Stat Trick: Dallas 4, Isles 3

Rick DiPietro made 24 saves in his first appearance in an NHL game in 53 weeks, but it was not enough as Dallas broke the Islanders' two-game win streak with a 4-3 win at American Airlines Center.  On to the trick....

 

1. Toby Petersen was the first to score against DiPietro when he tipped home a shot from Trevor Daley at the 4:44 mark of the first period.  The Isles tied it 2:32 later on a Josh Bailey goal, following a Marty Turco misplay.  Kyle Okposo scored in the final minute of the first period to give the Isles the leadafter twenty minutes.  It was Kyle's eighth goal of the season; the Isles had earned points in all seven games that he scored in prior to tonight.

 

2.  The second period was even more sloppy than the first and tDallas scored three times.  Lou Erikkson, Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards had the goals for the Stars.  Richard's goal was his 600th NHL point. Frans Nielsen had the only goal for the Islanders, off another Turco miscue.

 

3.  The Isles had some chances in the third period, particularly in the final minute with DiPieto on the bench, but could not find the tying goal which was somewhat surprising since the Isles have played a league-leading 16 overtime games while the Stars have played 15.  The Isles outshot Dallas 7- 3 in the third period, but the Stars held the overall advantage, 28-22.

 

...a few more...

 

4.  DiPietro was credited with an assist on Bailey's goal, extending his club record for goaltender assists and points to 16.  DiPietro now has an assist in each of his last three NHL games -- which have been played in three different calendar years (12/26/08, 1/2/09, 1/8/10).

 

5. The first two periods were penalty-free.  The Stars had one power play in the third period, while the Islanders had two.  Neither team converted on the power play.

 

6. Eriksson and Richards both scored one goal and assisted on the goal scored by the other.  Josh Bailey also had a goal and an assist for the Islanders.  Bailey, playing some of the best hockey of his career, now has an assist in four straight games and a point in five straight games (3-4-7). Krystofer Barch led all players with eight shots (in just 6:56 of ice time).

 

7. The Isles lost for the first time in 2010 (2-1-0) while the Stars, who had been outscored 12-3 in their first three Janaury games,  won for the first time in the New Year (1-3-0).

 

8. The Isles fall to 4-2-1 in their last seven games; all seven games have been decided by one goal.  The seven consecutive games decided by one goal or less ties the club single-season record, set in October-November, 2001 and equaled in November 2007.  The Isles played eight consecutive games  decided by one goal, over two seasons in 2000 (the final six games of 1999-2000 and the first two games of the following season).

 

9. John Tavares hit the post in the final minute, but was held without a point for the 12th time in the last 13 games [1-0-1].

 

10. This was the only meeting of the season between the squads.  The Stars have beaten the Islanders three straight times, dating back to an Islander shutout win in Dallas in November, 2006.

 

Up next:  The road trip concludes in Phoenix on Saturday night as the Islanders conclude their tneth sey of back-to-backs (2-6-1).  This will be the Islanders' tenth game in Arizona, and they have won only once in the previous nine [1-6-2].  On Feburary 13, 2004, the Islanders defeated the Coyotes 5-2.  Trent Hunter scored twice in that game as the Islanders rallied from a 2-0 deficit.  Rick DiPietro earned the win, and also assisted on Hunter's empty-net goal.
 

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

Murray: Lighthouse density = Manhattan

libn.com

<<Murray: Lighthouse density equals Manhattan
Thu, Jan 7, 2010

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said the density proposed for the $3.8 billion Lighthouse redevelopment of Nassau Coliseum and its parking lots is "like the upper west side" of Manhattan.

Murray addressed more than 100 members of the Long Island Board of Realtors Thursday at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho and told them that Lighthouse developer Charles Wang has a new political leadership to contend with, which she intimated was in favor of scaling back the project.

The town has yet to complete its environmental review of the plan to build a new hockey arena, hotel, retail shops and residences on 77 acres in Uniondale. Wang who also owns the New York Islanders, has hinted he might move the team if the Lighthouse project doesn't go forward.
>>
 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

With Okposo, every goal's a big goal

Kyle Okposo has only scored 7 goals this season, but it it seems like every goal has been a big goal, it's because they have been.

The Isles are 5-0-2 in the games that he has scored. 

