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The Skinny: Rangers 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Game 68 Rangers 5, Isles 2 Johnny Brodzinski broke a 2-2 tie with 4:59 left in the middle period and ...

Friday, March 01, 2013

The Skinny: Toronto 5, Isles 4 (OT)

"The Skinny"

 By Eric Hornick
 
Game 21
Toronto 5, Isles 4 (OT)
Dion Phaneuf scored 1:11 into overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled Kyle Okposo's biggest night of the season, as they defeated the Islanders 5-4 before 9,222 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  Nazem Kadri recorded his first career hat trick for the Leafs while Michael Grabner was stopped on a penalty shot in the first Isles game with no penalty minutes since 1980.

The Scoring:
 
1st Period
03:34    NYI       J. Bailey (1) Snap - ASST: K. Okposo (5) AND A. MacDonald (3)            1 - 0 NYI          
08:31    TOR      N. Kadri (6) Wrist - ASST: M. Fraser (3)   1 - 1 TIE           
 
2nd Period
06:22    NYI       L. Visnovsky (1) Slap - ASST: C. Cizikas (5) AND C. McDonald (3)          2 - 1 NYI          
08:55    TOR      N. Kadri (7) Wrist - ASST: M. Fraser (4) AND C. Franson (12)       2 - 2 TIE           
10:25    TOR      J. van Riemsdyk (12) Wrist - ASST: D. Steckel (1) AND C. Orr (2)            3 - 2 TOR         
14:12    TOR      N. Kadri (8) Wrist - ASST: M. Kostka (7) AND C. Gunnarsson (5) 4 - 2 TOR         
 
3rd Period
05:31    NYI       A. MacDonald (1) Slap - ASST: K. Okposo (6) AND M. Streit (7) 4 - 3 TOR         
10:08    NYI       K. Okposo (2) Wrist - ASST: NONE        4 - 4 TIE           
 
OT Period
01:11    TOR      D. Phaneuf (4) Slap - ASST: M. Grabovski (4) AND C. MacArthur (5)        5 - 4 TOR         
 
The Penalty Shot
Grabner's attempt was an NHL-leading third for the Islanders this season; John Tavares and David Ullstrom had the others.  All of them have been at home, and all have been unsuccessful.  The Isles have failed on 17 of their last 18 regular season home ice penalty shots, dating back to a goal by Tim Connolly on 3/21/00. Michael Grabner scored in last season's finale for the only success in that span. (Shawn Bates connected in a 2002 playoff game; 16 of the 17 regular season failures have occurred since then). 
It was the 54th penalty shot in Islander regular season history; they have scored only 14 times (26%).  Four of those attempts have come against Toronto.  Four different Islander shooters have faced the Leafs; all have been stopped, including Matt Martin against James Reimer in 2011.
Grabner ties the Islander club record for career penalty shot attempts with five; he has scored only once.  Brad Isbister also had five penalty shot attempts.
Leaguewide, shooters are 3-15 this season.

The Skinny: The Isles have scored four goals in the first periods of their last three games after scoring only seven first-period goals in their first 18 games… The Isles are 0-7-1 when John Tavares is held without a point… Kadri is the first Leaf to record a hat trick against the Isles since Darryl Sittler (10-14-78 in Toronto) and the first to do so on Long Island since Paul Henderson did so 39 years ago to the day (2-28-74)… Okposo had a goal and two assists as he recorded his sixth career three-point game…The Isles got goals from two defensemen for the first time since February 13, 2011 in Buffalo when Milan Jurcina and Ty Wishart both scored…There were two video reviews, both on potential Islander goals, and both were denied… Each of the first three Islander goals were "first goals" of the season… James van Riemsdyk, acquired from the Flyers in the off-season now has 12 goals; he had only 11 in 43 games last season.
 
