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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 ...

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

The Skinny: Chicago 3, Isles 2 (SO)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 49
Chicago 3, Isles 2 (SO)

This time it was Chicago's Toews that was the hero.  Jonathan Toews scored the tying goal late in the 2nd period and then added the deciding goal in the shootout as the Chicago Blackhawks rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits for a 3-2 shootout win over the Isles before a sellout crowd of 21,330 at the United Center.

The Isles extended their point streak to six games but see their winning streak end at 5. The Isles will enter the NHL's All-Star Break in first place in the Metropolitan Division for the first time since 2015.

Dylan Strome snapped the Isles' shutout streak with a 5-on-3 goal in the second period. It was the first goal allowed by the Isles in 158:58.  

Coupled with the Capitals' overtime loss to San Jose, the Isles maintain their three-point lead in the Division. It's the latest in a season since March 9, 2015 that the Isles have had a lead of at least three points.
 
The Scoring:  
1st Period
Valtteri Filppula (11) 02:19 NYI 1,CHI 0

2nd Period
Dylan Strome (12) Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat 06:05 NYI 1,CHI 1 PPG
Mathew Barzal (14) 07:33 NYI 2,CHI 1
Jonathan Toews (22) Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome 19:38 NYI 2,CHI 2 PPG

3rd Period
No Goals

OT
No Goals

The Shootout:
Jonathan Toews (G/GDG) -  Josh Bailey (NG)
Patrick Kane (G) - Mathew Barzal (NG)

The Skinny      
The Isles are 12-2-1 since Devon Toews joined the lineup (he had the winner vs. Chicago on Long Island earlier this month) and are 15-3-1 in their last 19 games; it's the first time since the 1989-90 season that the Isles have won 15 games in an 18-game stretch… The Isles remain ten points ahead of last season's pace through 49 games; including shootout winners they have scored 23 fewer goals and allowed 57 fewer goals than last year's first 48 games…With the point, the Isles remain three points ahead of Washington for the division lead; Tampa Bay (76) is the only other team in the East to reach 63 points.…The Isles scored first for the seventh straight game…The Hawks scored two goals in the actual game, preventing the Isles from establishing a club record of allowing one goal or fewer for the sixth straight game. …The Isles have 32 points on the road and 31 points at home. … Both Hawks goals came on the power play; the Isles entered the game having killed 15 straight… The Isles scored the only goal of the first period; they have outscored their opponents 12-0 over the last 158:22 of first period play …The Isles have had three distinct win streaks of at least five games this season (5,  6, and 5); it's the third time in franchise history that's happened (three times in 1978-79 and four times in 1981-82)…The Isles remain 14 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2015-16 season with a 45-27-10 record.…The Isles finish 8-2-1 in January; they have been above NHL-.500 each month this season. 

Time for a Break
The Isles are 15-3-1 in their last 19 games, giving them the most wins and the best record in the entire NHL since December 15.

ISLES 15-3-1
Calgary 13-3-3
San Jose 12-5-2
 
Strength in the Nets
Robin. Lehner is 11-1-1 (1.34, .953) in his last 13 decisions. He lowered his GAA to an NHL-leading 2.02 and raised his save percentage to .931.

Thomas Greiss has won two straight games, allowing a total of one goal (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .983 save percentage).

Lehner has won 15 games and Greiss 14.  It's only the 2nd time in the last 15 seasons that the Isles have gotten at least 14 wins from two different goalies.  Greiss won 23 games and Jaroslav Halak 18 in 2015-16.

It's Good to be Home
The Isles are 5-1-1 on Coliseum ice; they are averaging 97.5% of capacity on Long Island (including four sellouts).  14 of their remaining 17 home games will be at the Coliseum.
 
Most Points Thru 49 Games (Post-Cup Era)
65: 2014-15
63: 2018-19

Most Points Thru 25 Road Games (Post-Cup Era)
32: 2013 (Entire season -24 games)
32: 2018-19

Road Warriors
The shootout loss snapped the Isles six game road win streak.  However, the Isles are 6-0-1 in their last seven and 9-1-1 in their last 11 road games. 

Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. ISLES 122
2. Boston 128
3. Dallas 128

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 118
2. Boston 128
3. Dallas 128

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 42
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 94 assists, 130 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22
34 Bryan Trottier
18 John Tavares
16 Denis Potvin
14 Mike Bossy
12 Mathew Barzal
12 Pat LaFontaine
 
Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 791-583-60-139 in 1,573 games. 

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  890
3. Ken Hitchcock    837 
4. Barry Trotz   791
5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,636
3. Al Arbour   1,607
4. Barry Trotz   1,573
5. Ken Hitchcock   1,565

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 29-15-5 (63 points), with 147 goals scored and 122 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 24-20-5 (53 points), with 170 goals scored and 179 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First
The Isles are 17-7-5 when scoring first and are 12-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles       13-7-12-4=36
Chicago 9-18-10-3=40
The Isles are 8-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 21-5-4 when they are outshot. [The club record for wins when being outshot is 25, set in 1983-84 and equaled last season.]

