The Skinny: Carolina 2, Isles 1

“The Skinny” 

By Eric Hornick

Game 82

Carolina 2, Isles 1

The 2025-26 season came to an end tonight. Mark Jankowski scored the winning goal, and Carolina defeated the Islanders 2-1 before a crowd of 15,231 at UBS Arena.

Bo Horvat scored his 300th career goal in the second period, with Victor Eklund earning the back assist in his NHL debut.

The Isles ended the season with three straight losses and went 1-7-0 in their final eight games.

The Scoring:  

1st Period 

Nikolaj Ehlers (26) Felix Unger Sorum (1), Logan Stankoven (23) 03:05 CAR 1,NYI 0

2nd Period

Bo Horvat (31) Mathew Barzal (53), Victor Eklund (1) 13:14 CAR 1,NYI 1

3rd Period

Mark Jankowski (11) Joel Nystrom (9), Alexander Nikishin (22) 14:38 CAR 2,NYI 1

The Skinny

The Isles scored only two goals in the final three games of the season…Matthew Schaefer had fifteen shot attempts, but finished the season tied with Brian Leetch for the NHL record for goals scored in a season by a rookie…David Rittich played for the first time since March 30th, started for the first time since March 24th, and played a complete game for the first time since March 14th; that ended a streak of fourteen consecutive games played by Ilya Sorokin… Felix Unger Sorum also earned an assist in his NHL debut…Five Islanders made their NHL debut this season, and four reported at least one point….Carolina scratched nine regulars, who totaled 393 points this season.. Bo Horvat joins Anders Lee as Islanders who scored their 300th career goal this season; prior to that, only three other non-Dynasty players had done so – all between 2004 -2006 (Cliff Ronning, Alexei Yashin, Miroslav Satan)…Horvat (31 years, 9 days) is the youngest Islander since Clark Gillies (30-364 on 4/6/1985) to score his 300th goal as an Islander; Gillies also did it in a season finale. Mike Bossy was 25 and Bryan Trottier was 26 when they hit 300 NHL goals…Victor Eklund is 337 days older than Matthew Schaefer; both were selected in the first round of the 2025 Entry Draft…The Isles lost only five games in OT/SO’s; it was their fewest OT/SO losses since the shootout was introduced in 2005-06…The Isles did not play OT in their last seventeen games; it is the longest single-season streak for the club in the shootout era.

Milestone Men  

• Bo Horvat has 300 NHL goals; among 2013 draft picks only Nathan MacKinnon (419) and Jake Guentzel (305) have more. Bo is the 246th NHL player to score 300 goals.

• Horvat has 99 goals as an Islander; only 34 players have reached 100 in club history. 

• Matthew Schaefer finished with 23 goals, sharing the NHL record for goals in a season by a rookie defenseman with Brian Leetch.

• Matthew Schaefer set a club rookie defense record with 59 points; it is also an NHL record for an 18-year-old defenseman. Lane Hutson (66) is the only active defenseman who had more points as a rookie.

• Schaefer finished with 221 shots on goal; he is the first rookie defenseman with at least 200 shots since Dion Phaneuf in 2005-06. Adrian Aucoin (232 in 2001-02) was the last Islander defenseman with more shots on goal.

• Schaefer played in his 82nd game of the season, breaking Tim Connolly’s record for games played by an 18-year-old.

• Anders Lee remains two goals behind Denis Potvin for 3rd place in club history.

Isles Team Leaders

• Goals:   Horvat 31, Schaefer 23, Heineman 22

• Assists: Barzal 53, Schaefer 36, DeAngelo 30

• Points:  Barzal 72, Schaefer 59, Horvat 57

• +/-:  Schaefer +13, Barzal +10, Pulock +9

• It is the first time in ten seasons that neither Lee (4x) nor Brock Nelson (5x) led the Isles in goals.

•Mathew Barzal had at least a share of the club point lead for the 7th time in 9 seasons.