He has connected for 4 game-winning goals (in Colorado, in OT at MSG, in OT at Carolina, and against the NYR at the Coliseum in October).  He also scored a 3rd period goal to force overtime in Florida on November 14th, a tying goal in Washington on October 30th, and a goal to bring the Isles within one in Ottawa on October 8th.

Eight of Okposo's 27 career goals (29.6%) have been game-winners. No other player in Islander history has scored as many as eight GWG on fewer career goals (Berard had 8 on 31).  No other player in Islander history has scored at least eight goals with a higher percentage of game winning goals (Berard 25.8%, Parrish 21.2%).

Ironically, two players who were considered to be clutch in their Islander days have the lowest percentage of game-winners (with at least 8 GWG).  Ten of Ray Ferraro's 116 goals were GWG (8.6%) while only eight of Duane Sutter's 121 (6.6%) were game winners.  Both players had higher GWG percentages in the playoffs as Islanders.

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

Stat Trick: Isles 3, Colorado 2

Kyle Okposo scored his 7th goal of the season with just 3:17 to play as the Islanders earned their first win in Colorado since 1999 by defeating the Avalanche, 3-2.  On to the trick:

1. Chris Stewart scored on the power play less than three minutes into the game to give the Avs the lead with his 13th goal of the season, but Jon Sim celebrated his 400th NHL game by scoring for the third straight game to even the score at 1-1 late in the first period.  It was the fourth goal in the last five games for Sim, who has twice scored 17 goals in an NHL season.

2. The second period featured a highlight reel goal from Rob Schremp as he gloved down a pass and batted it behind Craig Anderson.  It was the third goal of the season for Schremp.  All three of his goals have come on the power play; he has three of the last four Islander power play goals.  Schremp also assisted on Sim's goal to give him his first multi-point game as an Islander (he had a two-assist game for Edmonton 13 months ago).  John Tavares (8), Nicolas Bergfors (8) and Matt Duchesne (4) are the only NHL rookies with more power play goals than Schremp.

3. The Avalanche tied the game in the third period on a goal by Matt Hendricks at 9:37 of the third.  The Avalanche dominated much of the period, but the Isles got a huge save from Dwayne Roloson off of Matt Duchesne on a power play early in the period,  and Okposo then converted for the winner at 16:43.  Okposo continues his penchant for scoring in the clutch; four of his seven goals this season and eight of his 27 career NHL goals
have been game-winners..

... a few more...

4.   The Isles are 4-1-1 in their last six games; all six have been decided by one goal.  The Isles improved to 4-12-4 when allowing the first goal of the game.

5.  The Isles are back to NHL .500 with an 18-18-8 record.  It's the first time since they were 11-11-7 after being shutout in Tampa on December 5th that they have reached NHL .500 and he first time that they have been at .500 this late in the season since going 32-32-7 in the first 71 games of the 2007-08 season.

6.  The Isles have the New Year off to a good start.  They are 2-0-0 in January; believe it or not, it's the first time since 1990 that the Isles have opened a calendar year with two consecutive victories.

7.  The Isles improved to 8-10-6 on the road.  Their 22 road points are one more than they managed all last season.  They are now 2-6-2 in ten visits to Denver against the Avalanche; it's their first win in Denver since November 19, 1999, when they defeated Colorado by an identical 3-2 score.  This was the only meeting of the teams this season.

8. Three Islanders extended point streaks.  Josh Bailey now has a 4-game streak with two goals and three assists, while Sim (3-0-3) and Schremp (2-2-4) each have three-game streaks.

9.  Roloson, who finished with 30 saves, is 5-0-1 in his last 6 games, allowing just 13 goals in the six games.  Roloson recorded his 16th win, passing Wade Flaherty and tying him with Wade Dubielewicz for 15th place on the all-time Islander win list.  He has 101 fewer wins as an Islander than Rick DiPietro, who dressed for an NHL game for the first time in just over a year. Craig Anderson made 32 saves for Colorado.

10.  It was the first meeting between Duchesne and #1 overall pick John Tavares.  Duchesne had four shots,  three of which resulted in remarkable saves by Roloson, but finished -1 when he was on-ice for the winning goal.  Tavares had only one shot on goal, but was +1.

