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The Skinny: New Jersey 4, Isles 0

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Game 71 New Jersey 4, Isles 0 Timo Meier had a Gordie Howe hat trick, all in the second period, as th...

Friday, January 14, 2022

The Skinny: Isles 3, New Jersey 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 29
Isles 3, New Jersey 2 
Mathew Barzal scored with 4:53 remaining to break a 2-2 tie as the Islanders earned their third straight win and stretched their point streak to five games with a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils before another sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.

Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech had the other goals for the Isles; Pelech, who was named to the All-Star Game for the first time earlier in the evening recorded his first goal of the season while Bailey's power play tally was his 2nd goal  of the season and first on the power play in nearly two years. The Isles are 6-2-1 in their last nine games and have earned at least a point ten times in the last 12 games (6-2-4).

The Scoring:
1st Period
Yegor Sharangovich (8) P.K. Subban (12), Colton White (2) 09:43 NJD 1,NYI 0
Josh Bailey (2) Zach Parise (6), Anthony Beauvillier (5)  18:59 NJD 1,NYI 1 PPG

2nd Period
Adam Pelech (1) Kieffer Bellows (6), Zach Parise (7) 09:22 NJD 1,NYI 2

3rd Period
Nathan Bastian (6) Ty Smith (9), Nico Hischier (15) 10:25 NJD 2,NYI 2 PPG
Mathew Barzal (7) Josh Bailey (12), Scott Mayfield (5) 15:07 NJD 2,NYI 3

The Skinny         
The Isles have scored 34 goals in the last eleven games after scoring only 33 goals in their first eighteen games… Mathew Barzal has points in the last nine games he has played (3-11-14, including four multiple-assist games)…Kieffer Bellows had an assist, giving him eight points in his last eight games… In the seventeen games that the Isles have earned points, their power play is 12-44 (27.3%); the Islander power play is 3-35 (8.6%) in their 12 regulation losses…The Isles are 5-0-1 in their last six games at home after going 0-5-2 to open UBS Arena… Adam Pelech, who scored for the first time in 29 games (May 3, 2021, vs. Buffalo) has three goals in 21 games vs. New Jersey and 14 goals in 307 games against the rest of the NHL…Pelech was penalized twice; it was only the second multiple-penalty game of his career…Zach Parise had his second multiple-assist game of the season.

The COVID List!
Ryan Pulock and head coach Barry Trotz are the only Islanders on the COVID list; fifteen Islanders have missed games due to COVID.  Pulock is still on LTIR while Kyle Palmieri remains on IR.

The Baby List!
JG Pageau and Sebastian Aho both became fathers today and were unavailable for tonight's game.

The Power Lists!
The Isles have scored a power play goal in five straight games. It is the first time they have done this since December 2017, when they scored in six straight games.

The Isles have also scored a power play goal in eight straight home games; it is the first time they have done that (in a single season) since January 9-February 10, 1996.  They have not had a longer streak since scoring in a club-record 14-straight home games from February 13-April 10, 1993.

There was one eight-game streak since 1996, but it lasted over two seasons and eighteen months (last three games of 2003-04 and first five games of 2005-06).

Lots of Home Cooking
Beginning with their return from their most recent pause, the Isles are playing ten games out of eleven games at home to get them to the All-Star  Break.   The Isles are 1-0-0 in that stretch:
1/13 vs. New Jersey W 3-2
1/15 vs. Washington
1/17 vs. Philadelphia
1/18 @ Philadelphia
1/21 vs. Arizona
1/22 vs. Toronto
1/25 vs. Philadelphia
1/27 vs. Los Angeles
1/29 vs. Seattle
1/30 vs. Minnesota 
2/1 vs. Ottawa

Including the seven games played between December 9th and January 1st, the Isles are playing 16 of 18 at home; they are 5-2-1 in that stretch, with ten game remaining.

The Schedule
This was only the 9th time Isles have had at least 10 days off during a regular season.

Five of the first seven were due to Olympics (ranging from 13 to 18 off-days).  In 1992 a player strike led to 13 consecutive off-days.  The only "normal" break of this kind occurred in early 2020, when the Isles had ten consecutive off-days around the all-star break.  The eighth was just last month, when the Isles did not play between games on December 19th and December 30th.

The Isles just ended their fourth break of at least five consecutive off-days (no games Oct 25-29, Nov 27-Dec 1, Dec 20-29, Jan 2-12); that's never happened before.  A fifth break of at least five days will occur around the NHL's All-Star Break.

Making Their Point
The Isles last lost in regulation on December 14th in Detroit; they are 4-0-1 since then and have now earned a point in every game over the last 32 days (through at least Saturday)

It is the 6th time in club history that they have gone at least 30 days between pointless games:
45 days  October/November 2019  
38 days  November/December 1978
34 days  February/March 1981
33 days  November/December 1980
32 days  January/February 1982
32 days  December 2021/January 2022 CURRENT through at least Saturday

Histor-Z
Zdeno Chara played in his 1,634th NHL game. Chara is 3rd among defensemen in games played:
Chris Chelios 1,651  
Scott Stevens 1,635
Zdeno Chara 1,634

Chelios is 8th among all players in games played, Stevens is 10th and Chara is 11th.