Other Team Leaders

• Games: Lee, Pelech, Heineman and Schaefer 82

• PIM: Mayfield 83, Barzal 61, Pelech 50

• PP Goals: Schaefer 8, Horvat 7, Lee/Ritchie 5

• PP Points: Barzal 20, Schaefer 18, Horvat 16

• SH Goals: Pageau 3, Holmstrom 2, Four with 1

• SH Points: Pageau 7, Holmstrom 4, Cizikas/Pelech 2

• OT Goals: Five with 2

• GW Goals: Horvat 7, Holmstrom 5, Five with 4

• Shots: Horvat 226, Schaefer 221, Lee 199

• Shoot %:(minimum 40 games): Pageau 21.0%, Holmstrom 19.0%, Ritchie 16.5%

• Ice Time: Schaefer 24:41, Peelch 20:53, Pulock 20:49

• Face-off Win %: Pageau 59.1%, Horvat 56.3%, Cizikas 54.7%

• Shootout Goals:  Four with 2

• Hits: Heineman 247, Gatcomb 192, Cizikas 153

• Blocks: Pulock 148, Pelech 124, Schaefer 111

The Goals (Season)

Isles            64-85-70-10=229 (2.8/game)

Opponents    67-87-82-9=236 (2.9/game)

The Shots (Season)

Isles            725-804-737-43=2309 (28.2/game)

Opponents   749-808-689-25=2271 (27.7/game)

Special Teams (Season)

Power Play 40-242 16.5% (9 shorthanded goals allowed)

Penalty Kill 41-214 80.8% (9 shorthanded goals scored)

The power play improved from 12.6% to 16.5% while the penalty kill improved from 72.2% to 80.8%.

The Finales 

The Isles are 6-3-4 in their last twelve season finales and are 27-16-9 all-time in their final game of the year.

The Coaching Change

The Isles are 1-3-0 under Peter DeBoer.

How Swede It Is

Emil Heineman (22) and Simon Holmstrom (19) combined for 41 goals this season. The Isles are the only team with two Swedes with at least 19 goals.

Longest Sellout Streaks in UBS History (one season)

• 22 (2025-26 12/13/2025-4/11/2026)

• 19 (2021-22; the first 19 games played at UBS Arena)

• 12 (2022-23; the final 12 games of that season)

The Isles have sold out 24 games this season; they had fifteen home sell-outs a year ago.

Return to Form

Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 27-20-1 (with a .911 save percentage, and a 2.52 goals-against average) and an NHL-leading seven shutouts since then. 

Sorokin is 15-5-0 when facing more than 30 shots; he won his first thirteen while facing over 30 to set the club record for consecutive wins when facing more than 30 shots. 

Sorokin leads the NHL with 18 road wins (18-11-1) but is 11-13-1 at home.

The Shutout Leader

Sorokin not only leads the NHL in shutouts this season; his 29 career shutouts are the most by an NHL goalie since Sorokin debuted in 2020-21; Connor Hellebuyck has 25 and Igor Shesterkin has 22 in that span.

Sorokin has tied the club record with his seven shutouts (Varlamov, Resch); he is the first Islander goalie to do so twice. Sergei Bobrovsky is the only other goalie who has appeared in a game this season to have two seasons with at least seven shutouts.

Big Save Dave

David Rittich is 14-11-3 on the season. He is 3-3-0 with one ‘no decision’  in his last seven starts. 

Rittich is 11-4-1 at home this season.

Islander goalies other than Sorokin won only five games last season (tying a franchise record for fewest by the non-winningest goalies on the team).