The Shots:
Isles     6-11-9-1=27
Leafs   9-10-8-1=28
 
Home and Road
The Islanders are 8-11-2 overall, 2-8-1 at home and 6-3-1 on the road. 
It's only the 5th time in 40 seasons that the Isles have earned five or fewer points in the first 11 home games:
·         1989-90 (1-8-2, 4 points)
·         1972-73, 1995-96, 1999-2000 and 2012-13 (all 2-8-1, 5 points)
The Isles are 0-3-1 in their last four home games, and have allowed 20 goals in that span.  It's the most goals the Isles have allowed in a 4-home game stretch since they also allowed 20 between October 13-27, 2008.

The Leafs are 13-9-0 overall, 4-5-0 at home and 9-4-0 on the road.

In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves but falls to 8-7-2.
James Riemer made 23 saves for Toronto in his first game since being injured vs. Philadelphia on February 11th.  He is now 7-3-0 on the season.

Power Plays
There were no power plays in an Islander game for the first time since April 7, 2001 in Boston (final game of the season).
Neither team was charged with a penalty minute for the first time in an Islander game since January 26, 1980 vs. Hartford.  The Isles also played a penalty-free game on February 4, 1973 in Buffalo.
The Isles are 7-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 1-9-1 when they do not.

Comeback Kids
The Isles earned their seventh point of the season in a game that they trailed by two goals (with previous wins in Toronto, in New York (Rangers), and in Montreal).
It was the first time that the Isles rallied from a 2-goal third period deficit to earn a point since February 24, 2011 in Philadelphia.  Like tonight, the Isles lost that game in overtime.

As Seen on MSG+
Most goals by Defenseman, since 2005-06:
1.     Shea Weber 102
2.     Dion Phaneuf 101
3.     Zdeno Chara 98
4.     Lubomir Visnovsky 91
5.     Nicklas Lidstrom 91

They Said It
Nasem Kadri: "Dion (Phaneuf) grabbed the (first career) hat trick puck for me so I'm really excited to have that. I have high expectations for myself so this is a proud moment for me."

They Tweeted It
@StapeNewsday #Isles get at least a point out of this wildness. 4-4 heading to OT. Nabokov was insanely good in the third.

The Coach
"The line changes hurt us in the second, but we came back in the 3rd"

Even at 5-on-5
Each team scored 4 goals in 5-on-5 play.  The Isles have allowed an NHL-high 53 goals at 5-on-5. 

As Tavares Goes…
The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 1-0-1 when he has three points, 3-2-0 when he has two points, 3-2-0 when he has one point, and 0-7-1 when Tavares is pointless.

What a Pair!
John Tavares and Matt Moulson were held scoreless but have combined for an NHL-leading 23 goals among teammates.
Moulson has assisted on 10 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season.

Head of the Class
John Tavares has 227 career points; he is 60 points ahead of Matt Duchene for most among 2009 draft picks.  No other player in that draft is anywhere close.  Tavares also has more goals and more assists than any other player in that draft.

Friends, Friends, Friends  
Matt Moulson has ten goals this season; John Tavares has earned an assist on seven of them.  Tavares has now been on-ice for 39 consecutive Moulson goals, earning assists on 25 of them, dating back to a Moulson goal on November 26, 2011 against New Jersey.  Since November of 2010, Tavares has been on-ice for 69 of 70 Moulson goals, earning 47 assists.

113 NHL Goals
Moulson has 113 career goals (107 as an Islander).  While 262 players were selected before the Penguins chose Moulson in the 2003 entry draft, only 17 have more goals.  Moulson is two goals behind Nikolai Zherdev for 16th place.

Leading Ice Men
Travis Hamonic played 24:40 to lead the Isles.  Dion Phaneuf led Toronto with 24:12.

In the Circle
The Islanders won 33 draws; the Leafs won 26.  Frans Nielsen won 10 of 16 for the Isles; Mikhail Grabovski won 8 of 14 for Toronto.

Heavy Hitters
The Islanders were out-hit 42-23; Matt Martin led the Isles with nine hits; he now leads the NHL with 93. Toronto has 653 hits, tops in the NHL. There were no fights, leaving the Isles' season total at 10.

Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 14 blocked shots. Travis Hamonic led the Isles with five.