Home and Road
The Islanders are 29-15-5 overall; 14-7-3 at home (5-1-1 on Long Island and 9-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 15-8-2 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
Chicago is 18-24-9 overall; 10-10-6 at home and 8-14-3 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 13-5-1 in Division games and 16-10-4 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 19-7-4 against the East and 10-8-1 against the West.  

In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 38 saves; he is 15-7-4 on the season and 1-2-2 in his career against Chicago.   

Cam Ward made 34 saves and improves to 8-8-4 on the season and 24-5-5 in his career against the Isles.
 
Power Plays
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Chicago was 2-3 on the power play in 3:07 of PP time.

The Isles are 19-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-14-4 when they do not.  The Isles are 10-10-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 18-5-1 when they do not.
 
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 25-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-13-4 when they do not.  

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

Back-to-Backs 
The Isles are 5-2-0 in the front half and 7-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is February 1-2 vs. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, with both games being played at the Coliseum.

The Isles are 7-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs this season.  It's the first time that the Isles have opened a season with seven straight back-end wins and the first time since 1981 that they have done so at any time.

Longest Winning Streaks in Back Ends:
8 -January 22-March 14, 1976
8- March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
7- October 18, 2018- CURRENT
7-February 28- November 11, 1981 (over two seasons)
7-November 12, 1980 – January 3, 1981

Tired vs. Rested 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 
The Isles are 5-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 
The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 17-15-4 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:04); Chicago: Patrick Kane (25:29)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:15 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (15-7-4), Nick Leddy (9-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs
Isles 27, Chicago 28 (49%).  

Brock Nelson won 12 of 22 for the Isles; Artem Anisimov won 6 of 10 for Chicago.
Face-offs by period: 1st period  11/18; 2nd period 6/20; 3rd period 9/15; overtime ½.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 24/48, Power play 3/4, Penalty kill 0/3.

Hit Count
Isles 22 (Nick Leddy & Ryan Pulock-4)  
Chicago 16 (Three with 3)
   
Fights
There were no fights. Season total –12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).  

Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 16 shots (Ryan Pulock-4) 

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 71, Chicago 69
5-on-5 Isles 59, Chicago 54

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Johnny Boychuk +10
Chicago: Brandon Saad +8
 
Night and Day
The Isles are 25-13-5 in night games and 4-2-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on February 9th vs. Colorado (in Brooklyn). 

Ironmen
Anders Lee 167, Brock Nelson 144, Mathew Barzal 131

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa, Ross Johnston
Total games lost: 97

Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

Comeback Kids
The Isles are 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12/28) and STL (1/5);  all five wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 12-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 
5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 764

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Anders Lee 142 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 135…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 115

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
11. Derek King 288 ***12. Pat LaFontaine 279 and Josh Bailey 278 …
25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 27. Nick Leddy 146

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 414…
23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. David Volek 249 *** 26. Anders Lee 243

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 145

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 76

Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series one game to one (and 3 points to 3).  

The Isles are 1-4-3 in their last eight games in Chicago.

On the Farm 
The Sound Tigers was 23-15-4-2 on the season following a 4-1 loss to Hershey on Monday. Their homestand continues with a 10:30AM game on Wednesday against Wilkes-Barre. 

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Josh Ho-Sang 24; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 12-8-2 (2.97 GAA); Christopher Gibson 11-7-4 (2.95GAA)

Up Next
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1st –  TAMPA BAY AT ISLANDERS AT NASSAU COLISEUM 7:00PM 
[MSG+(Pre-game at 6:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles begin the second half of the season by facing the only team in the East with a better record, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's the rubber match of the season series between the teams.  Tampa won at home in November on a later Tyler Johnson goal; the Isles scored three goals in the first five minutes for a win in Brooklyn in January.
And Finally…
You are reading the 551st consecutive edition of The Skinny…and the first one ever produced in Southeast Asia.  Enjoy the break!

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 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

Monday, January 21, 2019

Lehner named #1 Star

He is the first Islander to be named the #1 star since John Tavares (10-30-17) and the first Isles goalie to be named the #1 star since Jaroslav Halak (12-1-14).

It's the 2nd time in 3 weeks that Lehner has been named a star (3rd star on January 7th) and the second time in his career he has been the first star (11-11-13).  It's the 4th time he has been named a weekly star (3rd star on 1-29-18).

Sunday, January 20, 2019

The Skinny: Isles 3, Anaheim 0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 48
Isles 3, Anaheim 0

Cal Clutterbuck scored twice, and Robin Lehner made 19 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season as the Isles stretched their latest winning streak to five games and their lead in the Metropolitan Division to three points with a 3-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks before a sellout crowd of 13,917 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It's the first time that the Isles have ever shutout the Ducks.

The Isles have won five straight games overall, including the last two by shutout; they have now gone 132:53 without allowing a goal.  

It's the first time since March 9, 2015 that the Isles have had a lead of at least three points this late in the season.
 