Most Islander Shutouts in a Season

• 11 2018-19 

• 10 2020-21 and 1975-76 

• 9  2021-22 and 2025-26 

The Home Stretch

The Isles ended the regular season by playing 10 of the final 12 games at home. They are 4-8-0 overall, 4-5-0 at home and 0-2-0 on the road:

• March 22 vs CBJ 1-0 W

• March 24 vs CHI 3-4 L

• March 26 vs DAL 2-1 W

• March 28 vs FLA 5-2 W

• March 30 vs PIT 3-8 L

• March 31 @ BUF 3-4 L

• April 3 vs PHI 1-4 L

• April 4 @ CAR 3-4 L

• April 9 vs TOR 5-3 W

• April 11 vs OTT 0-3 L

• April 12 vs MTL 1-4 L

• April 14 vs CAR 1-2 L

Most Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman

1. Matthew Schaefer 23 (2025-26)

2. Phil Housley (BUF) 17 (1982-83)

(Housley had 19 goals as a rookie, but the final two occurred after his 19th birthday)

Most Points by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman

1. Matthew Schaefer (23-36-59 in 82 GP)

2. Phil Housley (BUF) (17-40-57 in 66 GP) 1982-83

Most Power Play Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman

1. Phil Housley (BUF) 10 (1982-83)

2. Matthew Schaefer 8 (2025-26) 

Most Multi-Point Games by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman

1. Phil Housley (BUF) 13 1982-83

2. Matthew Schaefer 12 2025-26

Most Goals by an Islander Teenager

1. Bryan Trottier 32 

2. Pat LaFontaine 26

3. John Tavares and Tim Connolly 24

5. Brent Sutter and Matthew Schaefer 23

Schaefer has the most goals by any Islander teenage defenseman.

Most Assists by an Islander Teenager

1. Bryan Trottier 63

2. Tim Connolly 51

3. Pat LaFontaine and Matthew Schaefer 36

Schaefer has the most assists by any Islander teenage defenseman, and only Trottier has more assists in a single season by an Islander teenager.

Most Points by an Islander Teenager

1. Bryan Trottier 95

2. Tim Connolly 75

3. Pat LaFontaine 62

4. Matthew Schaefer 59

Schaefer has the most points by any Islander teenage defenseman, and only Trottier has more points in a single season by an Islander teenager.

Most Game-Winning Goals by an Islander Teenager

1. Bryan Trottier 5

2. Matthew Schaefer 4

Most Shots on Goal by an Islander Teenager

1. Tim Connolly 285

2. Matthew Schaefer 221

Schaefer has the most shots on goal in a single season by any Islander teenager.

Schaefer will still be a Teenager for the next 84 Isles games.

Most Games, Goals, Assists and Points as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)

Matthew Schafer now holds the club record for games (82), goals (23), assists (36), and points (59). Tim Connolly played 81 games as a rookie – a record Schaefer broke tonight. 

Most Goals and Points by an Islander Rookie Defenseman

1. Matthew Schaefer 23 goals and 59 points (2025-26)

Most Goals by an NHL Rookie Defenseman, Season (NHL History)

1. Brian Leetch -NYR 23 (1988-89) and Matthew Schaefer 23 (2025-26)

Leetch did have two goals after joining the Rangers following the 1988 Olympics, so he scored 25 goals as a rookie.

Schaefer and Penalties

Matthew Schaefer has drawn 38 penalties this season, more than any other NHL defenseman, and 2nd in the NHL (behind Connor McDavid). He is a net +19 (having taken only 19 penalties).

Since penalties drawn was tracked in 2009-10, no Isle defenseman had finished a season higher than +11 (Noah Dobson 2021-22), John Tavares holds the club record for a season at +29 in 2011-12, while Mathew Barzal +26 in 2017-18 is the only other Islander to finish higher than Schaefer, who tied the NHL record for penalty differential by a defensemen.

Best Penalty Differential by an NHL Defensemen (Season, Since 2009-10)

1. Matthew Schaefer +19 2025-26

Cale Makar COL +19 2024-25 

3. Cale Makar COL +17 in 2023-24

Most Penalties Drawn by an NHL Rookie Defenseman (Season, Since 2009-10)

1. PK Subban MTL 40 (2010-11) 

2. Matthew Schaefer 38 (2025-26)

This is only the sixth time since 2009-10 (including PK Subban twice) that any defenseman has drawn at least 38 penalties. Schaefer’s +20 differential is by far the highest of that group.

Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander (Season, Since 2009-10)

1. Zenon Konopka 2010-11 47

2. John Tavares 2011-12 42

3. Mathew Barzal  2017-18 40

4. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26  38

Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander Rookie (Season, Since 2009-10)

1. Mathew Barzal  2017-18 40

2. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26  38

3. Matt Martin        2010-11 25

[Travis Hamonic (17 in 2010-11) is the only other Islander rookie defenseman to draw more than 10.)

Most Ice Time by an Islander Teenager, Game

1. Matthew Schaefer 31:59 3/24/2026 vs CHI

2. Matthew Schaefer 29:40 3/31/2026 at BUF

3. Matthew Schaefer 29:24 3/13/2026 vs LA

4. Matthew Schaefer 29:01 3/7/2026 at SJ (OT)

5. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)

      Matthew Schaefer 28:53 1/8/2026 at NAS (SO)

The last Islander to play more than 31:59 was Mark Streit, who played 32:27 on March 27, 2010, vs. CBJ. Since ice-time became official, no Islander has played more than 31:59 in a game that ended in regulation.

Most Ice Time by an 18-Year-Old, Game

1. Matthew Schaefer 31:59 3/24/2026 vs CHI

2. Matthew Schaefer 29:40 3/31/2026 at BUF

3. Matthew Schaefer 29:24 3/13/2026 vs LA

4. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 29:15 12/4/2018 vs TOR (OT)

5. Drew Doughty (LA) 29:04 11/22/2008 vs COL (SO)

6. Matthew Schaefer 29:01 3/7/2026 vs SJ (OT)

Most Ice Time by a Teenager, Game

1. Matthew Schaefer 31:59 3/24/2026 vs CHI

2. Jay Bouwmeester 30:57 1/30/2003 for FLA vs. DET (OT)

There are five recorded instances of a teenager playing 30 minutes in a game. Schaefer is the first teenager with four games of at least 29 minutes.

Schaefer has played at least 20:00 in 70 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by a teenager in a single season since ice-time became official and the longest by an Islander since Mark Streit set the record (since 1997-98) by doing so in 141 consecutive games from 2009-2011.

Most Shots by an Isles Rookie

1. Mike Bossy   235 1977-78

2. David Volek   229 1988-89

3. Michael Grabner 228 2010-11

4. Matthew Schaefer 221    2025-26

Schaefer is the first NHL rookie defenseman to hit 200 shots since Dion Phaneuf in 2005-06 (242) and has broken Denis Potvin’s club record for a rookie defensemen (209).

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have nineteen come-from behind wins this season, including eight when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win fifteen times this season, including five times in the third period.

The Isles have seven multi-goal comeback wins (one in the third period); opponents have four (none in the third period).

Overtime Is Our Time

The Isles set an NHL record by going 10-0 in games decided by an overtime goal; they were 4-5 in shootouts. 

The 2021 Vegas Golden Knights (9-0 in 56 game season) are the only other team to score at least nine overtime goals with none allowed.

Most Overtime Goals, Isles

1. 2025-26 10

2. 2023-24 9

3. 2019-20 (68 games) 8

Best Overtime Goal Differential

1. 2025-26  10-0  (+10)

2. 2014-15 6-1 (+5)

3. 2018-19 6-2  (+4) and 1999-00 5-1 (+4)

Only one other team in NHL history had a better differential, as the Panthers’ 13-2 (+11) in 2021-22 remains the record-holder.

The Sixth Attacker

The Isles have scored fifteen goals with the 6th attacker (most in NHL) and allowed 14 empty net goals.

Opponents have scored eight goals with 6th attacker and allowed seven empty-netters to the Isles. 

