Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Torts fired; Cappy moving up the list

With the Rangers firing John Tortorella today, Jack Capuano is now the 9th longest-tenured (single team) coach in the NHL.
  1. Nashville Predators  Barry Trotz  1997            1114
  2. Detroit Red Wings  Mike Babcock  2005           622
  3. Boston Bruins  Claude Julien  2007                  456
  4. San Jose Sharks  Todd McLellan  2008             376
  5. Chicago Blackhawks  Joel Quenneville  2008    352
  6. Pittsburgh Penguins  Dan Bylsma  2009           318
  7. Phoenix Coyotes  Dave Tippett  2009              294
  8. Philadelphia Flyers  Peter Laviolette  2009       269
  9. New York Islanders  Jack Capuano  2010         195
Interestingly, only five of the eight longer-tenured than Capuano made the playoff this season; three of those five will make the conference finals this season.
Capuano is now also the longest tenured coach of the five winter teams based in New York.

Of the nine New York head coaches/managers, only Tom Coughlin, Rex Ryan and Joe Girardi have longer tenures than Jack Capuano, who assumed his role with the Islanders eight days before Terrry Collins became the manager of the Mets.

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 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Moulson a Byng Finalist -- again.

Matt Moulson has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng Award for the second straight season.  The other finalists are Tampa's Martin St. Louis and Chicago's Patrick Kane.

Moulson recorded only two minor penalties all season; the last came February 7th at MSG.  Ironically he received a misconduct penalty at the end of Game 1 of the playoffs. Kane had four minor penalties, while St. Louis, who is looking to become the first player since Wayne Gretzky (1994) to win the Art Ross and Lady Byng Trophy in the same season, finished with 14 penalty minutes.

There were only three winners of the award in the seven years between the lockouts: Brian Campbell won the award last season; Marty St. Louis won in 2010-11 and 2009-2010, after Pavel Datsyuk had won it in all four years since the lockout.The Islanders have had two players win the award:  Mike Bossy won it three times (82-83, 83-84 and 85-86); Pierre Turgeon won it in 1992-93.  Two other players with Islander ties have also won the award: Phil Goyette, who later served as the Islanders' first coach, won it in 1969-70 with St. Louis while Butch Goring won it for Los Angeles in 1977-78 before winning four Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy with the Islanders.

Moulson was actually named on the most ballots in last year's voting (98 of 147, to Jordan Eberle's 91 and Campbell's 89) but finished third in the voting by points.

The award is one of the NHL's oldest, having been presented continuous since 1924-25.  Frank Boucher won it 7x in the 20s and 30s.  Since then only Datysuk (4x), Kelly (4x) and Wayne Gretzky (5x) have won it more often than Bossy.

More from NHL.com here http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=670853
 
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

Highest rated Isles game in 20+ years

From the Isles website:

<<

MSG+ sets new single-game ratings record for an Islanders telecast

Islanders-Penguins Series the Highest-Rated Islanders Playoff Series in a Decade

Thursday, 05.16.2013 / 2:58 PM / News
New York Islanders




The MSG+ telecast of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins scored a 2.21 average household rating, making it the highest-rated Islanders game ever on the network. The Islanders previous single-game high telecast was March 25, 2002 vs. the Rangers, which registered a 1.99 household rating.

Through five games on MSG+ (Game 3 was on NBC), the series averaged a 1.51 household rating, which was the highest rating for an Islanders playoff series since 2001-02 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs (1.78 HH). The series average rating was up 131% compared to the team's 2002-03 playoff appearance vs. the Ottawa Senators (0.66 HH), up 12% compared to team's 2003-04 first round matchup vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning (1.35 HH) and up 140% compared to the team's 2006-07 round one matchup vs. the Buffalo Sabres (0.63 HH).

