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The Skinny: Carolina 6, Isles 3 (Carolina wins series 4-1)

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Eastern Conference Round 1, Game 5 Carolina 6, Isles 3 Carolina Wins Series 4-1 School is out. Jack D...

Friday, November 08, 2019

The Skinny: Pittsburgh 4, Isles 3 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 15
Pittsburgh 4, Isles 3 (OT) 
Bryan Rust scored two goals, including the winner at 3:25 of overtime, as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Isles 4-3 before a crowd of 12,613 at Barclays Center. The loss snaps the Isles winning streak at 10 games, although the Isles did extend their point streak to 11 games.

The ten-game winning streak was the longest in the NHL this season and the second-longest in franchise history; the Isles won 15 straight games in 1982.  Coincidentally, the Penguins also ended that streak.

Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas each scored their second goal in as many games; Clutterbuck's goal was his 9th career shorthanded goal.   When Adam Pelech scored his first goal since March 14th, the Isles carried a 3-0 lead into the third period; however, three Penguin goals in a 7:10 span erased the lead.
 
The Isles are 11-3-1; their 23 points matches the third-highest total through fifteen games in the club history (24 points in 1976-77 and 2001-02).

The Scoring: 
1st Period
Casey Cizikas (2) Michael Dal Colle, Ryan Pulock 00:19 PIT 0,NYI 1

2nd Period
Cal Clutterbuck (2) Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech 06:28 PIT 0,NYI 2 SHG
Adam Pelech (1) Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee 09:26 PIT 0,NYI 3

3rd Period
Jared McCann (5) John Marino, Brian Dumoulin 01:38 PIT 1,NYI 3
Bryan Rust (3) Jared McCann, Evgeni Malkin 6:16 PIT 2,NYI 3
Evgeni Malkin (2) Juuso Riikola, Jared McCann 08:48 PIT 3,NYI 3

OT
Bryan Rust (4) 03:25 PIT 4,NYI 3

The Skinny   
The Isles fall to 9-0-1 when leading after two periods while the Penguins snapped an 18-game winless streak (0-16-2 when trailing through 40 minutes…The overtime loss also snapped the Isles six game home win streak and six (6) and their six-game streak of winning in regulation (first time since winning nine straight in regulation in 1989-90)…. The Isles have scored shorthanded goal in consecutive games or the first time since November 1 – 3, 2018 (vs. New Jersey and Pittsburgh) … The Isles have outscored the opposition 18-8 in the second period this season... Over the last 8 games, the  Isles have killed 24 of 25 and scored two shorthanded goals but are 1-13 on the power play, allowing a shorthanded goal…The Isles had only one power play; they have had one or fewer in nine games this season…The Isles fall to 8-3 in games decided in overtime under Barry Trotz…. The Isles were the 51st team in NHL history to win ten straight games; teams that have won ten straight have won the following game only 26 out of 51 times…Bryan Rust went +4 for Pittsburgh; it's the first time an opposing forward has been +4 or better in the Trotz era (Ivan Provorov -2x and Travis Sandheim have done it as defensemen)… Anders Lee had a season-high six hits…Six of the seven goals that the Isles scored in the last two games were by players who had not scored prior to Tuesday (Clutterbuck/Cizikas -2, Bardreau, Pelech)…The Isles held Sidney Crosby pointless for the 16th time; the Isles are 10-5-1 when blanking the Penguins…Casey Cizikas' goal was the earliest for the Isles since Nick Leddy scored at 13 seconds on November 5, 2016 vs. Edmonton; the Isles also earned one point in that game (a shootout loss)…This was the 17th time since 1979 that the Isles have scored in the first 19 seconds, but they are only 8-3-6 in those games.

First Time in a Long Time
The Isles failed to win a game when leading by three goals in the third period for the first time since December 29, 2014 in Buffalo (led 3-0, lost 4-3 in a shootout).

From the Elias Sports Geniuses:
This was the first day in NHL history where three teams scored a goal in the first 25 seconds of a game: 
Gustav Nyquist – CBJ  0:14
Casey Cizikas – Isles  0:19
John Carlson – Washington 0:25.