Under .500
The Islanders remain one game under all-time NHL .500 (1355-1356-434 in 3,145 games).  The Isles have been one game below .500 twice last season and four times this season. Prior to that, they had not been below NHL .500 since they were 177-178-83 prior to their victory on January 16, 1978.

3 Usually Enough
The Isles are 8-1-2 when scoring at least three goals and 0-10-0 when scoring two or less.  Dating back to last year, the Isles have lost 15 straight (0-15-0) and 21 of 22 (1-20-1) when scoring two or fewer goals.

Looking Forward to March
The Isles were 4-2-1 in January, outscoring their opponents 27-23.  The Isles finish 4-9-1 in February, they were outscored 50-33.  The 9 regulation losses in February are the most the club has suffered in February since they lost 11 in 1973.

Battling the Northeast
This was the sixth game in an eight game stretch that the Islanders play seven Northeast opponents. The Isles are 2-2-1 against their first five Northeast opponents, with Ottawa and Montreal upcoming.

Nobody Beats the Viz
Lubomir Visnovsky has been on ice for 20 of the 30 Islander goals in his ten games with the team.  Being on the ice when is team scores is nothing new for Visnovsky; he led the entire NHL in 2010-11 when he was on-ice for 146 Anaheim goals (13 more than Henrik Sedin).

Howie's Count
Here's a number that Howie Rose likes to refer to from time-to-time. Lubomir Visnovsky is the sixth player to score his first goal as an Islander this season, joining Brad Boyes, Keith Aucoin, Casey Cizikas Colin MacDonald and Thomas Hickey. 327 players in Islander history have scored a goal.

Lots of Home Cooking
This was the third game of a seven-game homestand, which matches the club record.
·         October 7- October 28, 1972  (1-5-1 in the first seven games in club history)
·         December 19, 2000- January 2, 2001  (2-5-0)
·         November 21-December 4, 2001 (3-2-2)
·         October 14- October 31, 2006 (4-1-2)
·         February 15-March 1, 2007 (5-1-1)          
·         February 24-March 9, 2013 (0-2-1 with four games to play)

Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 267 games since joining the team.  Moulson's streak is the longest for an Islander in the Post-Cup era.  Billy Harris played in the first 576 games in Islander history; that figure still stands as the club record. 
Three other Islanders, Frans Nielsen, John Tavares and Mark Streit, also played in every game last season.  Tavares extended his streak to 180 consecutive games, while Nielsen and Streit have each played in 103.

Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Islander History 
1. Billy Harris 576 
2. Bob Nystrom 301
3. Matt Moulson 267
3. Denis Potvin 262
 
Century Club
 
Mark Streit is the 9th Islander defenseman to play at least 100 consecutive games.
1.     Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979  262
2.     Bryan McCabe 10/7/95-2/4/98 220
3.     Gerry Hart 3/1/75-11/22/77 198
4.     Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136
5.     Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134
6.     Travis Hamonic 11/24/10 – 2/4/12 113
7.     Jean Potvin 10/23/75-1/2/77 110
8.     Kenny Jonsson 12/26/96-2/4/98 104
9.     Mark Streit  10/8/11-CURRENT 103
 
Hamonic, McCabe and Morrow's streaks came at the start of their NHL careers.  Both Niinimaa's streak and McCabe's streak encompassed their entire Islander careers.
 
Missing Men
Eric Boulton and Joe Finley replaced David Ullstrom and Radek Martinek in the lineup. Keith Aucoin was also scratched. Matt Carkner and Brian Strait are on injured reserve. Jesse Joensuu remains suspended after suffering an injury in Europe.