Home and Road
The Isles are 11-12-6 overall; they are 5-5-3 at home and 6-7-3 on the road.
New Jersey is 14-18-5 overall; they are 9-7-3 at home and 5-11-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played thirteen home games and sold out all of them. They are the thirteen largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home.

Leader of the Pack
Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 888-647-60-164 in 1,759 games, which includes the victory today. Under NHL rules, results from games coached by an interim coach (such as todays by Lane Lambert) are part of the head coach's record.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  969
3. Barry Trotz    888

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,768
3. Barry Trotz        1,759

Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. David Poile 1,469
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,337
3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top
Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,225 wins between them. They start each game with more than any other pair in NHL history (David Poile and Peter Laviolette had 2,036 after their last game together). Bill Torrey and Al Arbour had a then-record 1,462 at the end of the 1991-92 season, which was their last season together. 

First Things First
The Isles are 9-4-4 when scoring first and are 2-8-2 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots
Isles    14-5-6=25
New Jersey    14-6-12=32
The Isles are 2-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 9-8-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 74-44-17 when outshot.

In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves; he is 9-7-5 on the season and 5-2-0 vs. New Jersey. 

Jon Gillies made 22 saves; he is 0-2-1 on the season and 0-1-0 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams
The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (6:30); New Jersey went 1-5 on the power play (6:55)

The Isles are 6-3-4 when they score at least one power play goal and 5-9-2 when they do not. The Isles are 4-6-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 9-2-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-10-4 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 97-11-13 when scoring three or more.

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

Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-2-1 in the front end and 1-3-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back is scheduled for January 17th vs. Philadelphia and January 18th in Philadelphia.
 
Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 22-7-5 (.727) in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles
The Isles are 1-0-2 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on January 15th against Washington. The Isles are scheduled to play fourteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Noah Dobson (23:56); New Jersey: Ryan Graves (25:05)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with a season-high 18:06 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (2-1-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (4-2-2), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-2-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-1-0), Noah Dobson (3-1-2).

Face-offs
Isles 21, New Jersey 29 (42%)
Casey Cizikas won 12 of 19 for the Isles; Nico Hischier won 14 of 19 for New Jersey. 

The Isles are 6-8-4 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-0-1 when face-offs are even, and 5-4-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count
Isles 27 (Cal Clutterbuck -4)
New Jersey 16 (Michael McLeod -5)
Fights 
There were no fights. Season total: 12 (Chara 3, Martin 3, Bellows 1, Mayfield 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Pageau 1, Wahlstrom 1)
 
Blocked Shots
Isles 13 (Adam Greene -3)
New Jersey 13 (Ryan Graves -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 34, New Jersey 32
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 48, New Jersey 52

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles:  Noah Dobson and Zach Parise +4
New Jersey: Pavel Zacha +6

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 11, New Jersey 20
5-on-5: Isles 7, New Jersey 14

Scratches
(Ryan Pulock -LTIR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), Grant Hutton, JG Pageau (baby), Sebastian Aho (baby) 
Games Lost: 86 (42 to injuries and 44 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man
Scott Mayfield played in his 118th consecutive game.  Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 0-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR)

Opponents: 3 successful, 0 failures  
The Isles are 1-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 0-0-0 in games where challenges go the Isles' way. (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK)

Last Minute Heroes:
The Isles have scored one goal and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:
For: 1  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO)
Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH; GWG, Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 943…
11. Derek King 638 *** 12. Matt Martin 635 *** 13. Brock Nelson 624 *** 14. Billy Harris 623*** 15. Stefan Persson 622 *** 16. Casey Cizikas 613 … 
20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 557 *** 22. Ken Morrow  550 ***  23. Duane Sutter 547 *** 24. Anders Lee 545

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 194 *** 13. Billy Harris 184 *** 14. Brock Nelson 178 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 16. Josh Bailey 164

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 361…
20. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 191…
26. Jean Potvin 167 *** 27. Jeff Norton 166 *** 28. Ziggy Palffy and Brock Nelson 163

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 525 …
17. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 18. Brock Nelson 341 *** 19. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 20. Tomas Jonsson 333 *** 21. Anders Lee 332…
26. Ed Westfall 286 *** 27. Mathew Barzal 274

Games Coached 
1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 235
 
Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 126

On the Farm
Bridgeport is 13-16-3-4 on the season following a 4-3 shootout win in Hershey on Wednesday; Michael Dal Colle scored the deciding goal in the shootout. 

The Baby Islanders have points in all six games they have played in 2022 (3-0-1-2); they next play on Sunday in Providence. 

Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series 2 game to 1 (and 4 points to 2).  They will meet in New Jersey on April 3rd to conclude the season series.

The Isles are 9-3-0 in their last twelve games against New Jersey. 

UP NEXT
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15th– WASHINGTON AT ISLANDERS 2:00pm 
[MSG+ (pre-game begins at 1:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]
The Isles will look to extend their winning streak to four games as they host the Capitals.  The teams were scheduled to meet on December 23rd but that game was postponed when the NHL extended the holiday break so this will be the first meeting of the teams this season.

The Isles went 2-5-1 against Washington last season.  Barry Trotz is 6-9-1 against the Caps since becoming the Islander coach.

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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