Bo Horvat displays his skill with the Islander’s first goal

The ink is barely dry on his $68-million contract extensionPeople still wrap their hands around this problem around the big tradeBo Horvat already makes a difference for New York Islanders. Horvat scored his first goal for the Islanders on Tuesday to help his new club defeat the Seattle Kraken by 4-0.

Perhaps fittingly, Horvat’s 32nd tally of the season — and first in an Isles sweater — set a new career-high for goals for the former Canucks captain. With 55 points in 51 games, Horvat’s also well on his way to achieving a new personal-best for points (61 back in 2018-19).

That goal, in some ways, is what Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello most likely imagined: Mathew Barzal, dynamic center, using his elusiveness and playmaking to get to Horvat where he makes his (clearly lucrative) living: the “home-plate” area in front of the net.

However, it might be more fun because of the imperfections. While Barzal found Horvat alone in a dangerous area with plenty of time and space, the puck wasn’t perfectly flat. To score the goal it required precision and amazing hand-eye coordination. Horvat is a great asset to the Islanders.

During his Islanders debut on Monday, Horvat didn’t generate any points, but he fired four shots on goal, and the Islanders beat the Flyers 2-1. Going forward, Horvat gives the Islanders a sorely-needed sniper, not to mention someone who can win some key draws — including on a power play that could use some help.

After Tuesday’s victory, the Islanders are now on a four-game winning streak, improving their record to 27-22-5. While there’s still a lot of work to do to actually earn a playoff spot, the Bo Horvat experiment is off to a promising start for the Islanders.

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