The Scoring:  
1st Period
Cal Clutterbuck (5) Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier 04:50 ANA 0,NYI 1 PPG
Cal Clutterbuck (6) Adam Pelech 09:56 ANA 0,NYI 2

2nd Period
Leo Komarov (6) Devon Toews, Scott Mayfield 19:31 ANA 0,NYI 3

3rd Period
No Goals 

The Skinny      
Cal Clutterbuck recorded his sixth career two-goal game and now has four goals in the last five games.  Clutterbuck has outscored the Isles' five opponents 4-3 in that stretch…The Isles are 12-2-0 since Devon Toews joined the lineup and are 15-3-0 in their last 18 games; it's the first time since the 1989-90 season that the Isles have won 15 games in an 18-game stretch…  All eighteen skaters played at least 12:03…The Isles are now ten points ahead of last season's pace through 48 games; including shootout winners they have scored 23 fewer goals and allowed 58 fewer goals than last year's first 48 games…With the win the Isles move three points ahead of Columbus and Washington for the division lead; Tampa Bay (74) is the only other team in the East to reach 62 points.…The Isles scored first for the sixth straight game…The Isles have outscored the opposition 16-3 in the last five games; it's only the second time in franchise history that the Isles have allowed one goal or fewer in five consecutive games (October 20-30, 1974)... The Isles have allowed one goal or fewer 16 times this season… The Isles have 31 points on the road and 31 points at home. … The Isles killed the only Duck PP and have killed 15 straight over the last six games.  It's the first time since November 23-December 8, 2016 (eight games) that the Isles have gone six games without allowing a power play goal…The Isles have outscored the opposition 9-0 in the first period during their current five-game win streak and have outscored their opponents 11-0 over the last 138:22 of first period play…The Isles did not allow a goal in the first two periods for the fourth straight game; it's the first time that's happened since October 2000 under coach Butch Goring…The Isles have the best record in the East over the last 10 games (8-2-0); only Calgary (8-1-1) has a better record over the 10 games…The Isles have now had three distinct win streaks of at least five games this season (5,  6, and the current 5); it's the third time in franchise history that's happened (three times in 1978-79 and four times in 1981-82)…The Isles are 14 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2015-16 season with a 45-27-10 record.…The Isles are 8-2-0 in January with one game to play; they are assured of a fourth straight month over NHL -.500… Anaheim had won two straight but fall to 2-9-4 in their last 15 games.

Great Eight(een)
The Isles are 15-3-0 in their last 18 games, giving them the most wins and the best record in the entire NHL since December 15.

ISLES 15-3-0
Tampa Bay 12-3-1
Calgary 11-3-3
San Jose 11-4-2
Columbus 11-5-1

First Time in a Ridiculously Long Time
The Isles have held opponents under 20 shots in three consecutive games for the second time in franchise history. The first time was December 31, 1977-January 7, 1978. 

Shutout Stats
It's the 12th time in Isles history that the team has recorded consecutive shutouts, and the fourth time that they have gotten consecutive shutouts from two different goalies:

February 9-12, 1980 (Smith/Resch) 
January 20-22, 1981 (Resch/Smith)
February 15-16, 2018 (Halak/Greiss)
January 18-20, 2019 (Greiss/Lehner) 

The Isles goaltenders needed to make only 38 saves for the consecutive shutouts this season; they made 95 in the two games last season.  It's the first time in club history that the Isles have had shutouts in consecutive games and faced under 20 shots in each game.

Strength in the Nets
Robin Lehner has allowed only 20 goals in his last 15 games (10-2-2, 1.35 GAA, .949 save percentage). In his four non-wins in that stretch he has allowed only seven goals. Lehner is 11-1-0 in his last 12 decisions. He lowered his GAA to an NHL-leading 2.02 and raised his save percentage to .930.

Thomas Greiss has won two straight games, allowing a total of one goal (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .983 save percentage).

Lehner has won 15 games and Greiss 14.  It's only the 2nd time in the last 15 seasons that the Isles have gotten at least 14 wins from two different goalies.  Greiss won 23 games and Jaroslav Halak 18 in 2015-16.

Keeping Good Company
Josh Bailey recorded his 279th career assist (one more than Bob Nystrom).  He ties Pat LaFontaine for 12th on the all-time Isles list.

It's Good to be Home
The Isles are 5-1-1 on Coliseum ice; they are averaging 97.5% of capacity on Long Island (including four sellouts).  14 of their remaining 17 home games will be at the Coliseum.
 
Most Points Thru 48 Games (Post-Cup Era)
65: 2014-15
62: 2018-19

Most Points Thru 24 Road Games (Post-Cup Era)
32: 2013 (Entire season)
31: 2018-19

Road Warriors
The Isles have won six straight games on the road; it's their longest road winning streak since a 7-game streak in the 2013-14 season.

The Isles are 9-1-0 in their last ten road games; the 18 points match the most ever for the club in a 10-game stretch of road games (done in two overlapping stretches in 1980-81).

Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. ISLES 119
2. Boston 128
3. Dallas 128

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 116
2. Boston 128
3. Dallas 128

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 42
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 94 assists, 129 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22
34 Bryan Trottier
18 John Tavares
16 Denis Potvin
14 Mike Bossy
12 Mathew Barzal
12 Pat LaFontaine
 
Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 791-583-60-138 in 1,572 games. 

