The Skinny: Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 37

Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)

Mathew Barzal became the first Islander rookie since Thomas Hickey to score an overtime goal as the Islanders rallied from a late 2-1 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 before a crowd of 15,027 at Barclays Center.

Josh Bailey had tied the game following video review with just 69 seconds to play.  Bailey and John Tavares, who both entered the final minutes with long point streaks on the line, combined for the tying tally and then both earned off-ice assists on Barzal's winner.

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

No Scoring

2ND PERIOD

03:41 New York Jason Chimera (2) ASST: Cal Clutterbuck (7), Casey Cizikas (6) 1-0

09:43 Buffalo Zemgus Girgensons (3) ASST: Jack Eichel (20), Marco Scandella (10) 1-1

3RD PERIOD

11:33 Buffalo Kyle Okposo (6) ASST: Evander Kane (19) 1-2

18:51 New York Josh Bailey (11) ASST: John Tavares (26) 2-2

OT PERIOD

01:08 New York Mathew Barzal (13) ASST: Josh Bailey (37), John Tavares (27) 3-2

The Skinny 

The Isles have gotten four overtime goals from four players this season (Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy, Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal) … Barzal tied the club record for overtime goals by a rookie (1). He is the tenth Islander rookie to score an overtime goal, and the first since Hickey did so in Montreal in 2013…Barzal join Sonny Milano, Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer as NHL rookies who have scored this season in overtime…Josh Bailey passed Jacob Voracek for the NHL lead in assists (37) … Bailey (11-37-48) and John Tavares (21-27-48) remain tied for the team scoring lead; the linemates have combined for 33 points on the last 26 Islander goals... Bailey now has a nine-game point streak (6-11-17), Tavares has an eight-game streak(4-13-17), while Barzal (5-3-8) has a five- game point streak and a three-game goal streak… Josh Bailey's 37 assists and 48 points are already the second-highest totals of his career… Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 133 goals in the first 37 games (first time since 1993-94, when they had also scored 130 133) and allowed 129 goals (matching the highest since 2008-092005-06, when they allowed 1341295)…Both teams scored a goal in the third period; the Isles have outscored opponents 47-37 in the final session… Jaroslav Halak improves to 7-1-1 as a starter at Barclays Center…Jason Chimera scored for the second time this season; sixteen of his 20 goals last season came after Christmas… Evander Kane recorded his 20th third period point of the season on Kyle Okposo's goal as he temporarily tied John Tavares for the NHL lead in that category.  Tavares' assist on Bailey's goal was John's 21st point in the third period this season… It was Okposo's first career goal against the Isles…The Isles were shorthanded four times for the first time in ten games; the PK improved to 9-9 over the last three games…Zemgus Girgensons has scored four of his 40 NHL goals against the Isles…Jack Eichel recorded a point for the third straight game.

December to Remember

John Tavares is now 5-15-20 this month, while Josh Bailey is 6-14-20.  The 20 points lead the NHL this month; Tavares' 15 assists are also the highest total in the league.   Mathew Barzal leads all rookies with 12 points this month and his 7 goals are tied with Brock Boeser for the high total…Anders Lee leads the NHL with 9 goals this month.

Hitting the Century Marks

The Isles have now earned 100 standings points in calendar year 2017.  It is the first time that the Isles have earned 100 points in a calendar year in the Post-Cup era.  The Isles last earned 100 points in a calendar year in 1983, when they tallied 105.

This was the Isles' 100th regular season game at Barclays Center.  The Isles are 59-26-15 all-time in Brooklyn.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

John Tavares recorded two assists, leapfrogging Patrick Flatley for 6th place.  Tavares played in his 624th game, passing Billy Harris for 11th place.

Josh Bailey's tying goal was his 117th as an Islander, breaking a tie with Ray Ferraro for 25th place.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals nine times at home (8-1-0) and thirteen times overall (12-1-0). The Isles have also scored one shootout winner for a five goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first fourteen times this season (13-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 20-13-4 this season; they were 15-15-7 through 37 games last season and won only 20 of their first 46 games last season (20-17-9).  Their 19th win came in Doug Weight's fourth game as Islander head coach. 

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 223rd career win, which leave him two wins shy of Ken Wregget for 67th place on the all-time NHL win list.   

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 44-24-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles     14-12-7-1=34

Buffalo 11-11-14-1=37

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 14-7-2 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged twice and been successful once.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks -- successful

The opponents have not challenged an Islander goal due to an offside so far this season.

Home for the Holidays

This was the final game of a five game homestand.  The Isles went 3-1-1 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 -  Vs. Ducks L 4-5 (OT)

12/23 – Vs. Jets W 5-2

12/27 – Vs. Sabres W 3-2 (OT)

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times).  They 5-6-2 this month, with two games to play.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 20-13-4 overall; 12-3-3 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.  

Buffalo is 9-21-7 overall; 5-10-2 at home and 4-11-5 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 15-9-3 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 10-8-1 against the East and 10-5-3 against the West.  

Our House

The Isles are 12-3-3 at home; they are 5-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves to improve to 11-8-2 on the season and 10-2-0 in his career against Buffalo.  

Robin Lehner made 31 saves; he is 8-14-5 on the season and 3-4-2 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Buffalo was 0-4 in 8:00 of PP time. 