Islanders regular season telecasts on MSG+ averaged a 0.49 household rating this season, up 133% compared to the 2011-12 regular season average (0.49 HH vs. 0.21 HH), making 2013 the highest-rated Islanders regular season ever on the network (MSG+ began tracking Islanders household ratings at the start of the 1991-92 season).
>>

There's a well-deserved asterisk for the previous single-game high (3/25/2002) between the Isles/Rangers. That game was an FSNY-exclusive telecast during a period in which only the home team produced a telecast, so the rating was inflated by Ranger fans unable to watch Sam/JD.

 
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

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Thanks

Thanks so much for visiting The Skinny this season.  March and April were the blog's biggest months ever!

I'll have stuff throughout the off-season (which thankfully will be the shortest for the Islanders in 20 years!) and then we'll do it all over next year.

Special thanks to those who take the time to comment or question -- your input is always appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the playoffs and have a great summer!

Eric

The Skinny: Penguins 4, Isles 3 (OT) . Pittsburgh wins series 4-2.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
 
Game 6
Pittsburgh 4, Isles 3 (OT) [Penguins win series, 4 games to 2]
 
Brooks Orpik scored 7:49 into overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins ended the Islanders' season with a 4-3 win before a sellout crowd of 16,170 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  The Penguins win the series four games to two, and will advance to play the Ottawa Senators in the Conference Semi-Finals.

The Scoring:
1st Period
05:36    NYI       J. Tavares (3) Wrist - ASST: J. Bailey (3) AND M. Carkner (1)       1 - 0 NYI          
07:39    PIT       J. Iginla (2) Wrist - ASST: S. Crosby (6) AND P. Martin (5)           1 - 1 TIE           
19:23    NYI       C. McDonald (2) Wrist - ASST: K. Aucoin (2) AND M. Grabner (3) 2 - 1 NYI          
 
2nd Period
10:59    PIT       P. Dupuis (5) Tip-In - ASST: J. Vitale (1) AND M. Niskanen (1)     2 - 2 TIE           
 
3rd Period
02:21    NYI       M. Grabner (1) Snap - ASST: K. Aucoin (3)         3 - 2 NYI          
14:44    PIT       P. Martin (1) Slap - ASST: E. Malkin (8) 3 - 3 TIE           
 
1st OT Period
07:49    PIT       B. Orpik (1) Slap - ASST: T. Kennedy (1) AND E. Malkin (9)         4 - 3 PIT
 
The Series:
 
·         GAME 1: Pittsburgh 5, Islanders 0
·         GAME 2: Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 3
·         GAME 3: Pittsburgh 5, Islanders 4 (OT)
·         GAME 4: Islanders 6, Pittsburgh 4
·         GAME 5: Pittsburgh 4, Islanders 0
·         GAME 6: Pittsburgh 4, Islanders 3 (OT)

The Skinny
The Penguins won a game they never led, as three times the Islanders grabbed a lead, only to have Pittsburgh rally to tie the game… The Isles have outscored Pittsburgh 7-3 in the third period in the series… Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, and Pascal Dupuis had points in all six games of the series while Sidney Crosby had a point in each game that he has played… John Tavares scored a goal in each of the three Coliseum games.  His first goal ended Thomas Vokoun's 148:18 (regular season/playoffs) shutout streak against the Isles… The Penguins led after two periods in three of their wins; the score was tied after two periods in the two Islander wins as well as tonight's game…Keith Aucoin recorded his first two assist game as an Islander… The Isles are now 6-4 in game six of series that they trailed 3 games to 2…Orpik's goal was his first in 106 games… The Penguins have now won seven straight road overtime games in the playoffs. Only Montreal (9) and the Islanders (8) have had longer streaks.

Home Ice Woes
For the first 30 years, the Coliseum was "Fort Never Lose" in the playoffs as the Islanders went 77-32 on home ice. However, the Isles are 1-8 in their last nine playoff games at the Coliseum since winning all three of their home games against the Maple Leafs in 2002. 