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  890
3. Ken Hitchcock    837 
4. Barry Trotz   791
5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,636
3. Al Arbour   1,607
4. Barry Trotz   1,572
5. Ken Hitchcock   1,564

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 29-15-4 (62 points), with 145 goals scored and 119 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 24-20-4 (52 points), with 168 goals scored and 176 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First
The Isles are 17-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles       12-5-11=28
Anaheim 5-8-6=19
The Isles are 8-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 21-5-3 when they are outshot. [The club record for wins when being outshot is 25, set in 1983-84 and equaled last season.]

Home and Road
The Islanders are 29-15-4 overall; 14-7-3 at home (5-1-1 on Long Island and 9-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 15-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
Anaheim is 21-20-9 overall; 10-7-8 at home and 11-13-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 13-5-1 in Division games and 16-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 19-7-4 against the East and 10-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 19 saves and improves to 15-7-3 on the season and 1-2-1 in his career against Anaheim.   

Chad Johnson made 25 saves but falls to 2-9-0 on the season and 1-2-0 in his career against the Isles.
 
Power Plays
The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 5-22 of PP time; Anaheim was 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of PP time.

The Isles are 19-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-14-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 10-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 18-5-1 when they do not.
 
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 25-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-13-3 when they do not.  

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

Back-to-Backs 
The Isles are 5-2-0 in the front half and 7-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is February 1-2 vs. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, with both games being played at the Coliseum.

The Isles are 7-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs this season.  It's the first time that the Isles have opened a season with seven straight back-end wins and the first time since 1981 that they have done so at any time.

Longest Winning Streaks in Back Ends:
8 -January 22-March 14, 1976
8- March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
7- October 18, 2018- CURRENT
7-February 28- November 11, 1981 (over two seasons)
7-November 12, 1980 – January 3, 1981

Tired vs. Rested 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 
The Isles are 5-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 
The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 17-15-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Nick Leddy (23:34); Anaheim: Brandon Montour (22:47)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:24 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (15-7-3), Nick Leddy (9-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs
Isles 20, Anaheim 26 (43%).  

Valtteri Filppula won 6 of 11 for the Isles; Adam Henrique won 6 of 9 for Anaheim.
Face-offs by period: 1st period  8/15; 2nd period 3/10; 3rd period 9/21.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 18/41, Power play 1/4, Penalty kill 1/1.

Hit Count
Isles 16 (Leo Komarov-5)  
Anaheim 20 (Josh Manson-4)
   
Fights
There were no fights. Season total –12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).  

Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 12 shots (Adam Pelech-4) 

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 50, Anaheim 39
5-on-5 Isles 44, Anaheim 39

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Johnny Boychuk & Nick Leddy +7
Anaheim: Nick Ritchie +9
 
Night and Day
The Isles are 25-13-4 in night games and 4-2-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on February 9th vs. Colorado (in Brooklyn). 

Ironmen
Anders Lee 166, Brock Nelson 143, Mathew Barzal 130

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa, Ross Johnston
Total games lost: 95

Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

Comeback Kids
The Isles are 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12/28) and STL (1/5);  all five wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 12-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 
5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 763

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Anders Lee 142 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 135…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 115

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
11. Derek King 288 ***12. Pat LaFontaine 279 and Josh Bailey 278 …
25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 27. Nick Leddy 146

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 414…
23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. David Volek 249 *** 26. Anders Lee 243

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 145

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 76

Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series one game to one (and 2 points to 2).  

The win breaks a three-game Isles losing streak to Anaheim.

On the Farm 
Ben Holmstrom scored two third period goals, erasing a 3-1 Providence lead, and Tanner Fritz scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Sound Tigers defeated the Bruins 4-3 on Saturday Night in Bridgeport.

The Sound Tigers improve to 23-14-4-2 on the season with a victory in the first game of a 5-game homestand.  The homestand continues with a 1pm game on Monday against Hershey. 

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Josh Ho-Sang 24; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 12-7-2 (2.92 GAA); Christopher Gibson 11-7-4 (2.96 GAA)

Up Next
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22nd –  ISLANDERS AT CHICAGO 8:30PM 
[MSG+(Pre-game at 8:00pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles will play their final game before the All-Star Break as they face the Blackhawks in Chicago.  It's the second meeting of the season between the teams; the Isles opened 2019 with an overtime win against the Hawks at the Coliseum on January 3rd as Devon Toews scored his first NHL goal.

The Isles were in Chicago almost exactly one year ago (1/20/2018) and defeated the Hawks 7-3 behind five points from Ryan Pulock.  The win snapped a six game Isles winless streak in Chicago (0-4-2).

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 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

It Happened at the Coliseum on January 20th....and January 21st

Sometimes you make exceptions to your own rules.

So in addition to the It Happened for today (January 20th), which features a big day from Kyle Okposo and a goal from Butch Goring...



Here's a link from It Happened for tomorrow (January 21st), which features the first game of a 15-game winning streak that just happens to coincide with the first game for a certain statistician:



So start your day with some nostalgia, and then join us at the Coliseum at 3pm for Isles-Ducks!

Friday, January 18, 2019

The Skinny: Isles 2, Washington 0. First Place.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 47
Isles 2, Washington 0

Two words: First Place.

Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck scored 2:26 apart in the third period and Thomas Greiss made 19 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season as the Islanders moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-0 victory over the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals before a sellout crowd of 18,605 at Capital One Arena.