Up next:  Could Rick DiPietro make his season NHL debut this weekend?  The road trip continues on Friday in Dallas, with the Islanders making their first trip to Texas since November 15, 2006.  DiPietro will remember that game; he shut out the Stars 3-0 that night for his 7th career shutout.  The Isles are 2-0-1 in their last three in Dallas; their last loss there was on March 23, 2001, with Brett Hull notching the winning goal.  The final game of the trip will be Saturday in Phoenix.

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

Stat Trick: Isles 6, Atlanta 5 (shootout)

The Islanders do not score five goals in a game very often.  When they do, they need to win the game.  After blowing 3-0, 4-1, and 5-2 leads, the Islanders finally did win, albeit in a shootout, defeating Atlanta 6-5 in the first game of the 10's and the first-ever 6-5 shootout game in Islander history.  On to the trick:

1.   The Isles grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first twenty minutes, on goals by Matt Moulson, Jon Sim, and Richard Park.  Moulson's goal, came one second after an Islander power play expired and was his 16th of the season, tying John Tavares for the club lead.  Sim recorded his third goal in the last four games and sixth overall, while Park scored for the first time in 16 games.

2.  Maxim Afinogenov scored twice in the second period (he also had two assists), but each goal was answered by an Islander tally, as Trent Hunter made it 4-1 and Josh Bailey made it 5-2.  Bailey's goal, his second in three games, came two seconds after the midway point in the game.  However, the Islanders could not deal with the prosperity.  Nik Artropov scored ten seconds after Bailey to get the Thrashers within two and Rich Peverly scored 2 1/2 minutes later to make it a 5-4 game after two periods.

3.  The only goal of the third period came on the power play off the stick of Ilya Kovalchuk.  Kovvalchuk, who scored 320 goals in the 2000's, second only to Jarome Iginla (360), now has scored twice in two games to kick off the 2010's.  The Kovalchuk goal was his fourth point of the game, and was enough to get the Thashers a point, but the Islanders would eventually prevail in the shootout. 

...a few more...

4.  Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen scored for the Islanders in the shootout to give the Isles a 2-0 advantage..  Tambellini is now six of nine in shootouts, while Nielsen has converted eight times in 13 attempts. After Slava Kozlov scored for the Thrashers, Rob Schremp shot the puck over the net but Rich Peverley shot the puck wide on his shootout attempt to give the Islanders the victory and the extra point.

5.  It was the third straight Islander game to end in a shootout. The Isles have won two shootouts at home, and lost in Ottawa during this stretch.  It's the first time in Islander history that three consecutive games have required a shootout and the second time that the Isles have had a shootout in successive home games.

6.  The Isles improve to 3-2-0 in decade-opening games:
October 7, 1972  Lost 3-2 to Atlanta
January 2, 1980  Beat Toronto 3-1
January 2, 1990  Beat Los Angeles 5-3
January 2, 2000  Lost 4-1 to Philadelphia

7.  Prior to scoring the game-deciding goal in the shootout, Frans Nielsen was credited with three assists.  It's the first three assist (and three point) game of his career.  Schremp had a perfect night in the face-off circle, winning all six of his draws; the Isles won 34 of 56 overall.  Dwayen Roloson improved to 4-0-1 in his last five games, making 22 saves.  Johan Hedberg finished with 31 saves for Atlanta.

8. The Islanders recorded their first 6-5 win since February, 2007 when they did s otwice in a ten-day period.  The shootout victory allowed the Isles to avoid a 6-5 loss for the first time since losing to Washington in overtime in February, 1996.

9. The Isles improve to 17-18-7, climbing within one win of NHL .500 for the first time since December 17th.  The Isles are 4-1-1 in their last six games, while their opponents are 2-1-3 as three of the four Islander wins have come in extra time.

10.  The Isles lead the season series three games to none, and six points to one.  The final meeting will be in
Atlanta on March 4th.  The Isles have won four straight overall from the Thrashers, who are 0-4-2 on their seven game road trip and 0-5-3 in their last eight games overall.  Atlanta is 4-10-3 in their last 17 games, with all four wins coming in extra time.

