Friday, April 26, 2013

The Skinny: Philadelphia 2, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick
 
Game 47
Philadelphia 2, Isles 1

Oliver Lauridsen scored with 6:31 to play and that turned out to be the winning goal as the Philadelphia Flyers handed the Islanders a costly 2-1 defeat before a sellout crowd of 19,798 at the Wells Fargo Center. The loss, the Islanders' first in April, ended their point streak at 11 straight games (8-0-3), which matched their longest point streak since the 1981-82 Islanders won 15 straight games. The Islanders are also 11-2-3 in their last 16 but, coupled with overtime wins by the Rangers and Senators, have fallen (after tie-breakers) into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Scoring:
1st Period
11:41    PHI       PPG - D. Briere (6) Wrist - ASST: B. Schenn (18) AND S. Gagne (11)       1 - 0 PHI          
 
2nd Period
01:37    NYI       J. Tavares (28) Tip-In - ASST: M. Carkner (2)       1 - 1 TIE           
 
3rd Period
13:29    PHI       O. Lauridsen (2) Slap - ASST: B. Manning (2)      2 - 1 PHI
 
The Skinny:  
The Isles have outscored their opponents 16-7 in the third period over the last 16 games (but have been outscored 3-0 in their two regulation losses in that stretch… The Isles (excluding shootouts) have scored 134 goals and allowed 135…Three of Daniel Briere's six goals are against the Islanders; it was his first goal since he scored twice on President's Day…Both Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen had four game point streaks end… John Tavares now has 28 goals, which is third in the NHL.  Only Alex Ovechkin (32) and Steven Stamkos (29) have more. Twelve of Tavares' goals have come in third period and nine of his goals have tied the game…Oliver Lauridsen now has a 2-game goal scoring streak for his first two NHL goals…Tavares now has 112 career goals, matching Matt Moulson's total in an Islander uniform; they are tied for 22nd place in Islander history.   Tavares also tied David Volek with his 249th point (23rd all-time in club history). Tavares' 28 goals match his average over his first three seasons; of course he averaged 81 games in those three seasons.

Road Warriors
The Isles have the second-best road record in the East, behind only Pittsburgh.  They have guaranteed themselves a .500+ record on the road for the first time since 2006-07, and have their second best record ever thru 23 road games:

Most points in first 23 road games (all time):
·         32 in 1976-77 (14-5-4)
·         31 in 2012-13 (14-6-3)
·         31 in 1980-81 (14-6-3)
·         29 in 1978-79 (12-6-5)
·         28 in 1983-84 (13-8-2)
The club record through 24 road games, which is all the Isles will play this regular season, is 34 points in 1976-77. 

The Standings (all teams have clinched):
·         1 Pittsburgh (Atlantic Champion) 47 games 35-12-0 70 points (32 ROW) Final game: Saturday vs. Carolina
·         2 Boston (NorthEast Leader) 46 games 28-13-5 61 points (24 ROW) Final games:  Saturday at Washington, Sunday vs. Ottawa
·         3 Washington (SouthEast Champion) 47 games 26-18-3 55 points (23 ROW) Final game: Saturday vs. Boston
·         4 Montreal 47 games 28-14-5 61 points (25 ROW) Final game: Saturday at Toronto
·         5.Toronto 47 games 26-16-5 57 points (26 ROW) Final game: Saturday vs. Montreal
·         6 Ottawa 46 games 24-16-6 54 points (20 ROW) Final games: Saturday vs. Philadelphia, Sunday at Boston
·         7 NY Rangers 47 games 25-18-4 54 points (21 ROW) Final game: Saturday vs. New Jersey
·         8 NY Islanders 47 games 24-17-6 54 points (20 ROW) Final game: Friday at Buffalo

The Shots:                
Isles     4-8-10=22
Flyers  13-6-11=30

Home and Road
The Islanders are 24-17-6 overall, 10-11-3 at home and 14-6-3 on the road.  Their 54 points in 47 games is their highest since they earned 55 points in 47 games in 2001-02.
The Isles have earned 31 of a possible 46 road points (.674).  Their all-time road point percentage is .663, set in 1976-77 and matched in 1980-81.  The Isles need to earn 1 point in Buffalo on Friday to set a new franchise record for point percentage on the road.  They are 2-1-1 in this season-ending five-game road trip.
The Isles ended their home season with at least a 6-game point streak (5-0-1) for the first time since going unbeaten in the final 23 home games of the 1981-82 season.
The lost ended a six game Islander road point streak. It was the first time the Isles had a point in six straight road games since going 5-0-1 from October 11- November 18, 2006, matching their longest point streak on the road in the Post-Cup era. 
The Flyers are 22-22-3 overall, 15-7-2 at home and 7-15-1 on the road.   