Overtime Not Our Time
When David Volek OT'd Pittsburgh in 1993, it raised the Isles' playoff OT record to 29-7.  Since then the Isles have lost six straight overtime games, including two in this series.
The Isles had won 14 of the first 16 home overtime games in club playoff history, but have lost four straight at home as part of their six game overtime losing streak.

Over-Time
It's the third time in club history that the Isles have been eliminated by an overtime goal:
·         April 29, 1978 Lanny McDonald, Toronto (4 games to 3)
·         April 16, 2004 Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay (4 games to 1)
·         May 11, 2013 Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh (4 games to 2)

Too Many Goals Against
Most goals allowed, Isles, six game series
 
·         25 -- 1980 Flyers (Won 4-2 in Cup Final)
·         25 -- 2013 Penguins (Lost 4-2)
·         23 – 1988 Devils (Lost 4-2)
·         22 – 1993 Capitals (Won 4-2)

The Series:
·         #1 Pittsburgh eliminated #8 Islanders 4-2
·         #7 Ottawa eliminated #2 Montreal 4-1
·         #3 Washington leads #6 NY Rangers 3-2
·         #4 Boston leads #5 Toronto 3-2
·         #1 Chicago eliminated #8 Minnesota 4-1
·         #2 Anaheim - #7 Detroit tied 3-3
·         #6 San Jose eliminated #3 Vancouver 4-0
·         #5 Los Angeles eliminated #4 St. Louis 4-2

The Penguins will face Ottawa in the second round of the playoffs.

The Shots:      
Isles         12-16-7-3=38
Penguins   7-6-6-2=21
 
The Isles outshot Pittsburgh 197-167 in the series.  The 21 Penguins shots were the fewest against the Isles in a playoff game since April 14, 2004 when Tampa had only 20.  The 17 shot differential was the most favorable for the Isles in a playoff game since they outshot Pittsburgh 37-18 in game 5 of the 1993 Patrick Division Finals.

Home and Road
The Islanders are 136-110 in 246 all-time playoff games.  They are 78-40  at home and 58-70 on the road.
The Penguins are 156-133 in 289 all-time playoff games. They are 84-61 at home and 72-72 on the road.

In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 17 shots but saw his career playoff record drop to 42-43.  Nabokov, who played his 86th game, has played in more games than any goalie participating in this year's playoffs; among active goalies only Martin Brodeur has played in more games (205).
Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves to improve to 7-6 in his career in the playoffs.

Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-3 while the Penguins were 0-1. For the series the Isles were 2-20 (10%) while Pittsburgh was 7-21 (33.3%). During the five games of the regular season against each other, the Islanders were 2-18 while the Penguins were 3-14.

Playoff Experience
Jack Capuano is only the sixth coach to lead the Islanders into the playoffs and just the fourth to coach as many as six games.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:
1.     Al Arbour 123
2.     Terry Simpson 9
3.     Peter Laviolette 4
4.     Jack Capuano 2
5.     Ted Nolan 1
6.     Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):
1.     Al Arbour 209
2.     Terry Simpson 20
3.     Peter Laviolette 12
4.     Jack Capuano 6
5.     Steve Stirling 5
6.     Ted Nolan 5

They Said It

John Tavares: "I really think we played with them. At times, we really dictated the play and we were the better team for good points of this series. We outshot them again today. They capitalized and made the most of their opportunities when they were there more than we did. That's a team that's been through it more."
 
They Tweeted It
@emptynetters  (Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette) Islanders fans were impressive. Games 3, 4 and 6 were some of the best hockey experiences of my life. Passionate to no end.

The Coach
I'm sure it's going to sting for a while, but you've got to be proud of the effort.

Leading Ice Men
Lubomir Visnovsky played 26:129 to lead the Isles.  Paul Martin led Pittsburgh with 30:03.

In the Circle
The Islanders won 44 of 73 draws and won 181 of 377 (48%) draws in the series.  John Tavares won 16 of 24 while Kyle Okposo won 6 of 8.

Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit Pittsburgh 31-23.  Matt Martin led the Isles with 11 hits; Matt Cooke and Brooks Orpik had five hits for Pittsburgh.  Martin finished the series with 41 hits, which is the most in the NHL this post-season.  There were no fights, leaving the series total at two.

Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 23 blocked shots, including four for Lubomir Visnovsky.

Missing Men
With Bridgeport's season over, the Isles have 35 players on the roster. 
Brock Nelson made his NHL debut, replacing Jesse Joensuu. Matt Carkner replaced Thomas Hickey in the line-up. Jesse Joensuu, David Ullstrom, Andrew Mac Donald(injured), Marty Reasoner, Eric Boulton, Anders Lee, and Joe Finley were scratched as were "black aces" Ryan Strome, Johan Sundstrom, Calvin DeHaan, Matt Donovan, Aaron Ness, John Persson and Anders Nilsson.
Where Have You Gone Dave Salvian?
Brock Nelson was the first Islander since Trent Hunter (2002) to make his NHL debut in the playoffs.  He ends the season as one of two Islanders (Dave Salvian-1977) to appear in a playoff game but never appear in a regular season game.

All-time Playoff Series
·         1975: Islanders won the series 4 games to 3.
·         1982: Islanders won the series 3 games to 2.
·         1993: Islanders won the series 4 games to 3.
·         2013: Pittsburgh won the series 4 games to 2.
Each of the last three series has ended with an overtime goal, one in game five, one in game six, and one in game 7.

Looking back to 1993
This series marks the 20th anniversary of the 1993 series between the teams.  With the Isles trailing the series 3 games to 2, the Isles beat Pittsburgh on May 12th at the Coliseum 7-5 to even the series. The Isles had leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 4-2 but it wasn't until Brian Mullen and Steve Thomas scored early in the third period to break a 4-4 tie that the Isles had a lead that they could hold, as they forced the series back to Pittsburgh.

On Friday, May 14, the teams met in the decisive game 7.  The game was tied 1-1 in the third period when David Volek and Benoit Hogue gave the Isles a 3-1 lead.  Ron Francis cut the Isles' lead to 3-2 at 16:13 and Rick Tocchet forced overtime was a goal at 19:00. At 5:16 in the extra session, Volek beat Tom Barrasso to end the Penguins' Cup reign, and the series. 

Happy Anniversary
31 years ago tonight (5-11-82):  In what turned out to be the final home game of the season, the Islanders beat the Canucks 6-4 at the Coliseum to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.   The Isles trailed 3-2 heading to the third period but Bob Bourne and Duane Sutter scored 47 seconds apart to give the Isles a 4-3 lead. After Gerry Minor tied the game for Vancouver, Bryan Trottier scored the winning goal on a power play and Bobby Nystrom added a tally for the final margin of victory.  The dynasty would become official five days later in Vancouver.
Also (1975) – With banners imploring them to "Win Another for Mother" the Islanders did just that before a national television audience, coming from behind to defeat the Flyers 2-1 to even their semi-final series at three games each.  Gerry Hart scored the winning goal, unassisted, 3:42 into the third.
All-time, the Isles are 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on this date.

Up Next
SUNDAY JUNE 30th  NHL ENTRY DRAFT

And Finally…
Thanks to you for reading The Skinny after every game!  I appreciate your loyal readership! Have a nice summer, everybody.  It's been a pleasure.
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

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Re: Isles in Game 6

Minor correction -- Isles are 6-3 when facing elimination in game 6.
 

 Isles are 12-1 at home (losing only to Montreal in 1977); 15-4 overall.  They are also 12-1 in last 13 gm 6's overall, losing only to NJ in 1988.

