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

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The Skinny: Isles 3, Ottawa 0

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 61
Isles 3, Ottawa 0
Scott Mayfield broke a scoreless tie midway through the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for his 35th career shutout as the Islanders blanked the Ottawa Senators 3-0 before a crowd of 15,856 at UBS Arena.

Anders Lee and Zach Parise, the latter into an empty net, scored in the final 2:35 to cement the win.  All three Islander goals were assisted by Brock Nelson, who recorded the first three assist period (and second three assist game) of his career. 

The Isles improve to 6-1-1 in their last eight games and 27-25-9 on the season.  They have also won five straight games at home.

The Scoring:
1st Period
No Goals

2nd Period
No Goals

3rd Period
Scott Mayfield (3) Brock Nelson (13), Anders Lee (9) 09:49 OTT 0,NYI 1
Anders Lee (24) Casey Cizikas (5), Brock Nelson (14) 17:25 OTT 0,NYI 2
Zach Parise (9) Brock Nelson (15), Scott Mayfield (15)EN 19:14 OTT 0,NYI 3

The Skinny           
Scott Mayfield's goal was his first since January 21st vs. Arizona; Mayfield went 1-5-6 against Ottawa, registering two points in each game…Anders Lee improved to 10-3-13 in the last nine games.…The Isles have scored the first goal in 13 of the last 17 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Semyon Varlamov has allowed only seven goals in his last four games (3-0-1, 1.72, .944); he is the 7th goaltender in club history to record 10 shutouts.  Varly has shutouts against fourteen different teams (including one against the Isles)…Brock Nelson has had a three goal third period and a three assist third period in the last two home games; each was the first of his career. He is 8-6-14 in the last eleven games…Zach Parise's goal was the 402nd of his career, joining four others in a tie for 100th place all-time…The Isles now have seven shutouts as the team this season, and 30 in the four seasons under Barry Trotz…Ottawa has been outscored 81-44 in the third period; they have now allowed 13 empty-net goals.

First Times in a Long Time
Scott Mayfield is the first Islander with six points in a season series with Ottawa since Ziggy Palffy also had six (3-3-6) in the 1995-96 season.  Prior to Mayfield, Devon Toews (4 points in 2019-20) was the only Islander defenseman to have more than three points in a season vs. Ottawa.
Semyon Varlamov is the first Islander to blank Ottawa since Ron Hextall did so on February 18, 1994.

Strong PK
The Isles killed both of their penalties and have now killed 31 of 35 in the last thirteen games (88.7%).  At home they are even better, having killed 24 of 25 since the beginning of February; their 96.0% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Offense from the Defense
The Islander defense has 52 assists in the last 22 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games. The Islander defense has recorded 35.4% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL.  Only Nashville (36.2%) and Detroit (35.8%) have a higher share of points from their defense.

All-Star Break Splits
The Islander offense has improved significantly since the All-Star break.  The Isles scored 92 goals in 39 games before the break (2.4/gm) and have scored 72 in 22 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:
Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)
After:   63-75-138 in 22 games  (6.3/gm)

Defense:
Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)
After:     9-52-61 in 22 games (2.8/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27
1. Derek King 211
2. Anders Lee 208
3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season
7 Chico Resch 1975-76
7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)
6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22
6 Robin Lehner 2018-19
6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness
The Isles are playing 17 games this month, most of any month in franchise history  The Isles are 7-4-1 this month.

Home and Road
The Isles are 27-25-9 overall; they are 16-12-4 at home and 11-13-5 on the road.
Ottawa is 22-36-5 overall; they are 12-19-2 at home and 10-17-3 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played 32 home games and recorded 25 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the 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 904-661-60-166 in 1,791 games.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville   970
3. Barry Trotz    904

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman  2,141
2. Barry Trotz        1,791
3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. David Poile 1,483 (excluding late game Tuesday)
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,353
3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top
Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,257 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 22-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots
Isles    8-7-12=27
Ottawa    13-5-6=24
The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 16-18-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 81-54-17 when outshot.

In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves; he is 6-12-2 on the season and 5-5-2 vs. Ottawa.   

Anton Forsberg made 24 saves; he is 14-13-2 on the season and 2-5-0 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Ottawa was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 14-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-18-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-10-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 21-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 23-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-18-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 110-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games
The Isles are 7-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-8 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-7-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 26th in Boston and March 27th vs. Tampa Bay (both afternoon games).
 
Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-11-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles
The Isles are 3-2-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Saturday in Boston. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Adam Pelech (20:24); Ottawa: Erik Brannstrom (22:56)
Zach Parise led Isles forwards with 18:35 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (10-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-8-3), Ryan Pulock (6-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs
Isles 31, Ottawa 17 (65%)
Mathew Barzal won 6 of 7 for the Isles; no Senator who took multiple draws won more than he lost. 

Hit Count
Isles 34 (Matt Martin -6)
Ottawa 22 (Nikita Zaitsev -4)
Fights 
There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)
 
Blocked Shots
Isles 14 (Scott Mayfield -4)
Ottawa 17 (Dylan Gambrell -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 52, Ottawa 43
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 46, Ottawa 38

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Andy Greene +10
Ottawa: Alex Formenton +12

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 14, Ottawa 10
5-on-5: Isles 12, Ottawa 9

Scratches
(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), Sebastian Aho, Kieffer Bellows
Games Lost: 127 (78 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man
Scott Mayfield played in his 150th consecutive game. Zach Parise is the only other Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges
Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:
The Isles have scored four goals and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:
For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)
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 972…
9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 664  *** 12. Brock Nelson 656 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 644 … 
18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 588 *** 22. Anders Lee 575

Goals    
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 208 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 195 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…
17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 204 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson and Brock Nelson 175

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …
14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 367 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 353…
22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Mathew Barzal 292

+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…
19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +65 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 
1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 267
 
Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 142

On the Farm
Bridgeport is 3-0-1-0 in their last four and 24-25-6-4 on the season.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 29 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 8-10-3.

The Baby Isles begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday in Utica. 

Season Series Stats
The Isles win the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 0).   

The Isles are 9-1-0 in the last 10 games vs. the Sens, including five straight home wins.

UP NEXT
THURSDAY, MARCH 24th  – DETROIT AT ISLANDERS 7:30 PM 
[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles look to avenge a pair of one-goal road losses as they complete the season series with the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings won in overtime on December 4th on an extra time goal by Moritz Seider and then edged the Isles 2-1 ten days later, with both games at Little Caesars Arena. 

The Isles have won four straight home games over the Red Wings.

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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