In the Nets
Kevin Poulin made 28 saves but falls to 1-3-0 on the season with a 3.01 GAA.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 21 saves for Philadelphia as he improves to 19-17-3 on the season.

Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-1 while the Flyers were 1-3.
The Isles are 15-3-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 9-14-5 when they do not.

In (Almost) Every Game
The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 41 of 47 games this season (24-11-6).   

Second to One
Jack Capuano is now 2nd on the all-time Islander list in both games coached (194) and wins (84).
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1.     Al Arbour 740
2.     Jack Capuano 84
3.     Terry Simpson 81
4.     Peter Laviolette 77
5.     Ted Nolan 74

Most games coached (Islanders):
1.     Al Arbour 1,500
2.     Jack Capuano 194
3.     Mike Milbury 191
4.     Terry Simpson 187
5.     Scott Gordon 181

They Said It
"We came out flat tonight.  It just wasn't good enough. We need to be better. We clinched a playoff spot already, but that doesn't mean anything.

They Tweeted It
@StapeNewsday Worst possible result for #Isles: regulation loss and wins for Sens and #NYR. #Isles now in 8th and will stay there if those teams win again

The Coach
"(Kevin Poulin) made some big saves. The first period, we were down one, but we could have been down two or three. He kept us right where we needed to be, and I was happy with the way he played tonight. He gave us a chance."

As Tavares Goes… 
The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 2-0-1 when he has three points, 7-2-0 when he has two points, 11-4-1 when he has one point, and 4-10-4 when Tavares is pointless.

What a Pair!
John Tavares and Matt Moulson have combined for 43 goals this season.  Moulson has assisted on 20 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season.  Tavares has earned an assist on 10 Moulson goals this season.  In five of the last six games that Moulson has scored a goal, Tavares has scored also.

Head of the Class
John Tavares has 249 career points; he is 59 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.

118 NHL Goals
Moulson has 118 career goals (112 as an Islander).  While 262 players were selected before the Penguins chose Moulson in the 2003 entry draft, only 16 have more goals.  

Leading Ice Men
Mark Streit played 25:50 to lead the Isles.  Luke Schenn led Philadelphia with 23:42.

In the Circle
The Islanders won 26 of 55 draws.  Frans Nielsen won 7 of 12 to lead the Isles. John Tavares won 11 of 22; he has won 99 of 162 (61%) over the last nine games.

Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit the Flyers 28-27.  Matt Martin had six hits; he has an NHL-leading 229 hits. There were no fights, leaving the season total at 17 fighting majors.

Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 12 blocked shots.  Three Islanders, including Andrew MacDonald, each had two. 

All–time Winners
The Islanders are 9 games over all-time NHL .500 (1371-1362-438 in 3,170 games).  The Isles are assured of finishing the season above all-time NHL .500, as they have been at the end of every season since 1977-78. 

April Wins Bring May Playoff Games
The Isles were 4-2-1 in January and 4-9-1 in February, and 8-5-1 in March.  They are 8-1-3 in April.

Ironmen
John Tavares is the reigning Islanders' ironman. Tavares has now played in 206 consecutive games.
Three other Islanders have streaks of at least 100 games.  Frans Nielsen and Mark Streit have each played in 129 consecutive games while Kyle Okposo has played in

112 consecutive games. 
Four other Islanders have played every game this season: Travis Hamonic (69 consecutive games), Matt Martin (60), Andrew Mac Donald & Brad Boyes (47).

Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Post Cup Era 
·         Matt Moulson 10/3/2009- 4/4/2013  284
·         Richard Park 10/5/2006 – 2/18/2009 221
·         Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220
·         Bryan Trottier 3/7/1981- 1/12/1984 219
·         Mariusz Czerkawski 12/23/1999 – 4/14/2002 215
·         John Tavares 10/16/10 – CURRENT  206

Century Club
 
Mark Streit now has the sixth longest consecutive game streak of any defenseman in Islander history:
 
1.     Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979  262
2.     Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220
3.     Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198
4.     Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136
5.     Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134
6.     Mark Streit  10/8/2011-CURRENT 129
7.     Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010 – 2/4/2012 113
8.     Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110
9.     Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104
 
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
Matt Carkner and Eric Boulton replaced Thomas Hickey and Jesse Joensuu in the lineup. Radek Martinek, Anders Lee, Marty Reasoner, Joe Finley and David Ullstrom were also scratched.

