"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 42
Isles 4, Boston 0
Nikolay Kulemin scored 2 goals and Thomas Greiss made 32 saves to become the first Islander goalkeeper to earn a shutout IN Boston as the Isles blanked the Bruins 4-0 before a sellout crowd of 17,565 at TD Garden.
Josh Bailey and Jason Chimera also scored for the Isles; Chimera's shorthanded tally gives him goals in three straight games.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
No Scoring
2ND PERIOD
13:18 New York Nikolay Kulemin (6) ASST: Casey Cizikas (12), Jason Chimera (8) 1-0
15:00 New York Josh Bailey (6) ASST: Anders Lee (6), Adam Pelech (3) 2-0
18:38 New York Nikolay Kulemin (7) ASST: Casey Cizikas (13) 3-0
3RD PERIOD
12:00 New York SHG - Jason Chimera (8) 4-0
The Skinny:
Thomas Greiss recorded his first shutout since December 13, 2015, his 2nd shutout as an Islander, and his 5th career shutout…He has stopped 80 of 82 shots against the Bruins this season …The Isles scored the first goal for the 18th time in the last 23 games… The Isles are 13-0-3 when leading after two periods.… Josh Bailey recorded his 99th career goal; he now has 12 points in the last 12 games (1-11-12) … The Isles regained NHL-.500 (17-17-8) and climbed within 8 points of the last playoff spot…Tuukka Rask has left three starts early this season – one due to injury and two in losses to the Isles. Rask, whose goals against average climbed to 2.03, has allowed 6 goals in 66:18 against the Isles this season…Chimera's goal was the Isles' second shorthanded goal of the season and their first on the road since last February 23rd in Minnesota; it was his 10th career shorthanded goals...Chimera recorded his first multi-point game as an Islander (1-1-2)…The Isles are 3-1-2 in their last six road games after opening 3-8-2 on the road…Nikolay Kulemin matched a career high with two goals; Casey Cizikas matched career highs with two assists/points…Three of Kulemin's goals this season have come in Boston… The Bruins have sold out 315 consecutive games (Regular season and playoffs). …Seidenberg went +2 and is now +17; Cizikas went +3 and is now +11. It was the first time in his career that Cizikas has been +3…. Patrice Bergeron, who had been +115 over the last six seasons, went -3 and is now -12 in his career against the Isles (worst of any opponent) ... The Isles had three previous shutouts vs. Boston, all at home. The most recent was a scoreless tie on February 24, 2004 (the final of six scoreless ties in Isles history).
NVK on MLK
Nikolay V. Kulemin recorded his second two-goal game as an Islander. His other 2-goal game also came on MLK Day (1/19/2015 vs. Philadelphia).
The 99ers
Josh Bailey's goal was his 99th; Casey Cizikas' two assists give him 99. Cal Clutterbuck also has 99 career goals.
Countdown to 1,000
Jason Chimera played in his 993rd NHL game. 306 skaters and two goalies have played 1000 NHL games.
Last Minute Heroes
The Isles have scored twice in the final minute of regulation to either tie or win a game:
· 11/25 – SJ Sharks -- Nick Leddy (19:02); tied game, but Isles lost in regulation
· 11/30 – Pit Penguins – Anders Lee (19:33); Game Winning goal
Fit to Be Tied
The Isles have allowed the final goal of regulation in nine of their 11 games that have gone to overtime this season, including three in the final minute:
· 10/16 – Ana Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf (19:00); Isles won in OT
· 11/3 – Phi Flyers – Jakob Voracek (19:02/PP); Flyers won in SO
· 11/12 – Fla Panthers – Jonathan Marchessault (19:46); Panthers won in OT
Late Losses
The Isles have been tied in the third period in 11 of their 17 regulation losses (and 19 of their 25 overall losses) but have allowed the lead goal in the final 3 minutes of regulation five times:
· 10/18 – SJ Sharks - Joe Pavelski (17:49)
· 10/26 – Mtl Canadiens - Shea Weber (17:03)
· 10/27 – Pit Penguins - Sidney Crosby (17:35)
· 11/23 – LA Kings – Dwight King (17:07)
· 11/25 – SJ Sharks – Patrick Marleau (19:37)
Road Warriors
This was the final game of a stretch in which the Isles played seven out of eight games on the road: The Isles finished 3-3-2 in that stretch.
12/29 @ Wild - Lost 4-6
12/31 @ Jets – Won 6-2
1/6 @Avalanche – Lost/OT 1-2
1/7 @ Coyotes – Lost/SO 1-2
1/11 Vs Panthers – Lost 1-2
1/13 @ Panthers – Won 5-2
1/14 @ Hurricanes- Lost 4-7
1/16 @ Bruins – Won 4-0
The Isles will now play six straight at home to end January– it will be the final homestand of at least three games this season.
The Shots
Isles 3-12-12=27
Boston 7-14-11=32
The Isles are 8-4-3 when they outshoot their opponents and 1-2-0 when the shots are even but are 8-11-5 when they are outshot.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 17-17-8 overall; 11-8-4 at home and 6-9-4 on the road.
Boston is 21-15-7 overall; 15-4-1 at home and 6-11-6 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 4-6-2 in Division games and 13-11-6 in games versus other divisions (5-6-3 vs. Atlantic, 3-2-1 vs. Central and 5-3-2 vs. Pacific). The Isles are 9-12-5 against the East and 8-5-3 against the West.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 32 as he becomes the first Islander goalie to blank the Bruins in Boston. Greiss is 11-7-2 on the season and 2-2-0 in his career against Boston (with a 1.52 GAA).