All three teams eventually lost their lead, although the other two teams won their games (CBJ in  regulation, Washington in OT)

Two other teams also scored in the first minute of the game: Colorado – Cole Makar :49, San Jose - Logan Couture: 0:52.

The Point Streak (10-0-1)
10/12: Florida (3-2 Wso)
10/14: St. Louis (3-2 Wot)
10/17: @ Winnipeg (3-1 W)
10/19: @ Columbus (3-2 Wot)
10/24: Arizona (4-2 W)
10/25: @ Ottawa (4-2 W)
10/27: Philadelphia (5-3 W)
11/1: Tampa Bay (5-2 W)
11/2: @ Buffalo (1-0 W)
11/5: Ottawa (4-1 W)
11/7: Pittsburgh (3-4 OTL)

The Isles have earned a point in 11 straight games, matching the longest streak in the Post-Cup era (also 2001-02 and 2012-13).  The Isles also had an 11-game streak in 1975-76, a 12-game streak in 1979-80 (following the trade for Butch Goring), and 15-game streak in 1978-79, 1980-81 and 1981-82.

A Ten-Beller
This was only the 2nd time in Islander history that they have won at least ten straight games:
15 - 1981-82
10 - 2019-20

During the streak, the Isles have scored 31 of their 34 goals (91.2%) at even-strength; the largest percentage of goals at even-strength during a win streak of at least ten games in NHL history.

It's Good to be Home(s)
The Isles are 6-2-0 on Coliseum ice, where they have won five straight games.  The Isles will play 28 of their 41 home games this season at the Coliseum.   The Isles are 1-0-1 at Barclays Center.

Coach Trotz
Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 821-598-60-142 in 1,621 games.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  897
3. Ken Hitchcock    849
4. Barry Trotz    821
5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,651
3. Barry Trotz        1,621
4. Al Arbour   1,607

First Things First
The Isles are 5-1-1 when scoring first and are 6-2-0 when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles           8-8-6-1=23
Pittsburgh  11-15-11-1=39

The Isles are 3-0-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 8-2-1 when they are outshot.

Home and Road
The Islanders are 11-3-1 overall; 7-2-1 at home (6-2-0 on Long Island and 1-0-1 in Brooklyn) and 4-1-0 on the road.  
Pittsburgh is 9-6-1 overall; 5-3-1 at home and 4-3-0 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 2-2-1 in Division games and 9-1-0 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 7-2-1 against the East and 4-1-0 against the West.  

In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 35 saves; he is 5-2-1 on the season and 4-2-2 in his career against Pittsburgh.  

Matt Murray made 20 saves and improves to 8-3-1 on the season and 3-3-1 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays
The Isles were 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of power play time; Pittsburgh was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time and they also allowed a shorthanded goal.

The Isles are 3-1-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-2-1 when they do not.  The Isles are 3-2-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-1-1 when they do not.

The Isles are 0-1-0 when they have more power plays than the opposition, 1-0-0 when the power plays are even, and 10-2-1 when the opposition has more power plays.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 10-0-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-3-0 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 48-2-3 when scoring three or more.

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

Tired vs. Rested 
The Isles are 2-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 
The Isles are 3-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 
The Isles are 1-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 5-3-1 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (26:02); Pittsburgh: Justin Schultz (25:20) 
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:32 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (6-0-0), Ryan Pulock (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (0-1-0), Devon Toews (0-1-0), Scott Mayfield (1-0-0).

Pulock is the first Islander to play at least 26 minutes since Nick Leddy played 26:18 in Tampa Bay last November 8th; it was the third-highest total of his career.  Adam Pelech (25:57) had the 2nd-largest ice-time of his career.

Face-offs
Isles 24, Pittsburgh 23 (51%).  
Brock Nelson won 11 of 18 for the Isles; Nick Bjugstad won 7 of 11 for Pittsburgh.  

