Getting it done in 60

Last season, the Isles finished 40-30-12 and didn't get into the playoffs until Dubie's pokecheck. Based on early season stats, 92 points may not be needed this year due to a significant drop in three point games.

As John Kreiser notes in his NHL.com column, only 15% of games have not been settled in regulation. Thus, the average NHL game awards 2.15 points. In each of the last two seasons, 281 games (nearly 23%) have reached OT so the average game in those seasons awarded 2.23 points.

There were 2,741 points awarded last year -- an average of 91.4 per team. (92 points made the playoffs in the East and 96 points in the West) At this year's pace, the average team would record 88.15 points.

John's numbers are below.

<<60 minutes getting it done this season
John Kreiser | NHL.com columnist
Nov 9, 2007, 11:46 AM EST

Six weeks into the new season, NHL teams are doing a much better job of deciding games in the regulation 60 minutes than they have in the last two.

Through Thursday night, 227 games have been played and just 34 (15.0 percent) have gone past regulation. Fifteen of those have been settled in overtime; the other 19 went to a shootout.

That's a 33-percent decline from last season, when 51 of the first 227 games (22.5 percent) were decided after regulation, and also markedly lower than 2005-06, when 46 of the first 227 games were decided after regulation time.

The biggest drop from last season has been in the number of shootouts. Just 19 of the first 227 contests this season (8.4 percent) went to a shootout; in the same number of games last season, that number was 32 (14.1 percent). In 2005-06, the first season of the shootout, 18 of the first 227 games went to a shootout, but 28 others were decided in overtime.
In each of the last two seasons, a total of 281 games have gone past regulation time. At this pace, that number this season would be 184.

This season's shooters have been slightly more successful than in the first two years of the shootout. So far this season, 41 of the 120 shooters (34.17 percent) have been successful, up from 32.76 last season and 33.64 percent in 2005-06.

One change from last season is that home teams have been more successful. Twelve of the 19 shootouts (63.2 percent) have been won by the home team; last season, home teams were 79-85 (48.1 percent).
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Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 3,044 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Isles return to NHL Saturday

This ridiculously strange schedule has had the Isles playing so infrequently that it almost seems like they are not in the NHL. In fact, when the Isles take to the ice on Saturday, it will be 5 weeks and 1 day (36 days) after they opened the season in Buffalo.

Only once before have the Isles taken that long to reach game 13. In 1999, the Isles took 39 games between the opener and game 13-- but that season featured eight days between games 1 and 2.

How does this compare to recent seasons? The inactivity is not an illusion. Last year, game 13 was 30 days after the opener and the season before it was 29 days. Thus, the Isles will have had six extra days off compared to last season at this point.

The days off come with a price though --they will play the final 70 games in 147 days --the shortest time to play the final 70 since the season switched to 82 games.

Put another way--the Isles season starts and end on the first Friday of October and April respectively. That's 183 days. The Isles will play on 82 of those dates and be off on 101 of them.

In the first 36 days of the season, the Isles played on 12 days and had 24 days off.

In the final 147 days, they will play on 70 days and have 77 days off. Four of those off days come during the All-Star Break, another three come around Christmas. Other than that, it's basically every other day for the next 21 weeks, beginning Saturday.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 2,920 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Stat Trick

1. The first place Isles have now won consecutive games that they trailed after two periods (both in regulation time). They are now 2-3-0 when trailing after 40 minutes and, going back to last January, are 7-11-1 in the last nineteen games that they've trailed after two periods.

2. Miro Satan now has 26 career goals against the Rangers in his career -- more than any other NHLer against the Rangers since Satan entered the league.

3. The Isles are now 8-1-2 in their last 11 games against the Rangers, matching the best 11-game stretches in club history (done most recently during the dynasty days).

and some more...

4. Chris Drury's pp goal was only the fourth goal of any kind that the Rangers have scored in the second period this season.

5. Is it the return of Fort Neverlose? The Isles are 6-2 at home, and have earned 12 points in their first eight home games. This equals their best home start since opening 7-1 at home in 1986.

6. The Rangers are 0-5-1 on the road. It's the first time in 55 years that the Rangers have only one point in their first six road games.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 2,920 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Stat Trick Part Deux

1. The Isles are now 6-0 against teams that made the playoffs last season and 1-4 against teams that missed the playoffs.