Scoring
The Isles have scored 96 goals in their 24 wins (4.00 per game) and 38 goals in their other 23 games (0-17-6; 1.65 per game).  In their 17 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 25 goals (1.47 per game).

Career Wins, Active Goalies

Career Wins
18. Gump Worsley 335
20. Nikolai Khabibulin 331
 
Career Shutouts, Active Goalies
 
4. Tomas Vokoun 51
 
Career Shutouts
 
18 Clint Benedict       57
19 Evgeni Nabokov 55
20 Bernie Parent       54
20 Ed Giacomin        54
 
Career Goals as an Islander
 
21
Ray Ferraro
116
 
22
Matt Moulson
112
 
22
John Tavares
112
 
24
Benoit Hogue
105
 
24
Ed Westfall
105
 
 
 
 
Career Assists as an Islander
 
26
Steve Thomas
140
 
27
Mark Streit
139
 
28
Greg Gilbert
138
 
29
John Tavares
137
 
30
Frans Nielsen
136
 
31
Jason Blake
131





Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
25
Gerry Hart
476
26
Mariusz Czerkawski
470
27
Radek Martinek
466
28
Trent Hunter
459



39
Randy Wood
381
40
Frans Nielsen
366
41
Dave Scatchard
347



49
Shawn Bates
330
50
Josh Bailey
328
51
Eric Cairns
327
52
Alan Kerr
326
53
Brad Dalgarno
321
54
Kyle Okposo
318
55
Ray Ferraro
316
55
Steve Webb
316
55
Richard Park
316
58
Gerald Diduck
314
59
Mikko Makela
307
60
Gordon Lane
304
61
Arron Asham
300
61
Roman Hamrlik
300
63
Matt Moulson
292
64
John Tavares
290
65
Gordon Dineen
287
66
Mark Streit
285
67
Jeffrey Norton
282
 
 
 
Career Points as an Islander
21
Jason Blake
258
21
Steve Thomas
258
23
David Volek
249
23
John Tavares
249
25
Ray Ferraro
238



31
Mikko Makela
219
32
Matt Moulson
214
32
Mark Parrish
214
34
Garry Howatt
213
34
Jean Potvin
213
36
Anders Kallur
211
37
Marty McInnis
198
38
Wayne Merrick
197
39
Frans Nielsen
196
40
Robert Goring
195
41
Jeffrey Norton
188
42
Kyle Okposo
185
43
Lorne Henning
184
44
Mark Streit
179
45
Randy Wood
172



Season Series Stats
Each team won two games, but the Flyers win the season series five points to four.  Each of the last three Islander regulation losses has been to a team from Pennsylvania.

Happy Anniversary
35 years ago tonight (4-25-78):  25 months before he scored THE GOAL, Bobby Nystrom scored 8:02 into overtime as the Islanders beat the Leafs 2-1 and take a 3-2 lead in the series (which Toronto would eventually win in seven games).

Also on this date:  (1985)  In the only other game the Isles have played on this date before tonight, the Isles beat Philadelphia 6-2 to extend their series to a fifth game.
All-time, the Isles are 0-1-0 in regular season play and 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on this date.

On The Farm
Bridgeport finished their season with a 32-32-7-5 record. 

Up Next
FRIDAY, APRIL 26th ISLANDERS AT BUFFALO (7:00PM)
[MSG+ (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM]
The Isles conclude their five-game road trip, and the regular season as they travel to Buffalo.
The Isles come into play in eighth place in the East, and will need to earn at least a point if they hope to climb any higher in the Eastern Conference standings.
It's the back-end of the seventh (and final) set of back-to-backs on the season.  The Isles are 1-5-0 on the back-end, having defeated Winnipeg on April 2nd to end their last set.
The Isles are 21-13-5 in their final game of the regular season (0-3-1 in the last four) and are 19-16-4 in their final road game of the season (0-4-0 in the last four).

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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