Friday, February 12, 2016

The Skinny: Isles 5, Los Angeles 2

"The Skinny"  

By Eric Hornick
 
Game 53  
Isles 5, Los Angeles 2
 
For the second straight home game, the Isles raced to a 3-0 first period as they got points from 12 different players enroute to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 before a crowd of 13,643 at Barclays Center.

The win pushes the Isles 11 games over .500 for the first time this season. The Isles climb within three points of the second place Rangers; the Isles still have a game-in-hand on the Rangers.  The Isles also move three points ahead of both Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
06:05    NYI       Johnny Boychuk (5) ASST: John Tavares (23), Mikhail Grabovski (16)      1 - 0 NYI          
11:19    NYI       Casey Cizikas (5) ASST: Matt Martin (6), Cal Clutterbuck (5)         2 - 0 NYI          
13:36    NYI       PPG - Anders Lee (9) ASST: Nick Leddy (21), Kyle Okposo (28)  3 - 0 NYI

2ND PERIOD
11:10    LAK      Kyle Clifford (1) ASST: Jordan Nolan (5) 3 - 1 NYI          
13:30    NYI       John Tavares (20) ASST: Ryan Strome (15), Brian Strait (4)          4 - 1 NYI          

3RD PERIOD
09:51    LAK      Milan Lucic (14) ASST: Jeff Carter (24), Tyler Toffoli (18) 4 - 2 NYI         
16:35    NYI       SHG - EN - Travis Hamonic (4) ASST: Casey Cizikas (12)            5 - 2 NYI

The Skinny:
The Isles are 11-10-1 in their last 22; they have outscored opponents 52-24 in the 11 wins (11-0-0), but have been outscored 37-12 in the 11 losses (0-10-1)… The Isles have outscored their opponents 59-43 in the third period this season, including 17-5 over the last 11 games… John Tavares is 5-7-12 in his last 8 games… Anders Lee scored for the 3rd time in 5 games… Tavares is the first Islander since Brent Sutter to record seven 20-goal seasons…The Isles have scored 5 power play goals in the last four games; it's the first time since late October that the Isles have converted in at least 4 straight games…The Isles are 11-0-0 when Tavares records at least two points…Travis Hamonic's empty net goal was his first career empty-netter…Johnny Boychuk scored for the second time in three games; Casey Cizikas' goal was his first since November 30th in Colorado and recorded the fifth two-point game of his career…An Islander defenseman had points on four of the five goals…Tavares tied Brock Nelson for the club lead in goals (20) and tied Kyle Okposo for the club lead in points (43).

Moving on Up
John Tavares recorded his 250th assist, passing Tomas Jonsson for 14th place on the all-time Isles list. Tavares also recorded his 443rd and 444th point, passing Billy Harris for 12th place. 

Most 20+ Goal Seasons by an Islander
·         Bryan Trottier*               13
·         Mike Bossy*                 10
·         Brent Sutter                   10
·         Denis Potvin*                9
·         Clark Gillies*                 8
·         Bob Nystrom                7
·         John Tavares                7

Most Consecutive 20+ Goal Seasons by an Islander
·         Bryan Trottier*               13
·         Mike Bossy*                 10
·         Brent Sutter                   10
·         John Tavares                7

Top of the List
Johnny Boychuk went +1 tonight; he is +60 since the start of the 2013-14 season – best among all NHL defensemen in that span.

Most Points in The Post-Cup Era through 52 games
69 in 2014-15
64 in 2015-16
61 in 2001-02
60 in 1985-86
 
Home Sweet Home
 
The Isles are 18-8-3 on home-ice (39 points).  In the past 28 seasons, the Isles have earned more than 39 points in the first 29 home games only twice (42 in first 29 at home last season and 40 in 29 in 2003-04).
 
Road Warriors

This was the fifth game of a 22 game stretch in which the Isles will play 16 games on the road.  The Isles are 2-2-0 in this stretch.
 
4-Feb-16           @ Capitals (Lost 3-2)
6-Feb-16           @ Red Wings (Lost 5-1)
7-Feb-16           Vs Oilers (Won 8-1)
9-Feb-16           @ Blue Jackets (Won 3-2 (SO))
11-Feb-16         Vs Kings (Won 5-2)
13-Feb-16         @ Hurricanes
15-Feb-16         Vs Red Wings
18-Feb-16         Vs Capitals
19-Feb-16         @ Devils
23-Feb-16         @ Wild
25-Feb-16         @ Flames
28-Feb-16         @ Oilers
1-Mar-16           @ Canucks
3-Mar-16           @ Jets
6-Mar-16           @ Rangers
8-Mar-16           Vs Penguins
9-Mar-16           @ Maple Leafs
12-Mar-16          @ Bruins
14-Mar-16          Vs Panthers
15-Mar-16          @ Penguins
17-Mar-16          @ Predators
19-Mar-16          @ Stars

The Shots:
Isles               13-12-5=30
Los Angeles   11-9-10=30
 
Home and Road
The Islanders are 29-18-6 overall; 19-8-3 at home and 10-10-3 on the road. 
 
