Islanders’ Bo Horvat notches assist while avoiding bird on the ice in hilarious mic’d-up moment

The New York Islanders are having a solid 2025-26 campaign. The team is right now in a position to be playing inthe Stanley Cup Playoffs, which could lead to the Islanders being aggressive at the trade deadline. On Tuesday night, they took an overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, but one of the best moments of the night may have been what Bo Horvat said when mic’d up.

“There’s a bird in here. I ran into him. Dude, I ran into him behind the net. Poor guy,” Horvat was caught saying to teammates after assisting on Matthew Schaefer’s goal in the first period.

Bo Horvat was mic’d up for the Bird Goal in the 1st period.

It’s incredible. pic.twitter.com/TqY0x6PTPw

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026

Horvat was clearly shocked by the presence of a real bird on the ice, not just his opponent, the Penguins. The bird may have been some good luck for the Islanders’ forward. Prior to his run-in with his new feathered friend, Horvat scored in the first period to tie the game at one, and then assisted in the period to give the team the lead.

The Penguins would score twice in the second period to take the lead, but Mathew Barzal tied it in the third. Justin Brazeau broke the tie for the Penguins, but Ryan Pulock would tie the game again, leading to overtime. Horvat then got the overtime winner to take the victory and an extra point in the standings.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel good. Always great to get on the scoreboard. It’s always great to score and help your team that way,” Horvat said after the game, according to Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

After the victory, the newest member of the Islanders, dubbed “Rally Bird”, was released back into the wild.

Update: Rally bird has been released back into the wild! pic.twitter.com/01Yytj8lmC

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026

The win placed the Islanders at 31-21-5 on the season, which is good for third in the Metropolitan Division. They are also just one point behind the Penguins for second in the division. The Islanders will play their final game before the Olympic break on Thursday, visiting the New Jersey Devils. Maybe Rally Bird will take the short flight to Newark for the contest.

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