Most Extra Attacker Goals, Isles (since 2009-10)

1. 2025-26 15

2. 2017-18 9

Most Career Empty Net Goals

1. Bryan Trottier 27

2. John Tavares 20

3. Mike Bossy 15

4. Brock Nelson 13

5. Jason Blake and Casey Cizikas 11

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 38 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 16 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 7 times

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2025-26  43-34-5 for 91 points in 82 games

• 2024-25  35-35-12 for 82 points in 82 games. 

Offense from Defense

• Today:    0-0-0

• Season: 40-126-166

• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161

The 39 goals are the most for the Islander defense since they had 41 in 2022-23.

Rookie Scoring

• Today:   0-1-1

• Season: 42-70-112

• Last Season (Final) 19-30-49

• The assists and points are the most since 2017-18 (38-101-139); the last time Islander rookies combined for more goals was in 2010-11 (48, including 34 from Michael Grabner).

The 42 rookie goals are tied with Montreal for the NHL lead, while the 112 points are 2nd to Chicago’s 118. Islander rookies scored 18.3% of the team’s goals, which is the highest percentage in the NHL.

Home and Road

The Isles are 43-34-5 overall; they are 22-17-2 at home and 21-17-3 on the road.

Carolina is 53-22-7 overall; they are 29-10-2 at home and 24-12-5 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 26-20-4 against the East (14-10-2 vs. Metropolitan and 12-10-2 vs. Atlantic) and 17-14-1 against the West (7-8-1 vs. Central and 10-6-0 vs. Pacific).

First Things First

The Isles are 29-12-3 when scoring first and 14-22-2 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles     8-8-13=29

Carolina 7-8-6=21

The Isles are 15-20-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2-1 when the shots are even and 26-12-0 when the opposition has more shots. 

In the Nets 

David Rittich made 19 saves; he is 14-10-3 this season and 5-5-0 vs. Carolina.

Brandon Bussi made 28 saves; he is 31-6-2 this season and 3-0-0 vs. the Isles 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-2 (4:00); Carolina was 0-1 (2:00).

The Isles are 21-9-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 22-25-3 when they do not. The Isles are 13-16-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 30-18-1 when they do not.

The Isles are 20-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 5-14-2 when they are outscored, and 18-19-3 when special team goals are equal. (Their only loss when outscoring the opposition on special teams was in the home opener against Washington.)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles 33-9-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 10-25-2 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 27-11-5 in games decided by a single goal including 12-11 in regulation; the 27 one-goal wins are a new club record. They are 10-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 5-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

The Isles are the first team since the 2021-22 Stars to win at least 27 one-goal games; that team won 28. Only two teams have won more than 30 one-goal games (Anaheim 33 2014-15; New Jersey 32 2006-07)

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles were 5-11-0 on the front end and 9-6-1 on the back end this season. 

The Isles went 9-7-0 when the opponent is on the back end, including 5-2-0 when the Isles also played the previous day.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Matthew Schaefer (24:13); Carolina: Alex Nikishin (23:40)

Bo Horvat led Isles forwards (20:18).

Face-offs

Isles 26, Carolina 26 (50%)

Brayden Schenn won 8 of 11 for the Isles; Mark Jankowski won 10 of 18 for Carolina.

Hit Count

Isles 10 (Three with 2)

Carolina 11 (Two with 2)

Fights 

None. Season total: 11 (Lee-4, Mayfield -3, MacLean-2, DeAngelo, Schenn)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 7 (Cal Ritchie -2)

Carolina 11 (Two with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Carolina 43

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 42, Carolina 40

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Matthew Schaefer +13

Carolina: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 9, Carolina 8

5-on-5: Isles 7, Carolina 8

Scratches

(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-rehab), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Max Shabanov-INJ), Adam Boqvist, Anthony Duclair, (Ryan Pulock -INJ), Marc Gatcomb, Kyle MacLean

Games Lost to injury: 399. (Last season’s total: 304)

The Ironmen

Brayden Schenn played his 326th consecutive game (the first 307 for the Blues) while Anders Lee (164) played in every game for the second straight season. Adam Pelech, Matthew Schaefer, and Emil Heineman have also played in every Islander game this season. 

