Horvat on Islanders crowd during playoff push: 'It's a lot better than Vancouver'

Former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat had some interesting words about his former club.

Horvat, who was traded to the New York Islanders on Jan. 30, is in the midst of a playoff push with his current club as they hold the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games to go in the regular season.

After recording a pair of assists to help the Islanders shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 Saturday night, Horvat was asked about the excitement in the building and support from the home crowd at UBS Arena.

"It's been unbelievable," Horvat said in an interview from the bench played over the arena's speakers. "It's a lot better than Vancouver. I can tell you that for free."

Horvat played eight-and-a-half seasons with the Canucks, who drafted him ninth overall in 2013. He was named Canucks captain in October 2019 ahead of their home opener celebrating their 50th season.

With the team mired in a slump and Horvat set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Canucks traded him to the Islanders for forward Anthony Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Raty and a conditional first-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.

Horvat signed an eight-year, $68 million extension with the Islanders on Feb. 8, just a little over a week after the trade.

The London, Ont., native has already set a new career high this season with 69 points including seven goals and 10 assists in 29 games with the Islanders.

New York (41-30-9) improved to 91 points on the season with the win Saturday night to stay one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and six points up on the Buffalo Sabres.

The Islanders visit the Washington Capitals on Monday then return home to host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday for their regular season finale.