John Tavares scores 11th goal, but New York Islanders fall to Atlanta Thrashers
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
Moulson did become the first Islander to ever record a hat trick in Atlanta against the Thrashers tonight--but he's not the first Islander to do so in Atlanta (despite what the Isles' media guide shows in one place).
Mike Bossy had a hat trick in Atlanta on December 28, 1978. Bossy scored three goals, all in the second period, in a 10-4 Isles win. (It's the first of only two road games in Islander history where they've reached double digits.) It's correct on the all-time hat trick list in the Isles guide, but incorrect on the Atlanta/Calgary page.
Moulson is the second Islander to record a hat trick this season, joining Jeff Tambellini. It's the first time in three seasons that the Isles have had multiple hat tricks in a season; Bergenheim had the only one last year and Guerin the only one in the season before that.
Moulson's three goals were scored consecutively. It's the first natural hat trick for the Islanders since Jason Blake did it at Madison Square Garden on December 19, 2006.
According to numbers compiled by Stats, Inc., Moulson is the 22nd player to score a hat trick this season. All 22 have been in winning efforts for their team.
With their win tonight, the Isles move into 3rd place in the Atlantic, two points ahead of both the Rangers and Flyers. They also moved into eighth place in the East. It's the first time that they have been ahead of the Rangers in the standings in the Gordon era. You have to go back to the morning of January 24, 2008 to find the last time. A Ranger win and Islander loss that evening knotted the teams with 54 points. The Isles had not led the Rangers in points since then.
I'll have more on this win tomorrow.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
1.. Once again, the Isles started well, as Richard Park opened the scoring midway through the first. Park now has two goals on the season: one in the final game of October and one in the final game of November. Watch out Ottawa on New Year's Eve! It was Park's third career goal agaisnt the Devils; the other two came on Easter Sunday 2007 in a playoff-clinching perfoirmance for the Islanders. Tim Jackman assisted on the goal--his first assist of the season. Jackman's assist leaves Jerrod Smithson, David Koci and Brad Richardson as the players who have appeared in the most NHL Games this season (25) without recording an assist.
2. Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston scored in the second period to give New Jersey the lead. Mottau's goal was his first in 2009, and snapped a 68-game scoreless streak, dating back to New Year's Eve. It was the 6th goal in his 202 game NHL career.
3. The Devils blew the game open with three goals in a 2:02 stretch as Patrik Elias, Zach Parise and Rolston all scored. Elias added his second goal in the final minute to complete his second career 4-point game. Rolston also finished with four points. The Isles have now been outscored on the season 32-17 in the third period while the Devs have outscored their opponents 28-18 in the third period.
...a few more....
4. Sean Bergenheim also assisted on Park's goal, giving him four points in the last four games, but Trent Hunter's point streak ended at a career high of 9. Parise's goal extended his streak to ten games. He would have looked pretty good in orange, white and blue, wouldn't he? Kyle Okposo played in his 100th NHL game, but was -2.
5. The skating record book, Martin Brodeur, extended two NHL records, by winning his 571st game, and raising his minute total to 60,278:42. Brodeur, who is now eight games behind Patrick Roy's NHL record of 1,029 games played in goal, made 22 saves as he remains one shutout behind Terry Sawchuk's career record of 103. Marty Biron finished with 36 saves as once again the Islanders did not score when he played. Biron had allowed three goals or less in each of his last seven starts but is now 2-8-2 on the season.
6. The Islanders finish the month 6-6-2, which is hard to believe when you realize that the Isles were shutout in Buffalo on November 4, but had the lead at some point in all of the other thirteen games this month.
7. The Isles had only four shots in the third period, when they were outshot 16-4. Ignoring their strong performance in the third period against Pittsburgh, the Isles totaled nine third period shots in theirother three games this week.
8. The Devils scored twice on three opportunities in only 2:32 of power play; the Isles had killed 23 of 25 coming into the game. The Isles went 0-4 in 8:00 of power play time.
9. The Devils improve to 11-0-0 when they lead after two periods. New Jersey also remains a perfect 5-0-0 when leading after one period. The Isles, on the other hand, dropped to 5-4-3 when leading after one period. They are 8-1-3 when leading after two periods.
10. New Jersey leads the season series two games to none, and four points to zero. The Isles drop to 0-5 in their last five trips to Newark; they've scored just seven goals in the five games. The next three meetings of the season series are on Long Island, including two in a six-game span in January.
