Having Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat on two different lines certainly wasn’t the Islanders’ biggest problem through 10 games.

If anything, moving Barzal back to center was working reasonably well, and Horvat’s line with Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heineman was the Islanders’ best.

And still, there is something different — something extra — that gets unlocked when the Islanders’ best two forwards are playing alongside each other. And if Cal Ritchie, the top prospect who made his Islanders debut in Friday’s win over the Capitals , is at his best playing center, then there is suddenly an opening to rejoin the two stars.

Bo Horvat (14) celebrates his goal with center Mathew Barzal (13) during the third period of the Islanders’ win over the Capitals on Oct. 31, 2025. AP

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