The Isles have won four straight games overall, six straight on the road, and seven straight in back-ends of back-to-backs.  The Isles are now 13 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since ending the 2015-16 season with a 45-27-10 record.

It's the first time since March 10, 2015 that the Isles have been in first place this late in the season.
 
The Scoring:  
1st Period
No Goals

2nd Period
No Goals

3rd Period
Josh Bailey (11) Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech 05:08 NYI 1,WSH 0
Cal Clutterbuck (4) Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech 07:34 NYI 2,WSH 0 

The Skinny      
The Isles are 11-2-0 since Devon Toews joined the lineup and are 14-3-0 in their last 17 games; it's the first time since the 1989-90 season that the Isles have won 14 games in a 17-game stretch…  All eighteen skaters played at least 10:16…The Isles are now ten points ahead of last season's pace through 47 games; including shootout winners they have scored 19 fewer goals and allowed 54 fewer goals than last year's first 47 games…With the win the Isles move one point ahead Columbus and Washington for the division lead; Tampa Bay (74) and Toronto (60) are the only other teams in the East to reach 60 points.…The Isles scored first for the fifth straight game…The Isles have outscored the opposition 13-3 in the last four games; it's the first time since March 2006 that the Isles have allowed one goal or fewer in four consecutive games. The Isles have allowed one goal or fewer 15 times this season… The Isles have 31 points on the road and 29 points at home. … The Isles killed both Capital PP's and have killed 14 straight over the last five games.  It's the first time since February 15-24, 2018 (five games) that the Isles have gone five games without allowing a power play goal…The Isles have outscored the opposition 7-0 in the first period during their current four-game win streak…The Isles did not allow a goal in the first two periods for the third straight game…The Isles have the best record in the East over the last 10 games (8-2-0); Vegas and San Jose are also 8-2-0 in their last 10 games…The Isles have now had three distinct win streaks of at least four games this season (5,  6, and the current 4)…The Isles are 13 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2015-16 season with a 45-27-10 record.…The Isles are 7-2-0 in January with two games to play; they are assured of a fourth straight month over NHL -.500… The Caps are 3-5-2 since New Year's Eve…Washington has been outscored 49-40 in the third period....It's the 15th time the Isles have blanked the Caps; Buffalo (also 15) is the only other opponent the Isles have blanked at least 15 times.

Sweet 16
The Isles are 14-3-0 in their last 17 games, giving them the most wins and the best record in the entire NHL since December 15.

ISLES 13-3-0
San Jose 11-3-2
Tampa Bay 11-3-1
Calgary 10-3-3
Columbus 11-4-1

First Time for Everything!
The Isles have held opponents under 20 shots on both ends of a back-to-back for the first time in franchise history.  The last time the Isles held consecutive opponents to under 20 shots in consecutive games was November 2-4, 2006.

First Time in a Ridiculously Long Time
The Isles are 7-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs this season.  It's the first time that the Isles have opened a season with seven straight back-end wins and the first time since 1981 that they have done so at any time.

Longest Winning Streaks in Back Ends:
8 -January 22-March 14, 1976
8- March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
7- October 18, 2018- CURRENT
7-February 28- November 11, 1981 (over two seasons)
7-November 12, 1980 – January 3, 1981

Strength in the Nets
Robin Lehner has allowed only 20 goals in his last 14 games (9-2-2, 1.45 GAA, .947 save percentage). In his four non-wins in that stretch he has allowed only seven goals. Lehner is 10-1-0 in his last 11 decisions.
 
Most Points Thru 47 Games (Post-Cup Era)
65: 2014-15
60: 2018-19

Most Points Thru 24 Road Games (Post-Cup Era)
32: 2013 (Entire season)
31: 2018-19

Road Warriors
The Isles have won six straight games on the road; it's their longest road winning streak since a 7-game streak in the 2013-14 season.

The Isles are 9-1-0 in their last ten road games; the 18 points match the most ever for the club in a 10-game stretch of road games (done in two overlapping stretches in 1980-81).

Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. ISLES 119
2. Boston 125
3. Dallas 126

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 116
2. Boston 125
3. Dallas 126

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 42
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 94 assists, 129 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22
34 Bryan Trottier
18 John Tavares
16 Denis Potvin
14 Mike Bossy
12 Mathew Barzal
12 Pat LaFontaine
 
Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 790-583-60-138 in 1,571 games. 

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  890
3. Ken Hitchcock    837 
4. Barry Trotz   790
5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,636
3. Al Arbour   1,607
4. Barry Trotz   1,571
5. Ken Hitchcock   1,563

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 28-15-4 (60 points), with 142 goals scored and 119 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 23-20-4 (50 points), with 161 goals scored and 173 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First
The Isles are 16-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles         11-9-5=25
Washington 7-8-4=19
The Isles are 7-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 21-5-3 when they are outshot. [The club record for wins when being outshot is 25, set in 1983-84 and equaled last season.]

Home and Road
The Islanders are 28-15-4 overall; 13-7-3 at home (4-1-1 on Long Island and 9-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 15-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
Washington is 27-15-5 overall; 13-8-3 at home and 14-7-2 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 13-5-1 in Division games and 15-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 19-7-4 against the East and 9-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 19 saves and improves to 14-8-1 on the season and 3-2-1 in his career against Washington.   

