"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 1
Pittsburgh 4, Isles 3
Justin Brazeau scored with 5:39 to play in regulation to break a 3-3 tie as the Pittsburgh Penguins spoiled Matthew Schaefer's NHL debut with a 4-3 victory over the Isles, before a crowd of 16,107 at PPG Paints Arena.
The Isles bounced back from an early Rickard Rakell tally to take a 2-1 lead on goals by Jonathan Drouin and Kyle Palmieri; Schaefer earned his first NHL point on the Drouin tally. After Pittsburgh gained a 3-2 lead, Maxim Shabanov scored a goal in his NHL debut with 41 seconds to play in the middle period, but Brazeau's tally held up as the game-winner.
The Isles open the home season on Saturday at 7:00 as they entertain the Washington Capitals.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Rickard Rakell (1) Evgeni Malkin (3) Sidney Crosby (1), 03:23 NYI 0,PIT 1 PPG
Jonathan Drouin (1) Matthew Schaefer (1) 12:02 NYI 1,PIT 1
2nd Period
Kyle Palmieri (1) Mathew Barzal (1), Scott Mayfield (1) 04:04 NYI 2,PIT 1
Harrison Brunicke (1) Filip Hallander (1), Tommy Novak (1) 05:41 NYI 2,PIT 2
Sidney Crosby (1) Evgeni Malkin (4), Rickard Rakell (1) 08:58 NYI 2,PIT 3 PPG
Max Shabanov (1) Simon Holmstrom (1) 19:19 NYI 3,PIT 3
3rd Period
Justin Brazeau (3) Evgeni Malkin (5), Anthony Mantha (2) 14:21 NYI 3,PIT 4
The Skinny
Anders Lee opened the season as the Isles' captain for the eight straight season, breaking a tie with Denis Potvin for the longest in club history…The Isles have faced the Penguins in their opener three times (1998, 2009, 2025), losing all three by a 4-3 score…Three infrequently penalized players saw penalty time: Alex Romanov (20 PIM last season), Simon Holmstrom (11 penalties in first 200 games) and Jonathan Drouin (15 minutes tonight; only six all last season)…Drouin is the first Islander since Ray Schultz (10-10-2002 at Buffalo -23 minutes) with at least 15 penalty minutes in an opener; he is only the second player in club history (Derek King 10-6-1992 at New Jersey) to score a goal and have at least 15 penalty minutes in an opener…Mathew Barzal passed Patrick Flatley for 8th in team assists (329-328) and passed Pat LaFontaine for 31st in games played (531-530)…Matthew Schaefer's largest speed burst was 22.4 mph; an Islander defenseman reached 22 mph only five times all last season (three by Noah Dobson).
First Time in a Long Time
The points for Schaefer and Shabanov marked the first time in 37 years (10-6-1988) that two Islanders earned a point in their NHL debut in the same game; David Volek (who had a famous goal in Pittsburgh in 1993), and Rich Pilon did that. The only other occasions occurred in 1974 (Bob Bourne and Clark Gillies) and in the first game in franchise history in 1972 (Billy Harris and Dave Hudson).
For Openers
The Isles are 3-6-1 on Opening Night over the last ten years and they are only 6-13-4 in their last 23 Openers. Overall, the Isles are 14-27-12 on Opening Night (11-21-8 on the road and 3-6-4 at home). Only four teams (all Original Six teams) have opened their season on the road more often than the Isles.
The Isles 14-27-12 (.377) Opening Night record is the second-worst among current teams who have played more than four openers (Seattle is 0-3-1, entering tonight). Anaheim has the worst record on opening night of any other team: 11-20-0 (.355), entering tonight. Patrick Roy is 0-1-1 on Opening Night as the Isles' head coach; he went 1-2-0 in three Openers with Colorado.
Milestone Men
• Matthew Schaefer made his NHL debut just 34 days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest defenseman in Isles history, and the youngest defenseman to record a point in his NHL debut (breaking Scott Niedermayer's record 18-046).
• Sidney Crosby went 1-1-2, tying Steve Yzerman (1063) for 9th all-time in assists and passing Joe Sakic /Jarome Iginla with his 625th career goal.
• Crosby is now 44-95-139 against the Isles (91 games played); he passed Jaromir Jagr for the most assists against the Isles.
• Harrison Brunicke also recorded his first NHL goal.
• Casey Cizikas appeared in his 13th Opening Night game, tying Josh Bailey and Denis Potvin for second place in club history (Bryan Trottier played in 14 openers). It was his 898th game, all with the Isles.
Most Games Played as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
Tim Connolly 81
Dave Chyzowski 34
Nino Niederreiter 9
Brent Sutter 3
Brad Dalgarno 2
Mathew Schaefer 1
Paul Boutilier 1
Schaefer will set the club record for most games played by an 18-year-old defenseman with his next appearance.
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have zero come-from behind wins this season, including zero when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win one time this season, including one time in the third period.
Overtime
The Isles are 0-0 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 0-0 in shootouts.
Empty Netters
The Isles have scored 0 empty-net goals and allowed 0.
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 0 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 0 times
• Allowed the next goal: 0 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 0 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 0-1-0 for 0 points in 1 game
• 2024-25 0-0-1 for 1 point in 1 game
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-2-2
• Season: 0-2-2
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Home and Road
The Isles are 0-1-0 overall; they are 0-0-0 at home and 0-1-0 on the road.