2. When Trent Hunter scored in the second period, it removed the name "Dan Plante" from the answer to the question: "Who was the last Islander to score a goal for Al Arbour?"

3. As best I can determine, there is only one current NHL player who played for Arbour (prior to tonight). Derek Armstrong, now with the Kings, made his NHL debut in Arbour's 1499th game, April 15, 1994 at Florida. Four other players were active in the NHL last year: Kasparaitis, Turgeon, Green and McLennan --all but Turgeon are still active in Europe. Malakhov was also under contract last season but he did not appear in an NHL game.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 2,920 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Stat Trick - Isles 3, Penguins 2

1. Al Arbour 1500

2. Al Arbour 740

3. The Isles are 7-4-0. It's only the second time in the last 20 years that they've won seven of their first 11. (9-0-1-1 in 2001-02). The Isles had 14 points in 11 games in 2003-04, but were 6-3-2.

Assorted Arbour facts

Al Arbour returns to the Isles' bench for his 1500th game on Saturday. Here's a few facts you might not know:

1. On April 15, 1992 Arbour coached his 1438th game to set the all-time record (Previously held by Dick Irvin) This includes games with the Blues. (Saturday's game will be #1,607 for Arbour; Scott Bowman now holds the all-time record with 2,141).

2. Arbour's first game as a coach was on October 10, 1970 -- final score: St. Louis 3, Rangers 1. No player on the Islanders' current roster was born -- Guerin arrived in the world thirty days later.

3. Arbour's first game as Islander coach: October 10, 1973 -- Islanders 1, Atlanta 1. Of the current Isles, only Guerin, Sillinger and Simon were alive.

4. Arbour's first win as Islander coach: October 27, 1973 -- Islanders 3, Rangers 2

5. Arbour's 739th win as Islander coach: April 13, 1994 -- Islanders 2, Tampa Bay 0 (Hextall shutout)

6. Last game as coach: April 24, 1994 vs. Rangers

7. Last Islander to score in game coached by Al Arbour: Dan Plante -- his only playoff goal coming in his only playoff game.

8. The Islanders have been swept in the playoffs twice in their history (1986 by Washington 3-0 and 1994 by Rangers 4-0). Arbour retired after both series.

9. Mike Sillinger has played for four of the six winningest coaches in NHL history (Bowman-1244, Quinn-657, Murray-613, and Keenan 590, including six this season). Playing for Arbour - 781 will make it five of six. (Dick Irvin won 692 games before passing away 50 years ago)

10. Arbour's career record is 739-537-223 with the Islanders and 781-577-248 overall.

11. Arbour won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders after winning four as a player.

12. Arbour will extend his NHL record for most games coached, one team (currently 1499) and his 739 wins for the Isles is also an NHL record. Billy Reay is second in both categories, winning 516 of 1002 games for the Blackhawks.

Double Stat Trick

Lots of nuggets from the Isles 4-0 win over Tampa:

1. Tampa had won eight straight regular season games, and 11 straight including playoffs, against the Isles, dating back to March and April 2004, respectively. The last Isles win in both regular season and in playoffs against the Lightning were by the same score: 3-0.

2. Rick DiPietro recorded an assist and a shutout in the same game for the first time in his career. He earned his assist on the play that he clobbered Andy Hilbert -- he now leads Hilbert in scoring on the season (1 - 0). It was the 12th shutout and 8th assist of DiPietro's career.

3. It's the first time that DiPietro and Henrik Lundqvist have recorded shutouts on the same night; DiPietro leads Lundqvist - 12 career shutouts to 11.

and some bonuses:

4. The Isles record a shutout on Al Arbour's birthday for the third time -- the legendary coach turned 75 today. In 1977, Billy Smith and Goran Hogosta shared a 9-0 pasting of Atlanta (Hogosta played 9 minutes in his only appearance with the Isles) and in 2000 Wade Flaherty recorded the fourth and final shutout of his Islander career, blanking Florida 4-0.

5. The Isles have blanked the Lightning 10 times (club record is 11 against both Buffalo and Washington).

6. Mike Sillinger played in his 1000th NHL game -- on the same night that Ryan Smyth played in his 800th. Sillinger has played for 21 different coaches -- Arbour will make it 22.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 2,920 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org