Islanders: ‘PBP’ Line Producing, Why? Future Outlook

The New York Islanders may not have been victorious against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, as they fell 4-3 in a shootout. But Islanders head coach Barry Trotz continued to get production from his new top line.

On Tuesday, Trotz decided to elevate Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri to the top line alongside Mathew Barzal. Immediately that line clicked, with three goals in the 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Because they had played so well, that line went back at it against the San Jose Sharks.

After a two-goal performance against Seattle, Zach Parise stayed hot as he netted the tying goal in the second period, the 400th goal of his career.

Mathew Barzal showed off his patience and hockey IQ on Parise’s tally. Barzal bought some time along the boards as he played with the puck in the Vancouver zone before dropping it to a momentum-filled Sebastian Aho skating in behind him. And like Zach Parise has done throughout his career, he positioned himself in the low slot and made himself available for a pass.

Aho found him from behind the net as Parise beat James Reimer through the wickets.

All the cellys, hugs, and replays for Parise's 400th 😤 pic.twitter.com/SGLCeNUkeQ

— Isles on MSG+ (@IslesMSGN) February 25, 2022

Following a strong feed from Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech tied the contest at three late in the second period, just 19 seconds after Vancouver had taken the lead.

Again, Barzal showed off that awareness as he saw Pelech creep in from the Vancouver blue line, and the feed from no. 13 allowed Pelech to skate into that All-Star slapshot, which beat Reimer five-hole.

The population of the Pelech Posse continues to grow pic.twitter.com/5m86LosmC7

— Isles on MSG+ (@IslesMSGN) February 25, 2022

Over the last two games, that “PBP” line has produced seven goals and five assists, with a +13 rating.

Zach Parise has three goals over his last two games. Before Thursday’s contest, Kyle Palmieri had scored four goals over his previous four games. And Now Barzal has three assists over his previous two games.

To say things have clicked would be an understatement.

“Kyle’s signed to give us some offense, and he’s doing that right now,” Trotz said following Tuesday’s contest. Zach is signed to give us, you know…his numbers aren’t staggering the last couple of years, but it’s the other parts of his game that are so valuable that when you’re getting some offense and getting that, you know, that effort, which you get every night, is getting rewarded and you’ve got a balance there.”

Andes Lee had been a staple alongside Mathew Barzal for quite some time. But as Trotz said, sometimes you need a shakeup.

“I just felt that we needed a little more ‘dog on the bone’ type of (play) with Barzy. I think one of the things with Barzy is that he needs to have the puck. We want him to have the puck, and I thought to just give him a little change,” Trotz said regarding his decision to flip-flop Zach Parise and Anders Lee on Tuesday. “Anders has been doing it for three years. And sometimes you forget Anders is coming back from a major knee injury. And I forget sometimes, and he’s worked incredibly hard to get back.”

“But sometimes a freshness, and I just felt that Zach had that freshness with him.”

The “PBP” line has played well due to each player’s ability. Although the name for the line is just the first letter of each player’s last name, Barzal’s “B” is sandwiched between Parise and Palmieri, which reflects why the line has worked.

Parise and Palmieri are two players who crash the net hard, who get into the dirty areas. These two win puck battles, but more importantly, they read what Barzal is doing on the ice. And not only that, but they have the skating ability to keep up with him.

That had been an issue holding this line back with Anders Lee and Josh Bailey alongside Barzal. Lee is not the fastest skater in general, but coming off that torn ACL last March, you can tell that he is still working his way back, mentally and physically.

Bailey has the IQ to be a top player on this team, but at age 32, the speed of the game has impacted his ability to make the plays he wants to make. Over the last two games, Lee on the third line has not done much, while Bailey was a healthy scratch Thursday for the first time since 2015.

Trade rumors have spiked over the last week or so, and Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri are a part of them. With Palmieri only in the first season of a four-year deal and with how he’s played in the second half, the decision to move him would seem a bit premature.

Parise, and as much as he has been one of the New York Islanders most consistent forwards this season, is a pending UFA and a player that any playoff team would love to bring on board. And right now, Parise is upping his value.

With the Islanders playoff hopes rather slim, the time left in this season should be used to figure out who works well with who, which pieces do the Islanders want to retain, and which players are not part of the future.

It’s great to see Barzal surrounded by linemates that compliment his game, but is it worth it if it is not the line that will be around next year?

The 37-year old Parise initially signed with the New York Islanders this past offseason because he thought this was a team that would be vying for the Stanley Cup, the same way Palmieri and the Islanders came to terms on a four-year deal because they were “that close.”

It’s been difficult to find players who can play with Barzal. And even if the Islanders top line is not flashy with a big name like Filip Forsberg, Patrik Laine, or Johnny Gaudreau, it does not matter. There’s no guarantee that those players will work well with Barzal.

That’s not to say that Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello should avoid the stars, but we are at the point in Mathew Barzal’s career where he needs to be surrounded by players he feels comfortable with. And if that is Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri, so be it.

If Parise is moved at the deadline, the Islanders should bring him back this offseason, no questions asked, regardless if he plays with Barzal or not.

It’s been two games of dominance, not 10, not 20, not half a season. It will be interesting to see how long this threesome can keep it up and how long Trotz decides to run with them.

Although the Islanders are off tonight, there’s plenty of NHL action to bet on: https://betting.com/us/nhl.