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The Skinny: Isles 3, Carolina 2 (2-OT) (Carolina leads series 3-1)

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Eastern Conference Round 1, Game 4 Isles 3, Carolina 2 (2-OT) Carolina Leads Series 3-1 They're A...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

It was 28 years ago today...

In addition to being Doug Weight's 39th birthday, tonight's game will be played on the 28th anniversary of the start of the Isles then-record 15-game winning streak.

On January 21, 1982, the Isles defeated the Penguins 6-1 to begin the streak.  Bryan Trottier scored the winning goal, on a 4-on-4 late in the 2nd period.  It was his 250th NHL goal, and came in Denis Potvin's 600th NHL game.

My scoresheet from that night carries a couple of other notes:

Bobby Bourne had a pair of goals while Brent Sutter, Clark Gillies and Billy Carroll also scored for the Isles.  Rick MacLeish had the Penguin goal.

Gillies, Trottier and Bossy all had points in 15 of the last 16.

On a personal note, the scorebook also carries the notation: "My first game!"  While it wasn't the first Isles game I attended--that had come nearly ten years earlier, it was the first game I attended without a ticket.  It was the night I debuted as the statistician on Islander telecasts, a role that I continue to hold today.

The Islanders are 6-1-1 all-time at home on this date, including a 2-1 victory over Anaheim last season. To show how much has changed in a year in Islander-land, Kurtis McLean (who is playing in Finland this season) had the winning goal - the only one he has ever scored in an NHL game.  Nate Thompson, claimed on waivers today by Tampa Bay, had the Isles' only shot in the final 31:02--shorthanded, from his own zone, no less! Yann Danis recorded his first win as an Islander as the Isles recorded their first victory of 2009 (breaking an 8-game losing streak (0-7-1)).
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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