Featured Post

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...

Saturday, April 09, 2022

The Skinny: St. Louis 6, Isles 1

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 71
St. Louis 6, Isles 1
Justin Faulk scored two goals and added an assist to spark a four goal second period for the St. Louis Blues as they defeated the Islanders 6-1 before a sellout crowd of 18,096 at PNC Arena. 

Grant Hutton scored the only goal for the Islanders – it was his first NHL goal and point.

The Isles fell to 33-29-9; they are 13 points behind Washington. Each team has 11 games to play.   Despite the loss the Isles are 5-2-0 in their last seven games and finish the road trip with a 3-2-0 record.

The Scoring:
1st Period
Nick Leddy (3) Robert Thomas (46), Vladimir Tarasenko (38) 14:21 NYI 0,STL 1
Vladimir Tarasenko (26) Colton Parayko (23), Robert Thomas (47) 17:10  NYI 0,STL 2

2nd Period
Justin Faulk (12) Brandon Saad (23), David Perron (27) 04:05 NYI 0,STL 3
Justin Faulk (13) Jordan Kyrou (41), Ivan Barbashev (30) 05:41 NYI 0,STL 4
Ivan Barbashev (23) Jordan Kyrou (42), Justin Faulk (27) 16:57 NYI 0,STL 5
Grant Hutton (1) Brock Nelson (19) 18:41 NYI 1,STL 5
Robert Thomas (18) Vladimir Tarasenko (39), Pavel Buchnevich (35) 19:20 NYI 1,STL 6

3rd Period
No Goals

The Skinny           
Grant Hutton is the 387th player in Islander history to score a goal…The Isles are 12-5-1 in their last 18 games… The Isles have been outscored 15-11 in the final minutes of periods this season (excluding empty nets)… St. Louis has outscored the opposition 99-63 in the second period…All seven goals were scored in 5-on-5 play... Nick Leddy had a point in five straight games; Robert Thomas has a point in nine straight….Mathew Barzal was -5 while Zach Parise was -4…This was the most one-sided Isles loss to St. Louis since November 2, 2002 (also 6-1).

Home is Where The Sorokin Is
Ilya Sorokin is 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); both the goals against average and the save percentage is the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two home games in that stretch .

Great in the Nets
Ilya Sorokin is 6-2-0 in his last eight games; he has allowed just twelve goals in those eight games (1.58, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two games in that stretch.
Semyon Varlamov is 6-3-1 in his last ten decisions.  

PK is More Than Okay
The Isles killed all four of their penalties and have now killed 21 straight over their last seven games and 60 of 66 in the last 21 games (90.9%).  At home they are even better, having killed 33 of 35 since the beginning of February; their 94.3% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL. 

Zach Attack
Zach Parise, the 100th-leading goal scorer in NHL history, has 404 goals, leaving him two behind Rod Gilbert and John LeClair, three behind Marian Gaborik and four behind Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro.

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 102 in 32 games since the break (3.2/gm).  

Forwards:
Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)
After:    90-110-200 in 32 games  (6.3/gm)

Defense:
Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)
After:    12-64-76 in 32 games (2.4/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27
1. Derek King 211
2. Anders Lee 209
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

Home and Road
The Isles are 33-29-9 overall; they are 18-13-4 at home and 15-16-5 on the road.
St. Louis is 42-20-10 overall; they are 25-9-4 at home and 17-11-6 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played 35 home games and recorded 27 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 910-665-60-166 in 1,801 games.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  970
3. Barry Trotz    910

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman  2,141
2. Barry Trotz        1,801
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 1,487
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,359
3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top
Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,269 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 27-8-5 when scoring first and are 6-21-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots
Isles    9-10-12=31
St. Louis 12-14-5=31
The Isles are 12-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-2-1 when the shots are even and 20-21-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 86-57-17 when outshot.

In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves; he is 9-15-2 on the season and 10-11-3 vs St. Louis.

Jordan Binnington made 30 saves; he is 14-13-4 on the season and 2-1-2 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); St. Louis was 0-4 on the power play (8:00).

The Isles are 17-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 16-21-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 27-17-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 28-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 5-21-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 115-17-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games
The Isles are 10-9-9 in games decided by a single goal including 8-9 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
Including tonight, the Isles are 9-5-1 in the front end and 5-9-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be April 14th in Pittsburgh and April 15th in Montreal.
 
Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 26-13-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles
The Isles are 4-4-3 in matinees this season; the final matinees will be on April 23rd in Buffalo and April 24th at home vs. Carolina.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:13); St. Louis: Justin Faulk (22:10)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:48 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (8-10-3), Ryan Pulock (7-5-1), 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 26, St. Louis 27 (49%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 13 of 20 for the Isles; Brayden Schenn won 8 of 14 for St. Louis.

Hit Count
Isles 14 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -5)
St. Louis 10 (Nathan Walker -4)
Fights 
There were no fights. Season total: 21 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2, Wahlstrom 2, Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1)
 
Blocked Shots
Isles 8 (Two with 2)
St. Louis 7 (Seven with 1)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 55, St. Louis 55
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 42, St. Louis 40

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Adam Pelech +11
St. Louis: Two with +3

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 8, St. Louis 11
5-on-5: Isles 3, St. Louis 6

Scratches
(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Kieffer Bellows, Sebastian Aho, Casey Cizikas -Suspended
Games Lost: 156 (107 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)
Zach Parise is the only Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges
Isles: 3 successful, 2 failures
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 0-2-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR, no goalie interference 4/5 @DAL)

Opponents: 5 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 five goals and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:
For: 5  (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), (Kyle Palmieri 19:45 – 4/8/22 @ CAR – 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)
The Isles allowed a tying goal to CAR on 4/8/22 but scored the winner in the final seconds.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 982…
9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. Matt Martin 674 *** 11. John Tavares 669  *** 12. Brock Nelson 666 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 653 … 
18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 585

Goals    
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 201 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 170

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 375…
17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 210 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Brock Nelson 179

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
7. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 8. Josh Bailey 545 *** 9. John Tonelli 544 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …
14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 380 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 361…
22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mathew Barzal 300

+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…
19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +63 *** 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 277
 
Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 148

On the Farm
Bridgeport fell to 7-3-2-0 in their last twelve games and 28-28-7-4 on the season following a 6-2 loss in Providence on Saturday night.  

Terry continues to lead the team with 28 goals and 54 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 32 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-14-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 7-1-2 in his last ten games, is 11-10-3.

Bridgeport hosts Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2).

This was the first Isles regulation loss to the Blues since a 4-3 road loss on March 11, 2017, that ended a 5-0-2 stretch.

UP NEXT
TUESDAY, APRIL 12th  – PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS 7:30 PM 
[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:00pm), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]
The Isles return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the front end of a home-and home series.

The teams have played only once this season – a 1-0 Penguin win the night after Thanksgiving in the final game before the first pause of the Islander season. Kasperi Kapenen scored the only goal in that game.

The Isles are 1-5-2 in the last eight games against the Pens.

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


No comments: