou before scoring past Joel Hofer. This achievement moves him to fourth all-time in Islanders history for overtime winners, surpassing Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.
This was Barzal’s fourth three-point game of the season. The win also improved the Islanders’ record to a perfect 10-0 in games decided in overtime this season—the only unbeaten team in such situations—and set a new franchise record for most OT wins in a single season.
The outcome highlights both Barzal’s individual performance and its impact on the team’s playoff hopes as they continue their push within a tightly contested division.