Braden Holtby made 23 saves but falls to 17-11-2 on the season and 15-5-3 in his career against the Isles.
 
Power Plays
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Washington was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time.
The Isles are 18-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-14-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 10-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 17-5-1 when they do not.    

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 24-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-13-3 when they do not.  

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

Back-to-Backs 
Including tonight, the Isles are 5-2-0 in the front half and 7-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is February 1-2 vs. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, with both games being played at the Coliseum.

Tired vs. Rested 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 
The Isles are 4-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 
The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 17-15-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Nick Leddy (23:21); Washington: John Carlson (24:16)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 17:49 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (15-7-3), Nick Leddy (8-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs
Isles 25, Washington 22 (53%).  

Brock Nelson won 8 of 13 for the Isles; Lars Eller won 7 of 11 for Washington.
Face-offs by period: 1st period  10/17; 2nd period 10/15; 3rd period 5/15.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 20/40, Power play 2/3, Penalty kill 3/4.

Hit Count
Isles 17 (Matt Martin-4)  
Washington 21 (Two with 3)
   
Fights
There were no fights. Season total –12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).  

Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 16 shots (Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews-3) 

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 52, Washington 50
5-on-5 Isles 46, Washington 37

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Adam Pelech +10
Washington: TJ Oshie +5
 
Night and Day
The Isles are 25-13-4 in night games and 3-2-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 20th  vs. Anaheim. 

Ironmen
Anders Lee 165, Brock Nelson 142, Mathew Barzal 129

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa, Ross Johnston
Total games lost: 95

Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

Comeback Kids
The Isles are 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12/28) and STL (1/5);  all five wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 11-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 
5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 762

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Anders Lee 142 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 135…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 115

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
11. Derek King 288 ***12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom and Josh Bailey 278 …
25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 27. Nick Leddy 146

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 413…
23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. David Volek 249 *** 26. Anders Lee 243

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 145

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 76

Season Series Stats
The season series is tied one game to one (and 2 points to 2). The teams will face-off at the Coliseum on March 1st (also the back-end of a back-to-back for the Isles) and then conclude the regular season in Washington on April 6th. 

The Isles are 6-6-3 in their last 15 regular season games in the Nation's Capital.

On the Farm 
Bridgeport has won only once in 2019 (1-5-0-1) and has fallen to 22-14-4-2 on the season.  The Sound Tigers begin a 5-game homestand on Saturday night as they face Providence. 

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Josh Ho-Sang 24; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 12-7-2 (2.92 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-7-4 (2.96 GAA)

Up Next
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20th –  ANAHEIM AT ISLANDERS AT NASSAU COLISEUM 3:00PM 
[MSG+(Pre-game at 2:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles will look to extend the winning streak to five games as they face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum.

The Ducks defeated the Isles 4-1 in Anaheim back in October 17th and have won the last three meetings between the teams. 

The Ducks broke a 12-game winless streak by shutting out the Wild on Thursday; Anaheim will face New Jersey on Saturday afternoon before heading to Long Island.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 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

The Skinny: Isles 4, New Jersey 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 46
Isles 4, New Jersey 1
Michael Dal Colle's 1st career goal is a game-winner. Dal Colle scored the second of three first period Islander goals as the Isles recorded the 1,600th win in franchise history: a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils before a crowd of 12,088 at the Nassau Coliseum. 

The Isles are now 4-1-1 in six games at their long-time home. 

Robin Lehner made 16 saves to improve to 10-1-0 in his last eleven games as the Isles moved twelve games over NHL-.500 for the first time since the final day of the 2016-17 season.  

Anders Lee scored the game's first and last goals; it was his first multi-goal game and first empty-net goal this season.  With the win, the Isles move within one point of Columbus and Washington for the Division lead; the Isles can move into first place on Friday with a win in DC and a Columbus regulation loss.
 
The Scoring:  
1st Period
Anders Lee (17) Nick Leddy, Jordan Eberle 05:48 NJD 0,NYI 1
Michael Dal Colle (1) Scott Mayfield, Leo Komarov 09:19 NJD 0,NYI 2
Jordan Eberle (11) Nick Leddy, Brock Nelson 15:12 NJD 0,NYI 3 PPG

2nd Period
No Goals

3rd Period
Andy Greene (3) Damon Severson 07:07 NJD 1,NYI 3
Anders Lee (18)EN Josh Bailey 17:51 NJD 1,NYI 4 

The Skinny      
The Isles are 10-2-0 since Devon Toews joined the lineup and are 13-3-0 in their last 16 games…Michael Dal Colle is the 373rd player in Islander history to score a goal...Anders Lee, Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle all had two points… Josh Bailey assisted on the empty-netter; it was his 278th assist, matching Bobby Nystrom's total for 13th place on the Isles list…All eighteen skaters played at least 11:44…The Isles are now eight points ahead of last season's pace through 46 games; including shootout winners they have scored 19 fewer goals and allowed 49 fewer goals than last year's first 45 games…With the win the Isles move within one point of Columbus and Washington for the division lead, with the Jackets now holding the top spot via a tie-breaker.  Only four points separate the teams ranked 2nd-8th in the Eastern Conference …The Isles have won 58% of the games they scored first (15-7-4); they have won 60% of the games they allowed the opening goal (12-8-0)… The Isles have 29 points on the road and 29 points at home. … The Isles killed both Devils PP's and have killed 12 straight over the last four games.  It's the first time since February 15-24, 2018 (five games) that the Isles have gone four games without allowing a power play goal…The Isles have outscored the opposition 7-0 in the first period during their current three game win streak…The Isles have the best record in the East over the last 10 games (8-2-0); Vegas and San Jose are also 8-2-0 in their last 10 games…The Isles have now had four distinct win streaks of at least three games this season (5, 3, 6, and the current 3)…The Isles are 12 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2016-17 season with a 41-29-12 record.  They last were 13 games over .500 at the end of the 2015-16 season (when they finished 45-27-10)…Robin Lehner now has 14 of the Isles' 27 wins; it's the first time since he had 4 of the first 7 Isles wins that he has more wins than Thomas Greiss (13)…The Isles are 6-2-0 in January with three games to play; they are assured of a fourth straight month over NHL -.500…The Isles have allowed 1 goal in each of the last three games; they now have allowed 0 or 1 goal fourteen times this season…The Isles allowed only 17 shots, matching a season-low (17 vs. Vegas on December 12th); it's the first time the Isles have won a game allowing 17 or fewer shots since allowing only 10 in a 3-2 win in Buffalo on February 8, 2015.

Sweet 16
The Isles are 13-3-0 in their last 16 games, giving them the most wins and the best record in the entire NHL since December 15.

ISLES 13-3-0
San Jose 11-3-2
Tampa Bay 11-3-1
Columbus 11-3-1
Calgary 10-3-3

Strength in the Nets
Robin Lehner has allowed only 20 goals in his last 14 games (9-2-2, 1.45 GAA, .947 save percentage). In his four non-wins in that stretch he has allowed only seven goals. Lehner is 10-1-0 in his last 11 decisions.

Lehner lowered his NHL-leading goals against average to 2.11; he also has the best save percentage among all goalies who have played in at more than 1/3rd of their team's games: .928.

Most Multi-Goal Games, Last 3 Seasons
20 – Alex Ovechkin
18-  Anders Lee
18- Auston Mathews
18- Patrik Laine

Most Points Thru 46 Games (Post-Cup Era)
63: 2014-15
58: 2018-19

Most Points Thru 23 Road Games (Post-Cup Era)
31: 2013
29: 2018-19

Road Warriors
The Isles have won five straight games on the road; it's their longest road winning streak since a 7-game streak in the 2013-14 season.

The Isles are 8-1-0 in their last nine road games; the 16 points match the most ever for the club in a 9-game stretch of road games (done also in 1980-81, 1981-82 and 2013-14).

Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. ISLES 119
2. Boston 125
3. Dallas 126

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 116
2. Boston 125
3. Dallas 126

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 42
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 93 assists, 128 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22
34 Bryan Trottier
18 John Tavares
16 Denis Potvin
14 Mike Bossy
12 Mathew Barzal
12 Pat LaFontaine
 
Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 789-583-60-138 in 1,570 games. 

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  890
3. Ken Hitchcock    837 
4. Barry Trotz   789
5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,636
3. Al Arbour   1,607
4. Barry Trotz   1,570
5. Ken Hitchcock   1,563

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 27-15-4 (58 points), with 140 goals scored and 119 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 23-19-4 (50 points), with 159 goals scored and 168 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First
The Isles are 15-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles       5-12-9=26
New Jersey 6-4-7=17
The Isles are 6-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 21-5-3 when they are outshot. [The club record for wins when being outshot is 25, set in 1983-84 and equaled last season.]

Home and Road
The Islanders are 27-15-4 overall; 13-7-3 at home (4-1-1 on Long Island and 9-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 14-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
New Jersey is 18-22-7 overall; 13-5-4 at home and 5-17-3 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 12-5-1 in Division games and 15-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 18-7-4 against the East and 9-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 16 saves and improves to 14-7-3 on the season and 3-6-1 in his career against New Jersey.   

Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves; he is 5-3-0 on the season and 0-1-0 in his career against the Isles.
 
Power Plays
The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 4:44 of PP time; New Jersey was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time.
The Isles are 18-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 9-14-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 10-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 16-5-1 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 24-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-13-3 when they do not.  

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

Back-to-Backs 
Including tonight, the Isles are 5-2-0 in the front half and 6-0-0 in the back half.  This back-to-back concludes on Friday in Washington. The next back-to-back is February 1-2 vs. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, with both games being played at the Coliseum.

Back Ends
The Isles are 6-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs this season.  It's the first time that the Isles have won six straight back-ends in a single season since  2006-07, when the Isles won the first six back-ends.  Like this season, the Isles had a new Jack Adams Award-winning coach behind their bench: Ted Nolan.

This matches the longest streak since 1981, when the Isles won seven straight back-ends (over two seasons).