Pittsburgh is 2-0-0 overall; they are 1-0-0 at home and 1-0-0 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 0-1-0 against the East (0-1-0 vs. Metropolitan and 0-0-0 vs. Atlantic) and 0-0-0 against the West (0-0-0 vs. Central and 0-0-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 0-0-0 when scoring first and are 0-1-0 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 12-13-12=37
Pittsburgh 11-9-8=28
The Isles are 0-1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0-0 when the shots are even and 0-0-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves; he is 0-1-0 this season and 11-6-0 vs. Pittsburgh.
Tristan Jarry made 34 saves; he is 1-0-0 this season and 12-5-1 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-3 (5:58); Pittsburgh was 2-5 (4:51) .
The Isles are 0-0-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 0-1-0 when they do not. The Isles are 0-1-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 0-0-0 when they do not.
The Isles are 0-0-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 0-1-0 when they are outscored, and 0-0-0 when special team goals are equal.
Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 0-1-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 0-0-0 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 0-1-0 in games decided by a single goal including 0-1 in regulation. They are 0-0 in games decided in overtime and are 0-0 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-0 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 0-0-0 on the front end and 0-0-0 on the back end this season.
The Isles are 0-0-0 when the opponent is on the back end, including 0-0-0 when the Isles also played the previous day.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Tony DeAngelo (23:35); Pittsburgh: Kris Letang (27:20)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (20:53).
Face-offs
Isles 39, Pittsburgh 28 (58%)
Bo Horvat won 18 of 29 for the Isles; Noel Acciari won 5 of 9 for Pittsburgh.
Hit Count
Isles 22 (Alex Romanov -5)
Pittsburgh 23 (Kris Letang -4)
Fights
None. Season total: 0
Blocked Shots
Isles 13 (Four with 2)
Pittsburgh 12 (Three with 2)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 69, Pittsburgh 56
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 46
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anders Lee +10
Pittsburgh: Tommy Novak +5
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 9, Pittsburgh 20
5-on-5: Isles 6, Pittsburgh 14
Scratches
(Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Ethan Bear – IR), Kyle MacLean, Adam Boqvist, Marc Gatcomb
Games Lost to injury: 2. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Kyle Palmieri is the Islanders' ironman, having played 199 consecutive games. Casey Cizikas (109) and Anders Lee (92) are the only other Isles to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 0-0-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their first appearance will be on October 16th vs. Edmonton.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 0-0-0 in matinee games this season; the first matinee will be at 1pm Monday against Winnipeg. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 15-17-13 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 0 failures
Opponents: 0 successful, 0 failures
Hockey Opps: 0 favorable, 0 unfavorable
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (0):
Vs (0):
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (0):
Opponent responses (0):
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
For (0):
Vs (0):
Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):
For (0):
Vs (0):
OT Winners
For (0):
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (0):
Vs (0):
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***
4. Brock Nelson 901 *** 5. Bobby Nystrom 900 *** 6. Casey Cizikas 898 *** 7. Clark Gillies 872 *** 8. Matt Martin 855 *** 9. Anders Lee 842 …
22. John Tonelli 594 *** 23. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock 561 *** 25. Ken Morrow 550 *** 26. Duane Sutter 547 *** 27. Lorne Henning 543 *** 28. Scott Mayfield 536 *** 29. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 30. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 31. Mathew Barzal 531
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
5. Brock Nelson 295 *** 6. Anders Lee 289 …
20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 134…
29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 114
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 …
7. John Tonelli 338 *** 8. Mathew Barzal 329…
19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 218…
27. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 161…
34. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 35. Casey Cizikas 148
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
12. Bob Bourne 542 *** 13. Anders Lee 506…
15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 463…
27. Ed Westfall 286 *** 28. Casey Cizikas 262
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 ***2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380
15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +80 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +58 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 24. Greg Gilbert +54
Defense Goals
1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***
4. Ryan Pulock 53…
13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Scott Mayfield 28 *** 15. Vladimir Malakhov 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742*** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 ***
7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 161 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 135…
17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 98
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…
5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Noah Dobson 230 *** 7. Ryan Pulock 214…
10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Adam Pelech 161…
18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Scott Mayfield 126
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***
4. Ilya Sorokin 254 …
8. Jaroslav Halak 177*** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***
4. Ilya Sorokin 125 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith and Ilya Sorokin 22 ***
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Bridgeport is 0-0-0-0; they will open their season on Saturday and Sunday with home games against Providence (7pm Saturday) and Belleville (3pm Sunday).
Season Series Stats
Pittsburgh leads the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0). The teams will meet next on February 3rd at UBS Arena, in the only Islander home game to be played in February.
The Isles are 9-4-0 in their last thirteen games against Pittsburgh.
UP NEXT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11th — WASHINGTON AT ISLANDERS 7:00pm
[MSGSN (pre-game at 6:30], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles open the home season against the Washington Caps. The Isles are 6-4-3 in their last 13 meetings with Washington, dating back to the final week of Barry Trotz' Islander tenure. The Isles are 3-4-1 in their last eight home games with Washington.
The Isles are 1-2-1 in four home openers at UBS Arena, with the victory coming over Buffalo two seasons ago.
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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