Up next: This is the first of five consecutive road games for the Isles. The trip continues on Thursday in Atlanta, with stops in Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Toronto also on this trip. The Islanders dominated the Thrashers 6-4 on November 7th at the Coliseum in the only previous meeting this season.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
Saturday is the 30th anniversary of Billy Smith becoming the first goalie in NHL history to be credited with a goal.
On November 28, 1979, the Isles trailed Colorado 4-3 in the third period when the Isles were called for a delayed penalty. Colorado defensemen Rob Ramage put the puck into his own goal and the goal was credited to the last Islander to touch the puck, originally believed to be Dave Lewis. After the game, television replays showed that Smith was the last Islander to touch the puck.
A few things you might not know:
1. Smith didn't start the game; he replaced Chico Resch late in the 2nd period after the Rockies scored twice in a minutes' time.
2. The goal tied the game and thus got Chico "off the hook". Ron Delorme scored on the ensuing power play and the Rockies added two empty-netters for a 7-4 victory, thus making Smith the losing goaltender.
3. It was the first of two wins for the Colorado Rockies over the Islanders (also done on December 4, 1980; 2-19-3 overall).
4. The goalie who vacated the Colorado net was Bill McKenzie.
5. It was the final game of Billy Harris' 576 consecutive-game streak. Harris had played in every game in club history to that point, but was scratched for the team's next game, in Edmonton, two night later. Duane Sutter was brought in from Lethridge to replace Harris.
6.The loss dropped the Isles' record to 6-10-4 --the first time since Arbour's rookie season as coach (1973-74) that the Isles were 4 games under .500 The team wouldn't reach .500 until January 8th, but would sip from the Stanley Cup 4 1/2 months later.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
1. Josh Bailey and Evgeny Malkin traded first period goals. Bailey's goal gave the Islanders four players with at least seven goals before Malkin became just the second Penguin to reach the 10 goal mark. Mark Streit and Freddy Meyer assisted on the Bailey goal. Streit has an assist in three straight games while Meyer tied a career high with two assists in the game.
2. Matt Cooke scored on a rebound 7:12 into the second period to give the Penguins the lead but the game changed later in the session when the Penguins failed to capitalize on 5:05 of consecutive power play, including a 55 second 5-on-3. The Pens went 0-5 on the power-play and are 4-55 in their last fourteen games; they're also 0-8 against the Islanders this season. The Isles have killed 23 of 25 over the last six games.
3. Sean Bergenheim evened the score just 84 seconds into the third period, setting the stage for John Tavares. Taveres, who had recorded the first goal, assist and point of his career against the Penguins on October 3rd, scored the winner with 6:12 to play. He leads all rookies with 10 goals and 21 points. The Isles outscored the Pens 2-0 after having been outscored 28-15 in the third period so far this season.
... a few more...
4. Dwayne Roloson improved to 8-2-5, facing only 21 shots one game after facing 61. The Isles bombarded Brent Johnson with 37 shots, including 18 in the third period.
5. Trent Hunter extended his point streak to nine games. He has a single point in each game. Kyle Okposo broke a five-game drought with an assist on the winning goal.
6. Talk about a reversal of fortune-- the Pens were 11-1 when leading after two periods while the Isles were 0-7-3 when trailing after two. It was only the second time all season that the Penguins dropped a 1-goal game.
7. Nate Thompson had another strong game, even though four of his five shots missed the net. He also was involved in an altercation with Jordan Staal that landed the Penguin 17 penalty minutes early in the third period. Seven of the last nine Isles games have been decided by one goal.
8. The Islanders ended the month 3-1-0 at home. They are 6-1-1 in their last eight at home and 6-3-2 for the season on home ice. Only twice in the last 21 seasons have the Isles recorded more points in their first 11 home games than the 14 that they have this season. They had 17 in 2001-02 and 16 two season s ago.
9. The Isles contained Sidney Crosby as he has only one shot on goal and was -2. Crosby did do well on draws, winning 14 of 23.
10. The Isles lead the season series three points to two after earning a loser point on Opening Night; the series is tied at a game each. It was the Isles first regulation win over he Penguins since March 24, 2008. The next three meetings will be in Pittsburgh before the teams close the regular season against each other on April 11th.