The club record for consecutive back-end wins is 8, and that has been done twice:
January 22-March 14, 1976
March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
 
Tired vs. Rested 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 
The Isles are 4-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 17-15-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:19); New Jersey: Andy Greene (23:30)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 17:36 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (15-7-3), Nick Leddy (7-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs
Isles 26, New Jersey 26 (50%).  

Josh Bailey won 7 of 10 for the Isles; Travis Zajac won 9 of 15 for New Jersey.
Face-offs by period: 1st period  10/22; 2nd period 11/13; 3rd period 5/17.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 22/42, Power play 2/5, Penalty kill 2/5.

Hit Count
Isles 29 (Scott Mayfield and Johnny Boychuk -4)  
New Jersey 31 (Sami Vatanen -4)
   
Fights
There were no fights. Season total –12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).  

Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 13 shots (Adam Pelech-3) 

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 60, New Jersey 39
5-on-5 Isles 50, New Jersey 34

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Ryan Pulock +11
New Jersey: Blake Coleman +3
 
Night and Day
The Isles are 24-13-4 in night games and 3-2-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 20th  vs. Anaheim. 

Ironmen
Anders Lee 164, Brock Nelson 141, Mathew Barzal 128

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa, Ross Johnston
Total games lost: 93

Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

Comeback Kids
The Isles are 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12/28) and STL (1/5);  all five wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 10-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 
5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 761

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Anders Lee 142 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 134…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 115

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
11. Derek King 288 ***12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom and Josh Bailey 278 …
25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 27. Nick Leddy 146

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 412…
23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. David Volek 249 *** 26. Anders Lee 243

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 144

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 75

Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series three games to none (and 6 points to 1). The final meeting of the season series will be on February 7th in Newark.

The Isles have dominated the Devils on home ice in recent years, winning 10 out of the last 11 (4-0-0 at the Coliseum and 6-1-0 in Brooklyn).  

On the Farm 
Charlotte completed a sweep of back-to-back games with the Sound Tigers, defeating Bridgeport 6-4 on Wednesday. Bridgeport has won only once in 2019 (1-5-0-1) and has fallen to 22-14-4-2 on the season.  The Sound Tigers head home to begin a 5-game homestand on Saturday night as they face Providence. 

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Josh Ho-Sang 24; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 12-7-2 (2.92 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-7-4 (2.96 GAA)

Up Next
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18th –  ISLANDERS AT WASHINGTON 7:00PM 
[MSG+(Pre-game at 6:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles will look to improve to 7-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs as they head to DC to face the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. It will be Barry Trotz (and Lane Lambert)'s first game in DC since last year's Stanley Cup Final.  

It's the second meeting of the season between the squads this season; Tom Wilson had a pair of goals in Washington's 4-1 victory at Barclays on November 25th.   

The Isles lost both games in DC last season and are 5-6-3 in their last 14 regular season games in the Nation's Capital.

The teams will face-off at the Coliseum on March 1st (also the back-end of a back-to-back for the Isles) and then conclude the regular season in Washington on April 6th. 

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

Thursday, January 17, 2019

It Happened at the Coliseum ... on January 17th

While the Isles have played almost all of their 3,628 NHL games wearing either White or Blue,  they have played games in Orange and in Black.

Cliff Ronning was a hero in an Orange jersey game  played on this date in 2004 and It Happened at the Coliseum.

Follow the link to relive this date in Coliseum history: It Happened at the Coliseum on January 17th

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

The Skinny on 1600

The Isles will be looking for the 1,600th regular season victory on Thursday when they host the Devils.

Here's a list of their other century mark wins (as well as the number of games it took them to get there)

Games     Win
3/7/1976  @ Pittsburgh 5 3 W 303 100
4/8/1978  Vs New York 7 2 W 475 200
11/15/1980  Vs Buffalo 4 1 W 654 300
10/21/1982  Vs Washington 6 3 W 804 400
12/3/1984  @ Vancouver 5 4 W 980 500
10/8/1987  @ Los Angeles 4 1 W 1197 600
10/27/1990  Vs Philadelphia 5 2 W 1446 700
11/6/1993  Vs Hartford 5 3 W 1694    800
10/16/1997  @ San Jose 5 2 W 1982 900
10/10/2001  @ Pittsburgh 6 3 W 2307 1000
2/3/2004  Vs Vancouver 5 4 Wot 2521 1100
11/24/2007  Vs Boston 2 1 W 2734 1200
2/5/2011  Vs Ottawa 5 3 W 3012 1300
3/29/2014  Vs New Jersey 2 1 Wso 3246 1400
10/23/2016  Vs Minnesota 6 3 W 3424 1500

Each of the last five milestone wins have come at home; the fewest games between milestones was the 150 between wins 300 and 400 (100-30-20); not surprisingly the Isles spent that entire period as Stanley Cup Champions. The longest stretch was the 325 games between wins 900 and 1,000 (100-186-39).

Adrian Aucoin has the only overtime goal in a century win (1,100); Frans Nielsen had the shootout winner for win #1,400.

Win #200 was a special win - it clinched the Isles' first (Patrick) division championship.  If they earn win #1,600 on Thursday it will move them within one point of Columbus and Washington for the division lead.

The Thursday game against New Jersey will be game 3,628; the Isles are 99-78-26 since defeating Minnesota for win #1,500.


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