Los Angeles is 32-18-3 overall; 15-10-1 at home and 17-8-2 on the road.   The Kings are 1-1-0 on their 7-game eastern trip.
Metropolitan Hockey Club, Inc.
The Isles are 10-4-2 in Division games and are 19-14-4 in games against other divisions. They are 4-10-2 vs. the Atlantic Division, 7-2-1 vs. the Central Division, and 8-2-1 vs. the Pacific Division. 
The Isles are 31-10-3 since the start of last season against the Met. 

How The West is Won
The Isles are 15-4-2 against the Western Conference. The Isles have the most wins of any Eastern Conference team against the Western Conference (The Rangers, 13-7-1, have the 2nd highest win total).  The Isles have more wins against the West than 5 Western Conference teams.
This was the last home game against the Western Conference; the Isles went 12-0-2 vs. the West in Brooklyn this season.

In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 28 saves to improve to 15-6-2 on the season with his 4th straight win. Greiss, who is 6-1-0 in his last 7 games, is now 3-3-0 all-time vs. Los Angeles. 
Jhonas Enroth 25 saves but falls to 4-4-1 on the season. He is 2-4-0 vs the Isles.

Power Plays
The Islanders were 1-4 on the power play, while Los Angeles was 0-3, allowing a shorthanded empty net goal to Travis Hamonic. 
The Isles are 19-4-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-14-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 8-8-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 21-10-5 when they do not. 

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 25-2-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-16-6 when they do not.  The Isles were 40-8-4 when they scored at least three goals (including SO winners) last season.

One Goal Games
The Isles are 11-6-6 in games decided by a single goal including 5-6-0 in regulation. They are 2-3 in games decided in overtime and are 4-3 in shootouts.  The Isles are 5-4 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal
The Isles are 19-4-2 when they score first and are 10-14-4 when they allow the opening goal.   

Second to The One
Jack Capuano, the 2nd winningest coach in Islander history, is 194-166-52 behind the Islander bench.  Among the 9 New York area teams, only the Yankees' Joe Girardi has led his team longer than Capuano.  With 193 wins, Capuano has now won more games than any Islander other than Al Arbour has coached:

Most games coached (Islanders):
1.     Al Arbour 1,500
2.     Jack Capuano 412
3.     Mike Milbury 191
4.     Terry Simpson 187
5.     Scott Gordon 181
 
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1.     Al Arbour 740
2.     Jack Capuano 194
3.     Terry Simpson 81
4.     Peter Laviolette 77
5.     Ted Nolan 74

Capuano is the 86th coach in NHL history to coach at least 400 games. He is tied-74th all-time with 194 wins with Bob Gainey, two fewer than Cecil Hart and Fred Creighton.

They Tweeted It
@john_sage3 #isles best period all year! Tape to tape passing, great transitions, getting to the net, and decisive quick plays in O-zone!🏻
@dvnielbuda I am now 7-0-0 at #Isles games this year 😄  (Come back often!)
@Stealth_Patriot #Isles are back playing tough & with a lot of heart. They beat the LA Kings 5-2. Yes❗️Yes❗️Yes❗️ Let's go for the cup

Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-4-3 on the front-end and 6-2-1 on the back end of back-to-backs this season.  The next back-to-back set will be on February 18th vs. Washington and February 19th in New Jersey.

Tired vs. Rested
·         The Isles are 3-1-0 when both teams played the night before.
·         The Isles are 4-2-0 when they are rested and their opponents are not.
·         The Isles are 3-1-1 when their opponents are rested and the Isles are not.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Travis Hamonic (24:14); Los Angeles: Drew Doughty (29:09)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (18-3-3), Johnny Boychuk (4-3-0), Calvin deHaan (1-3-1), Nick Leddy (5-7-2), John Tavares (0-1-0), Tied (0-1-0)
John Tavares led the Isles forwards with 17:21 of ice-time.   Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (19-14-5), Ryan Strome (2-0-0), Kyle Okposo (1-2-1), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Frans Nielsen (3-0-0), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Tied (1-1-0). 