Hit Count
Isles 26 (Anders Lee -6)
Pittsburgh 19 (Jared McCann -4) 
   
Fights
There were no fights.  Season total: 4 – Johnston-3 (vs. FLA, vs PHL, vs TB), Cizikas (vs. OTT).
 
Blocked Shots
Isles 16 (Adam Pelech-3)
Pittsburgh 12 (Justin Schultz -2)

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 44, Pittsburgh 74
5-on-5 Isles 38, Pittsburgh 62

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anders Lee and Brock Nelson +1
Pittsburgh:  Jared McCann +15

Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-1-0 in the front-half and 3-0-0 in the back-half. The next back-to-back will be December 2nd in Detroit and December 3rd in Montreal. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 14-1-1 in back-ends.

Night and Day
The Isles are 9-3-1 in night games and 1-0-0 in matinees. The next matinee will be on November 9th vs. Florida.

Ironmen
Anders Lee 215, Brock Nelson 192, Mathew Barzal 179, Ryan Pulock 142 and Josh Bailey 100. 

Iron D
Ryan Pulock is only the 6th defenseman in Islander history to play at least 142 consecutive regular season games:
1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262
2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)
3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198
4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)
5. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – 3/26/2018 153
6. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 142
 (*) Start of NHL career.
(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Jordan Eberle-INJ), (Matt Martin-INJ), (Tom Kuhnhackl-INJ),(Leo Komarov-ILL), (Nick Leddy -INJ), Otto Koivula, Seth Helgeson
Total games lost: 52.

Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
10/14 vs. STL – Mathew Barzal scored at 19:33 and the Isles won in OT.

Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have not allowed a goal in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

Challenges
Isles: 0 - 0
Opponents: 1 successful, 1 failures (Nelson-kick 10/8 vs EDM), (Lee- no high stick 11/1 vs. TB)

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 812…
25. Dave Lewis 514 *** 26. Matt Martin 512 *** 27. Rich Pilon and Mick Vukota 509 *** 29. Casey Cizikas 496 *** 30. Brock Nelson 495

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
14. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 15. Anders Lee 157 *** 16. Pierre Turgeon 147 ** 17. Josh Bailey 146
18. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 19. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 20. Jason Blake and Brock Nelson 128

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Bob Bourne 304 *** 11.  Josh Bailey 299 …
25. Jeff Norton 166 *** 26. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 27. Nick Leddy 155

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Josh Bailey 444…
24. Ed Westfall 286 *** 25. Anders Lee 267 *** 26. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***
28. Brock Nelson 251

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
6. Jaroslav Halak 177 *** 7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 170

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5.   Thomas Greiss 91

Shutouts (Goalie)
1. Glenn Resch 25 ***2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 16 *** 4. Tommy Salo 14***
5. Jaroslav Halak 12 *** 6.  Thomas Greiss 10

Season Series Stats
Pittsburgh leads the season series 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 1).   The season series will continue with a home and home (November 19th in  Pittsburgh and November 21st in Brooklyn).

This was the third straight Isles home game against Pittsburgh to go beyond regulation; the teams split a pair of shootouts last season.

Despite having playoff winners from David Volek and Josh Bailey in the interim, the Isles have lost 13 consecutive games to Pittsburgh that were decided by an overtime goal.  Patrick Flatley had the last winner for the Isles, on December 23, 1990.

On the Farm  
Nic Pierog scored his first career AHL goal and Christopher Gibson made 21 saves as Bridgeport beat Springfield 1-0 on Wednesday. The Sound Tigers, winners of two straight games, are now 3-7-2-1 on the season and host Providence on Saturday night.

Up Next
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9th —  FLORIDA AT ISLANDERS AT BARCLAYS CENTER  
[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 12:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050] 

The Isles look to start another winning streak against the team they started the just ended one as they host Florida in a Saturday matinee.  The Isles defeated the Panthers 3-2 in a shootout back on October 12th.

It was the second straight Isles shootout win over Florida; Brock Nelson owns the only goal of both shootouts.

The Isles are 2-1-1 in the last four games vs. Florida but are 0-3-1 in their last four Barclays Center games against the Cats.

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

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