Up next: The Islanders begin a three game road trip on Wednesday in Denver against the Avalanche.  Game time is 9:00.  The Isles have not won in Denver since November 19, 1999, when Butch Goring was still their coach.  They have gone 0-2-2 since then, tying once and losing once in overtime.  The Isles are, however 4-0-2 in their last six against the Avalanche since being blanked 1-0 on Novermber 16, 2001 by Patrick Roy.
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

Stat Trick: Ottawa 3. Isles 2 (shooutout)

Jon Sim scored in the opening minute of the third period to force overtime, and eventually a shootout, but the Senators scored on all three of their shootout attmepts against Dwayne Roloson to defeat the Islanders 3-2 on New Year's Eve at Scotiabank Place.  On to the trick:

1. After a scoreless first period, Rob Schremp gave the Islanders the lead on a power play eight minutes into the second.  It was only the second Islander power play goal in the last ten games.  Schremp has scored two of the Isles' last three power play tallies.

2. Chris Kelly and Peter Regin scored for the Sens later in the second period.  Regin's goal, with 52 seconds to play, gave the Sens a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

3. Sim's tying goal, his fifth of the season, was his second in three games, and earned the Islanders their sixth point (1-15-4) in 20 games where they have trailed after two periods.

... a few more...

4.  After only four goals in 65 minutes of hockey, there were five goals scored in the shootout.  Alexei Kovalev, Mike Fisher ans Ryan Shannon all scored for the Senators, but only Frans Nielsen and Rob Schremp could successsfully respond for the Isles.  John Tavares missed the net in an attempt to prolong the game and gave the Sens the extra point.  The loser point is the Islanders' 20th point on the road this season (7-10-6).  They had only 21 points on the road last season.

5. Shannon, who was credited with the game-deciding goal, had a three-game goal scoring streak stopped.  Shannon had scored four goals in the last three games after not scoring in his first 28 games of the season.

6. Dwayne Roloson made 34 saves to earn a point for his fourth straight game (3-0-1).  He has allowed only six goals on 143 shots in those four starts (1.41 GAA, 95.8 save percentage).  Pascal Leclaire finished with 25 saves for the Senators and is 3-0 this season in shoot-outs.

7.  The Isles shut down the Senators' power play, stopping all three attempts.  After allowing 18 goals in their previous 40 attempts, the Isles have now killed 13 straight opponents' power play attempts.

8. Tim Jackman left the game after the first period.  He was taken to the hospital after taking a couple of punches from Matt Carkner just after the first period buzzer.  Jackman ended up with some blood behind his eye, but was well enough to return to New York with the team after the game.

9.  The Isles are now 2-5 in shoot-outs and 7-8 in games that have gone into overtime.  The loss broke a four-game extra time winning streak for the Isles. As good as Roloson has been, he has struggled in shoot-outs, allowing 12 goals on 28 shots (57.1 save percentage).  The Isles are now 27-21 all-time, in shoot-outs.

10.  The Sens have swept the two games in Ottawa in this year's season series, and lead the season series four points to two.  The series continues on Valentine's Day on Long Island, which will be the final game before the Olympic break.  The Islanders finish the decade with a record of 304-342-41-58.  They were 167-157-18- 27 at home and 137-185 -23 -31 on the road.  After playing at NHL .500 in both October and November, the Isles finished December with a 6-8-1 record.  This was the Islanders' final road game of the season against a Northeast Division team; they finished 2-4-4 in the ten games. It's the Isles' first loss on New Year's Eve since 1998; the Islanders had played four times on New Year's Eve since, and won them all.

Up next:  The Isles play their first game of 2010 on Saturday when they entertain Atlanta at the Coliseum.. The Isles have won the first two games this season, each by three goals.  Matt Moulson recorded a hat trick in the last meeting, on December 4th, but has scored just one goal in fourteen games since then.

 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

Happy New Year

Stat Trick will have to wait until Friday evening, but I'll share the first tidbit of 2010.

 

The  Islanders are in the midst of their 37th season.  In that time they've earned at least one point on every day on the calendar from October 3rd to April 18. Every day but three, that is.

 

The Isles have never played on December 24th or 25th, per NHL labor negotiations. They've played seven times on New Years Day---and lost them all:

 

 

1-Jan-77	Vs	Vancouver			1	5	L
1-Jan-83	@	Pittsburgh			1	2	L
1-Jan-92	@	Washington			5	8	L
1-Jan-94	Vs	Hartford			3	4	L
1-Jan-02	@	Washington			2	3	L
1-Jan-04	@	Ottawa			0	1	L
1-Jan-07	@	Buffalo			1	3	L

 

Happy New Year!

 

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