Tuukka Rask made 12 saves before replaced after the second period. He is 22-10-3 on the season and 10-5-0 in his career against the Isles. Zane McIntyre made 11 saves in relief.
Power Plays
The Isles went 0-4 on the power play, while Boston went 0-2, and allowed the Isles a shorthanded goal.
The Isles are 6-5-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 11-12-3 when they do not. The Isles are 5-9-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 12-8-3 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 16-4-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-13-6 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 6-6-8 in games decided by a single goal including 3-6-0 in regulation. They are 2-5 in games decided in overtime and are 1-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-1 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.
First Goal
The Isles are 13-4-6 when they score first and are 4-12-3 when they allow the opening goal.
Second to The One
Jack Capuano, the 2nd winningest coach in Islander history, is 227-192-64 behind the Islander bench. Among the 9 New York area teams, only the Yankees' Joe Girardi has led his team longer than Capuano.
Most games coached (Islanders):
1. Al Arbour 1,500
2. Jack Capuano 483
3. Mike Milbury 191
4. Terry Simpson 187
5. Scott Gordon 181
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1. Al Arbour 740
2. Jack Capuano 227
3. Terry Simpson 81
4. Peter Laviolette 77
5. Ted Nolan 74
Capuano is 69th in NHL games coached, 7 games behind Tom Watt and 8 behind Craig Hartsburg. His 227 wins places him 64th all-time, two behind Robbie Ftorek and seven behind Bob Johnson.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 3-3-1 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 2-3-2 on the back-end.
The Isles will play 16 sets of back-to-backs this season. The next back-to-back set is January 21st vs Los Angeles and January 22nd vs. Philadelphia, both at home
Tired vs. Rested
· The Isles are 1-1-1 when both teams played the night before.
· The Isles are 5-3-2 when they are rested and their opponents are not.
· The Isles are 1-2-1 when their opponents are rested and the Isles are not.
· The Isles are 10-11-4 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Nick Leddy (23:07); Boston: Brandon Carlo (24:23)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (5-0-0), Nick Leddy (9-13-6), John Tavares (2-1-0), Johnny Boychuk (1-3-1), Dennis Seidenberg (0-0-1)
John Tavares led the Isles forwards with 20:38 of ice-time. Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (11-9-6), Josh Bailey (4-5-2), Casey Cizikas (1-0-0), Cal Clutterbuck (0-1-0), Brock Nelson (1-2-0)
Face-offs
Isles 24, Boston 27 (47%).
Ryan Strome won 6 of 9 for the Isles; Patrice Bergeron won 14 of 23 for Boston.
The Isles won 8 of 15 draws in the first period, but only 16 of 36 in the other two periods.
The Isles won 19 of 41 draws at even strength, 3 of 6 on the power play and 2 of 4 on the penalty kill.
Hit Count
Isles 26, Boston 17. Calvin deHaan led the Isles with four hits; Anton Blidh led Carolina with four.
Fights
There were no fights. Season total – 7: (Boychuk 1, deHaan 1, Hamonic 3, Mayfield 1).
Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 10 blocked shots, including three from Ryan Strome.
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 50, Boston 55
5-on-5 Isles 42, Boston 43
5-on 5 leaders:
Isles: Nikolay Kulemin & Shane Prince +6; Nikolay Kulemin 69%
Boston: Torey Krug +14
Ironmen
Jason Chimera – 148 (including 106 for the Capitals); Josh Bailey 109
Scratches
Scott Mayfield, Andrew Ladd (injured), Cal Clutterbuck (injured)
Injured Reserve: Travis Hamonic
Total games lost: 68
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900
….
12. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 13. Josh Bailey 599 *** Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 15 Garry Howatt 596 *** 16. John Tonelli 594 *** 17. John Tavares 552
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310
…
7. Bob Bourne 238 *** 8. Bob Nystrom 235 **** 9. John Tavares 223
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553
…
9. Bob Bourne 304 *** 10. Derek King 288 *** 11. John Tavares 280
…
18. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 19. Ed Westfall 181 *** 20. Josh Bailey 180
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052
…
8. Bob Bourne 542 *** 9. Bobby Nystrom 513 *** 10. John Tavares 503
…
21. Duane Sutter 292 *** 22. Alexei Yashin 290 *** 23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24 Josh Bailey 279
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series two games to none (and four points to none). The final meeting of the season will be March 25th in Brooklyn.
The Isles have won 5 of their last 7 games in Boston; this was their first shutout in 81 trips to Boston.
On The Farm
The Sound Tigers are 19-15-1-1 this season after a 5-3 victory in Providence on Sunday. Tanner Fritz had two goals for Bridgeport; Stephon Williams made 32 saves.
Bracken Kearns continues to lead the Sound Tigers in points (13-15-28) and is tied with Steve Bernier for the club lead in goals (13). Rookie Devon Toews leads the team with 20 assists and is second on the team in points (4-20-24).
The Sound Tigers begin another 3-in-3 weekend on Friday in Springfield before hosting Toronto on Saturday and Rochester on Sunday afternoon.
Up Next
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19th –DALLAS AT ISLANDERS - 7:00PM
[MSG+ (Isles pre-game at 6:30), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Isles return home to begin a six-game homestand as they entertain the Dallas Stars. The Isles have won three straight home games against Dallas and have scored 20 goals in the three games.
The Isles will catch the Stars in their third game in four days, all in the state of New York. Dallas lost in Buffalo on Monday and will be at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
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 http://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