Isles are 6-3 all-time when facing elimination in game 6, including 6-1 when game 6 is at home:

Home Game 6's when Facing Elimination:

24-Apr-75 Vs Pittsburgh 4 1 W *
11-May-75 Vs Philadelphia 2 1 W
05-May-77 Vs Montreal 1 2 L
16-Apr-87 Vs Washington 5 4 W *
30-Apr-87 Vs Philadelphia 4 2 W
12-May-93 Vs Pittsburgh 7 5 W *
28-Apr-02 Vs Toronto 5 3 W
 
* Won Series in game 7 on the road

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


Isles Game 6: Tickets going fast on Stubhub

With just over 7 hours to face-off, only 700 tickets remain on Stubhub and prices have risen from last night.

Upstairs tickets start at $110; downstairs from $160. 

I don't see any seats currently on TicketMaster.

BTW -- if you like to drive, there are PLENTY of seats available thru TicketMaster for a potential game 7 (tomorrow at 7pm).


 
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

TIME TO STAVE


According to Webster, "stave off" has been around for nearly four centuries. Funny, I didn't realize that there were playoffs then.

It seems like the only time I ever hear the word stave is when a sports team is one game away from elimination- the situation the Isles find themselves on Saturday at the Coliseum.
The Islanders have successfully staved off elimination 25 times in 42 tries. Of course the other seventeen times they've ended up on the wrong side of a handshake.

Four times in their history, the "Never-Say-Dielanders" have managed to stave off elimination at least three times in a single playoff year.

In 1975, the Isles beat the Rangers in the decisive Game 3, and then found themselves down 3-0 to both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Isles won eight of the nine elimination games they played, setting an NHL-record for avoiding elimination.

In 1985, their first playoff after losing the Cup, the Isles lost three of their first four playoff games, and looked like they were headed to an early spring, before rallying to beat the Caps three times, to stave off elimination each time. The Isles trailed the Flyers 3-0 in the second round and won game four before losing the series in five. Four successful staves.
Two years later the Caps and Flyers again became Islander victims. The Isles trailed both series 3-1; yet beat the Capitals on Easter morning, before losing to Philadelphia in seven. Five more successful staves.

Finally in 1993, the Isles trailed Pittsburgh 3-2 before winning in 7 on David Volek's overtime goal. After Montreal used eight guys on the ice to score in OT in Game 3 of the Conference Finals to grab a 3-0 lead in the series, the Isles staved off elimination with a home-ice win in game four, only to fall to the eventual champs in Game five. Three more staves.

Five other seasons featured one successful stave. In 1976 and 1977, the Isles forced the eventual champion Canadiens an extra game each year with their backs against the wall. In 1982 and 1984, with their dynasty on the line, the Isles used overtime goals to beat Pittsburgh and the Rangers to stave off elimination and increase the legacy that guides this franchise today. Finally, in 2002, the Isles overcame the loss of Michael Peca and Kenny Jonsson in game 5 in Toronto to win an emotional game six at home.

In games facing potential elimination, the Isles are 15-4 at home and 10-13 on the road.

The Isles were eliminated at home in 1977 by Montreal, in 1978 by Toronto, in 1986 by Washington and in 1994 by the Rangers.  Only one of those teams, the 1977 Habs did it in game 6.

The Isles have been eliminated in the playoffs only seventeen times. In 7 of those seasons, the team that beat the Isles won the Stanley Cup [75-76-77-84-93-94-04] and in three other years, the team that beat the Isles lost in the Finals [79-85-87].


 
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

Isles in Game 6

 Isles are 12-1 at home (losing only to Montreal in 1977); 15-4 overall.  They are also 12-1 in last 13 gm 6's overall, losing only to NJ in 1988.

Isles are 6-4 all-time when facing elimination in game 6, including 6-1 when game 6 is at home:

Home Game 6's when Facing Elimination:

24-Apr-75 Vs Pittsburgh 4 1 W *
11-May-75 Vs Philadelphia 2 1 W
05-May-77 Vs Montreal 1 2 L
16-Apr-87 Vs Washington 5 4 W *
30-Apr-87 Vs Philadelphia 4 2 W
12-May-93 Vs Pittsburgh 7 5 W *
28-Apr-02 Vs Toronto 5 3 W
 
* Won Series in game 7 on the road

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