Up next: The Isles play the back end of the back-to-backs on Saturday afternoon in New Jersey. The Devils lead the series 1-0 and have beaten the Isles four stragiht times in Newark, with the Isles scoring a total of six goals.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
1. Matt Moulson, John Tavares and yes, even Jeff Tambellini have more goals (11 - 9 - 7, respectively) than any Penguin not named Sidney Crosby. The Kid has 12. Five Penguins, including Bill Guerin and Evgeny Malkin, have scored six goals.
2. The Isles are 9-9-7 this season. However, their opponents are 16-5-4 against the Isles -- a record better than any NHL team. (16 wins = 9 Isles losses + 7 loser points, etc.)
3. Roloson and Biron have almost identical stats: Roloson is 2.86 GAA and 91.6 save percentage while Biron is 2.78/91.3%, but Roloson is 7-2-5 while Biron is 2-7-2.
4. The Pens are 17-8-0. Seven of their eight losses (and six of their wins) have been by three goals or more. They are 10-1-0 in one-goal games, with a 2-1 Halloween loss to Minnesota being their only defeat by a single goal. They've gone to extra time six times this season, winning twice in overtime and four times in shootouts.
5. The Penguins have taken 124 more shots than their opponents while the Isles have taken 100 shots fewer than their opponents. Goal totals are remarkably similar. Pens 73, Opps 69. Isles 67 Opps 72.
6. Pittsburgh is 26-2-2 under Dan Bylsma when they score first. The Isles are 7-4-3 this season when they score first.
7. Trent Hunter enters play as one of 4 NHL'ers with 8 game point streaks (Mike Green, Zach Parise and Marian Gaborik are the others). Corey Perry, who has a point in 16 straight is the only player with a longer current streak. Hunter's streak is the longest of his career.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
1. Trent Hunter scored to give the Isles the lead on a first period power play. The goal extended his point streak to eight straight games; only Cory Perry of Anaheim has a longer current streak. John Tavares and Mark Streit assisted on the goal; it was Tavares' first point in five games and gave him his 20th point -- tops among NHL rookies.. 11 of Tavares' points have come on the power-play; he has a point on 11 of the Isles' 17 power-play goals this season.
2. Mike Richards got the Flyers even on the power play late in the second period; Scott Hartnell added the winner with just 5:27 to play.
RIchards' goal came on the Flyers' only power play; it's the second time in the last three home games that the Isles have not had a successful penalty kill (Edmonton did not have a power play in the November 2nd game).
3. Martin Biron made 26 saves but suffered his 9th loss in 11 decisions (2-7-2). The Isles have scored two goals or less in all but two of his starts.
...a few more...
4. The Isles dominated territorily throughout the game and the face-off circle through two periods. Overall, there were 33 face-offs in the Flyers zone and only 19 in the Isles' zone. The Isles won 37 of 62 faceoffs; John Tavares had a strong game in the circle, winning 9 of 12.
5. Brian Boucher made 28 saves for the Flyers, who have now won eleven straight over the Isles, including three in overtime/shootouts. Six of those games were at the Coliseum, equalling the Isles' longest home winless streak against Philadelphia, set between 1973 and 1975.
6. The Isles have lost three straight Thanksgiving Eve games. The Isles have had the lead at some point in every game this month except their shutout loss in Buffalo, yet they are only 5-5-2 this month.
7. The loss ends a 4-game home winning streak and a 6-game home point streak (5-0-1). The Isles drop to 4-3-3 on the season at home; they have scored only three goals in their three regulation losses at home. They have led at some point in nine of the ten games (all except the 2-1 loss on Columbus Day to Los Angeles).
8. The Isles have won only half of the games that they have scored first (7-4-3); they have lost 11 of their 15 one-goal games (4-4-7). The Isles are also now 5-3-3 when they lead after one period. The Leafs are the only team that has won a smaller percentage of the games that they have led after one period and of games decided by a single goal.
9.. The Isles have now been outscored 28-15 in the third period, and have been outshot 282-204. The -13 goal differential in the period equals Columbus for the worst in the NHL. The Isles had only one shot in the third period, after having ony four in Toronto in the third period on Monday. They have been outshot by a combined 34-5 over the two games.
10. The Flyers lead the season series 1 game to 0. This was the first of 6 meetings on the season and the first of three meetings between the teams in 33 days.
Up next: The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins visit Long Island on Friday afternoon at 2:00. Pittsburgh leads the season series 1 game to 0 and 2 points to 1, having defeated the Isles in the Islanders' opener in a shootout. The Isles are 7-3-3 in their last 13 home games against the Pens.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
