Bo Horvat has never gotten off to this sort of start to a season before.
The New York Islanders’ veteran center is producing at over a point-per-game clip with six goals and five assists in his team’s first nine games of the 2025-26 season. For comparison’s sake, he did not score his sixth goal of the season last year until Game No. 28. Point No. 11 did not come until Game No. 14.
“Honestly, things are just going in,” Horvat told amNewYork. “I’ve been getting a lot of chances early. I think in years past, I don’t know how many shots I’ve had… but it feels like I’ve been getting at least five, six, seven a night. So eventually, those are gonna start to go in. Getting those opportunities for me is big, and then when you’re getting them, and capitalizing on them, I think it all just falls into place that way.”
The 30-year-old ranks within the NHL’s top 20 in shots on goal with 34. It’s only the second time in his career that he has had this many attempts land on net through his first nine games (2023-24). His 58 shot attempts are also a new high, meaning he’s attempting nearly 6.5 shots per game.
“You have to get the bounces, but at the same time, you gotta create your own bounces, too,” Horvat added.
His bump in production is coming from what he considers to be a combination of “puck luck” and a new line that finally promises some sustainability moving forward. Rather than the carousel of wingers that surrounded him across his first one-and-a-half seasons with the Islanders, Horvat is centering two new wingers in Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heineman, who have stepped in seamlessly.
Drouin has six points in eight games while Heineman has dazzled since coming over from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson deal, potting five goals in nine games. He had 10 in 62 games all of last season.
“Credit to them for my success,” Horvat said. “I think we’re getting more comfortable with each other and knowing where we’re going to be out there… there’s still room for growth, but we’ll just continue reading off each other and getting better.”