Scoring
The Isles have scored 36 goals in their 8 wins (4.50 per game) and 24 goals in their other 13 games (0-11-2; 1.85 per game).  In their 11 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 16 goals (1.45 per game).
Career Wins, Active Goalies
 
Career Wins
21. Sean Burke 324
23. Miikka Kiprusoff 313
 
Career Shutouts, Active Goalies
 
4. Tomas Vokoun 49
 
Career Shutouts
19 Bernie Parent      54
19 Ed Giacomin       54
21 Evgeni Nabokov 53
22 Rogie Vachon     51
22 Dave Kerr           51
22 Curtis Joseph     51
 
Career Goals as an Islander
 
21
Ray Ferraro
116
 
 
22
Matt Moulson
107
 
 
23
Benoit Hogue
105
 
 
23
Ed Westfall
105
 
 
25
Anders Kallur
101
 
 
26
Trent Hunter
 99
 
 
27
John Tavares
97
 
 
28
Mikko Makela
95
 
 
28
David Volek
95
 
 
 
 
 
 
Career Assists as an Islander
 
 
28
Jason Blake
131
 
 
29
John Tavares
130
 
 
29
Trent Hunter
130
 
 
31
Mark Streit
125
 
 
32
Benoit Hogue
124
 
 
32
Mikko Makela
124
 
 
34
Ray Ferraro
122
 
 
35
Frans Nielsen
121
 
 
36
Garry Howatt
120
 








Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
26
Mariusz Czerkawski
470
 
27
Trent Hunter
459
 
28
Radek Martinek
455
 
29
Scott Lachance
450
 



 
39
Dave Scatchard
347
 
40
Alexei Yashin
346
 
41
Mark Parrish
345
 
42
Frans Nielsen
340
 
43
Marty McInnis
337
 



 
58
Gordon Lane
304
59
Josh Bailey
302
60
Arron Asham
300
60
Roman Hamrlik
300
62
Kyle Okposo
292
 
63
Gordon Dineen
287
 
64
Jeffrey Norton
282
 
65
Steve Thomas
275
 
66
Matt Moulson
267
 
67
John Tavares
264
 
68
Blake Comeau
261
 
68
Andre St. Laurent
261
 
70
Mark Streit
259
 
70
Brad Lauer
259
 
72
Benoit Hogue
258
 
 
 
 
 
Career Points as an Islander
28
Benoit Hogue
229
28
Trent Hunter
229
30
John Tavares
227
31
Mikko Makela
219



38
Robert Goring
195
39
Matt Moulson
193
40
Jeff Norton
188
41
Lorne Henning
184
42
Frans Nielsen
177
43
Randy Wood
172
44
Claude Lapointe
171
44
Jean-Paul Parise
171
46
Shawn Bates
170
47
Kyle Okposo
169
47
Jude Drouin
169
49
Dave Scatchard
168
50
Miroslav Satan
166
51
Mark Streit
162
52
Oleg Kvasha
158
 
 
 
Season Series Stats
The season series is even at one game each (the Isles have three points to Toronto's two).  The final meeting of the season will come on April 18th in Toronto. 

Happy Anniversary
20 years ago today (February 28, 1993): In a wild game at the Hartford Civic Center, the Islanders got an overtime goal from Pierre Turgeon for a 7-6 win over the Hartford Whalers.  Pat Verbeek had a hat trick for Hartford.
 All-time, the Isles are 9-7-3 on this date, including a 2-0-2 record in their last four games. 

On The Farm
Bridgeport, 22-23-3-4 on the season, will play three games in three days this weekend. Bridgeport will travel to Hartford to face the Connecticut Whale on Friday and then host the Whale on Sunday afternoon. Bridgeport will also host Adirondack on Saturday.

Up Next
SUNDAY, MARCH 3rd OTTAWA AT ISLANDERS (3:00PM)
[MSG+ (pre-game show at 2:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]
The Islanders will be off for consecutive days for the first time since February 12th and 13th before they continue the seven-game home stand by entertaining the Ottawa Senators.  The injury-ridden Senators are 5-0-1 in their last six games despite being without Craig Anderson, Eric Karlsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek.  Ottawa will play on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia before heading to Long Island.
The Sens won the first meeting 3-1 in Ottawa as Anderson stopped 37 Islander shots.  Ottawa has won four straight against the Isles, outscoring New York 19-4.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter.
 
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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