Face-offs
Isles 31, Los Angeles 31 (50%). 
John Tavares won 9 of 13 for the Isles; Andy Andreoff won 7 of 11 for Los Angeles. 
The Isles won 26 of 47 draws at even strength, 4 of 7 on the power play and 1 of 8 on the penalty kill.

Heavy Hitters
Isles 32, Los Angeles 36.  Matt Martin led the Isles with 6 hits, extending his NHL-leading total to 258.  Martin has recorded at least 250 hits five times; he has five of the nine 250-hit seasons in club history. (Hits first recorded in 2005-06).

Fights
There were no fights.  Season total – 13 (Martin-7, Bernier, Boychuk, Leddy, Lee, Okposo, Strait).

Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 24 blocked shots, including 5 from Thomas Hickey.

For the Corsi Crowd
All situations:  Isles 53, Los Angeles 69.  5-on-5: Isles 45, Los Angeles 56.
The Corsi stat measures shots attempted, both for and against (including blocks). 
 
Brian Strait led the Isles with a +7 5-on-5 Corsi rating; Strait also had a club-leading 61% Corsi For percentage. Drew Doughty led Los Angeles with a +17 5-on-5 Corsi rating.

Ironmen
·         Nikolay Kulemin -203 (68 for Maple Leafs and 135 for the Isles)
·         Brock Nelson  -188 (all for Isles)
·         Anders Lee -129 (all for Isles)

Missing Men
Adam Pelech and Eric Boulton are on injured reserve. Marek Zidlicky, Steve Bernier and JF Berube were scratched.
The Isles have lost 122 games this season due to injury/illness.

Missing a Piece (or two)
The Isles are 13-15-2 over the last two seasons in games in which they are missing Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic or Nick Leddy, including 5-5-1 this season.  They are 5-4-1, including 2-1-1 this season, when two of the three miss a game.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1.     Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900
….
12. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 13. Garry Howatt 596 *** 14. John Tonelli 594 *** 15. Frans Nielsen 578
20. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 21. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 22. Josh Bailey 528 *** 23. Dave Lewis 514 *** 24. Mick Vukota 510*** 25. Rich Pilon 509 *** 26. Kyle Okposo 501 *** 27. Ed Westfall 493***28. John Tavares 482

Goals
1.     Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310
….
9. Derek King 211 *** 10. John Tonelli 206*** 11. John Tavares 194
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 132 *** 18. Jason Blake 127 *** 19. Duane Sutter 121 *** 20. Alexei Yashin 119 *** 21. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 ***24. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 25. Frans Nielsen 114

Assists
1.     Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 ***
11. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 12. Bob Nystrom 278 *** 13. Billy Harris 259 *** 14. John Tavares 250 *** 15. Tomas Jonsson 249***16. Frans Nielsen 217 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 216
25. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 26. David Volek 154 *** 27. Josh Bailey 152

Points
1.     Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052
10. Derek King 499 *** 11. Pat Flatley 488 *** 12. John Tavares 444 ***13. Billy Harris 443 ***14. Stefan Persson 369 *** 15. Kyle Okposo 348 *** 
16. Pierre Turgeon 340***17. Tomas Jonsson 333 *** 18. Ziggy Palffy 331 and Frans Nielsen 331
24 Jason Blake & Steve Thomas 258 *** 26. David Volek 249 *** 27. Josh Bailey 242

Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series 1 game to 1 and 2 points to 2.
The Isles scored five goals against Los Angeles for the first time since a Bryan Berard overtime goal gave the Isles a 5-4 victory in LA on December 17, 1998.

On The Farm
Andrew Rowe scored the tying goal with 1:37 to play and then tallied the only shootout goal as Bridgeport extended their winning streak to seven games with a 7-6 win in Hershey on Wednesday. Bridgeport is 26-19-2-1 on the season; the Sound Tigers host Hartford on Saturday.

Up Next
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13th –ISLANDERS AT CAROLINA 7:00PM
[MSG+ (Pre-game at 6:30), 91.5 WNYE-FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Isles head to Raleigh to visit the Hurricanes in the second meeting of the teams this season. Ron Hainsey scored an overtime goal on October 29th to give the Canes a 3-2 win at Barclays.
Despite that OT loss, the Isles are 4-1-1 in their last six games against the Canes.  In Carolina, they have been even better, winning three straight games.  The Isles have never won four straight road games against the Canes franchise, even counting the years that the team was in Hartford.

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 & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

 
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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