National TV Games 

The Isles went 7-3-1 in games that air on one of the NHL’s US national broadcast partners. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles went 3-7-2 in matinee games. 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 18-24-14 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 2 successful, 3 failures (No goalie interference – VEG 11/14), (No goalie interference – WPG 1/13), (No goalie interference – NSH 1/31), (Offside – STL 3/11), (Offside – MTL 3/21)

Opponents: 5 successful, 5 failures (No hand pass – WAS 10/11), (No interference – DET 10/23), (No offside – WAS 10/31), (No interference – COL 12/4), (Puck not shot out – EDM 1/15), (Offside – VAN 1/19), (Puck not shot out – NJ 2/5), (Offside -MTL 2/26), (No goalie interference – CBJ 2/28), (Goalie Interference – CBJ 3/23)

Hockey Opps: 1 favorable, 1 unfavorable (No missed stoppage- NJ 11/10), (goalie interference -DAL 11/18)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (7): DET 10/23, CBJ 11/2, NJ 1/6, NYR 1/28, MTL 2/26, CBJ 2/28, FLA 3/28

Vs (8): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, WAS 11/30, WPG 1/13, BUF 1/24, WAS 2/2, MTL (3 in :55) 4/12

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (4): OTT 10/18, SJS 10/21, BOS 11/4, CGY 1/17

Opponent responses (4): WPG 10/13, CAR 10/30, COL 12/4, TOR 4/9

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): STL 3/10

Vs (0):  

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (10): Anders Lee, GWG(18:57) 10/18 OTT, Matthew Schaefer, GTG (18:53) and Simon Holmstrom GWG (19:22) 11/2 CBJ, Kyle Palmieri GAG (17:07 11/10 NJ)- Isles won in OT, Mathew Barzal GTG (17:23 11/13 VEG)- Isles won in OT; Emil Heineman GTG (19:31 12/20 BUF)- Isles lost in OT; Adam Pelech GWG (18:45 12/23 NJD); Emil Heineman GTG (17:45 1/3 TOR) – Isles won in OT; Anders Lee, GTG (18:19) 2/26 MTL – Isles won in OT; Anders Lee GWG  (19:28 3/1 FLA)

Vs (6):  Simon Nemec GTG (19:55 11/10 NJ) but NYI won in OT, Pavel Dorfeyev (19:46, 12/9 VEG) but NYI won in SO; Alex DeBrincat GWG (17:43 12/16 DET); Roman Josi GWG (18:46 1/31 NSH), Sam Reinhart (18:02, 3/1 FLA) but NYI won in regulation; Matthew Tkachuk GWG (19:47 3/19 OTT)

OT Winners

For (10): Mathew Barzal 11/10 @ NJ, JG Pageau 11/13 @ VEG, Matthew Schaefer 11/14 @ UTA and 1/3 Vs TOR, Simon Holmstrom 1/10 @ MIN, Bo Horvat 2/3 vs PIT, JG Pageau 2/26 @ MTL, Simon Holmstrom 2/28 @ CBJ, Bo Horvat 3/7 @SJ, Mathew Barzal 3/11 @ STL

Vs (0):  

Shootout Winners

For (4): SEA 11/23, VEG 12/9, TBL 12/13, CHI 12/30

Vs (5):  PHI 10/25, BOS 11/4, PHL 11/28, BUF 12/20, NAS 1/8

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Casey Cizikas 978 *** 5. Anders Lee 923…

15. Brent Sutter 694 *** 16. Adam Pelech 642  *** 17. Derek King 638 *** 18. Ryan Pulock 636 *** 19. Billy Harris 623 *** 20. Stefan Persson 622 *** 21. Scott Mayfield 615 *** 22. Mathew Barzal 611

Goals    

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 ***  3. Denis Potvin 310 ***

4. Anders Lee 308  …

17. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 18. Mathew Barzal 153…

22. Jason Blake 127 *** 23. Casey Cizikas 124…

33. Anthony Beavillier 102 *** 34. Anders Kallur 101 *** 35. Trent Hunter and Bo Horvat 99

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 ***

4. Josh Bailey 396 *** 5. Mathew Barzal 381…

18. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 19. Anders Lee 241…

23. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 24. Ryan Pulock 185… 

32. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 33. Casey Cizikas 156 *** 34. David Volek 154 *** 35. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 36. Adam Pelech 147

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…

9. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 10. Anders Lee 549 *** 11. John Tonelli 544 *** 12. Bob Bourne 542 ***

13. Mathew Barzal 533…

27. Ed Westfall 286 *** 28. Casey Cizikas 280 …

32. Nick Leddy 243 *** 33. Ryan Pulock 241

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467  ***2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +83 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67  ***  21. Ryan Pulock +66 *** 22. Jude Drouin +58 

Defense Games

1. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 2 Adam Pelech 642 *** 3. Ryan Pulock 636 ***

4. Stefan Persson 622 *** 5. Scott Mayfield 615

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Ryan Pulock 56…

12. Adrian Aucoin 33 *** 13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech 30  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 ***

4. Nick Leddy 198 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 185 … 

9. Jeff Norton 166 *** 10. Adam Pelech 147… 

13. Dave Lewis 117 *** 14. Roman Hamrlik and Scott Mayfield 110

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333 ***

4. Nick Leddy 243 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 241…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Adam Pelech 177…

14. Dave Lewis 141 *** 15. Scott Mayfield 140

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 308… 

8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 154 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts 

1. Ilya Sorokin 29 *** 2. Glenn Resch 25 *** 3. Billy Smith 22 ***

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

The Bridgeport Islanders are riding a 10-game home winning streak to the playoffs! Bridgeport is to 9-4-0-0 in their last thirteen games and 32-29-3-5 on the season.

The Islanders close the regular season with three road games, beginning Wednesday in Hartford.

Leaders:  Goals: Adam Beckman 28;  Assists: Marshall Warren 26  (Matt Luff has 33, 25 prior to being acquired); Points: Beckman 49.(Luff has 51, 39 prior to being acquired)

Goalies:  Henrik Tikkanen 17-8-1, 2.60, .899; Marcus Hogberg 12-13-6, 2.92, .890

Season Series Stats

Carolina sweeps the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 0). 

The Isles are 2-5-1 in eight games played against the Canes at UBS Arena.

UP NEXT

NHL Draft June 26-27 

The Isles have the 13th seed going into the NHL draft lottery. Last season the Isles moved up from tenth place to win the lottery, despite having only a 3.5% chance. They should have a 2.0% chance to win the lottery again; however, the highest they could move is third.

As of right now, the Isles have five pick, having traded their second-round pick to Chicago (in the Josh Bailey deal) and their third-round pick to the Rangers (for Carson Soucy).

AND FINALLY...

Despite spending 70 days in a playoff position after the calendar turned, the 2025–26 season ends without a postseason berth for the second straight year. Injuries played a significant role—just four players suited up for every game—but one constant never wavered: The Skinny. It was there after all 82 regular-season games, extending its perfect attendance streak to 1,178 consecutive games (including playoffs). With a little luck and good health, 1,200 should be within reach around Thanksgiving.

Nothing makes me happier than when fans stop me at UBS Arena to say hello; I genuinely appreciate all our meetings and look forward to having them for many years to come. Thank you for your support—and for reading and engaging with The Skinny all season long.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to the most important people in my life—my wife Diane, and my sons Adam and Evan—for their unwavering support through every high and low. I am incredibly fortunate.

Enjoy the summer. With next season set to begin a bit earlier, we will be back at it in about 24 weeks.

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