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-6-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 11-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-4-2 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 7-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 4-3 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal 

The Isles are 13-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-4 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end. 

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-2-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-2-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 11-9-4 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Johnny Boychuk (24:47); Buffalo: Rasmus Ristolainen (27:12)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (17:08). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (17-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 24, Buffalo 33 (42%). 

John Tavares won 10 of 17 for the Isles; Evan Rodrigues won 8 of 11 for Buffalo.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 7/16; 2nd period 9/18; 3rd period 7/22; Overtime 1-1.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 18/41; Power play 3/5; Penalty kill 3/11.

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Dennis Seidenberg -6)

Buffalo 18 (Jordan Nolan and Zemgus Girgensons -4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 15 shots; Thomas Hickey, Casey Cizikas, and Adam Pelech led the way with three.

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 57, Buffalo 62

5-on-5 Isles 42, Buffalo 45

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Andrew Ladd +8

Buffalo: Nathan Beaulieu +8

Night and Day 

The Isles are 18-13-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 225 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 188 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 186, Nick Leddy 114.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 114

11.Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), Ryan Pulock, Steve Bernier, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 91

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored three times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

12/27- BUF Sabres – Josh Bailey (18:51); tied game, and Isles won in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 676 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. John Tavares 623

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 256

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Josh Bailey 117 *** 26. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. John Tavares 329

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 237

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 585

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 354

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 145 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Jaroslav Halak 79 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series two games to none (and four points to one).  The teams will conclude the season series on February 8th in Buffalo.

The Isles are 10-1-5 in the last 16 games between the teams; Buffalo's only regulation win came on November 1, 2015 in Brooklyn by a 2-1 score.

On the Farm

Tanner Fritz and Scott Eansor each scored a goal and added an assist while Joshua Ho-Sang helped set up a power play goal for Michael dal Colle as Bridgeport defeated Hershey 3-1 on Wednesday to improve to 15-13-1-1 on the season.

Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 32 points (9-23-32); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 13. Christopher Gibson is 11-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-6-2.

The Sound Tigers play only once in the next seven days; they'll entertain Binghamton on Saturday. 

Up Next

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29th –ISLANDERS AT WINNIPEG 8:00PM 

[MSG+2 (Islanders pre-game at 7:30PM), WNYM 970AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Isles will wrap up the 2017 portion of the schedule on the road, and they begin a two-game road trip in Winnipeg.

The Isles defeated Winnipeg 5-2 behind a Mat Barzal hat trick on Saturday and will be looking to sweep the season series for the second time in three seasons.

The Isles have won five straight games in Winnipeg (three in extra time) and have not lost in regulation to the Jets in Manitoba since the franchise relocated from Atlanta (7-0-1).

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

“The Skinny” on Young Mr. Barzal : All I want for Christmas is a #MatTrick

Last night I showed the following in The Skinny:

Youngest Isles Hat Tricks by a Rookie (revised)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs. Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs. Caps)

4. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

John Tavares had two hat tricks as a "younger" 20-year-old than Barzal, but both were in his sophomore season.

With help from an "Elias Says" note today, I can now remove the "by a rookie" qualifier as follows:

Youngest Hat Tricks by an Islander (revised)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs. Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs. Caps)

4. John Tavares (20 years, 33 days on 10/23/10 vs. Panthers)

5. John Tavares (20 years, 117 days on 1/15/11 vs. Sabres)

6. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

7. Bryan Trottier (20 years, 260 days on 4/3/77 vs. Rangers)

(Mike Bossy's first NHL hat trick came in his 48th NHL game, on February 4, 1978 vs. Washington – it was 13 days after his 21st birthday)

Barzal was also named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week.  He is the first Islander rookie to be one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week since Michael Grabner, who did so in the week ending February 13, 2011.  Grabner completed a hat trick on February 13, 2011 in overtime – it was the last hat trick by an Islander rookie until Barzal turned the trick on Saturday.

Hat Tricks by Islander Rookies (birthdate in parenthesis):

·        Mathew Barzal 12/23/17 vs Winnipeg (5-26-97)

·        Michael Grabner 2/13/11 at Buffalo (10-5-87)

·        Niklas Anderson 2/4/96 vs Dallas (5-20-71)

·        Pat LaFontaine 3/3/84 at Toronto (2-22-65)

·        Mats Hallin 3/19/83 vs. Philadelphia (3-19-58)

·        Brent Sutter 2/2/82 vs. Washington (6-10-62)

·        Mike Bossy 2/4/78 vs. Washington (1-22-57)

·        Bryan Trottier 10/11/75 vs. Los Angeles (7-17-56)

·        Bob Nystrom 1/31/74 at Los Angeles (10-10-52)

·        Bob Cook 3/3/73 vs. Vancouver (1-6-46)

·        Germain Gagnon 11/1/72 vs. California (12-9-42)

Bob Cook’s hat trick will always have a special meaning to me – it came in the first NHL game I ever saw – Stick Night at the Coliseum!  I wrote more about that night here:

http://www.nyiskinny.com/2015/03/it-happened-at-coliseum-on-march-3rd.html

It Happened at the Coliseum … on MARCH 3rd

It Happened at the Coliseum … on MARCH 3rd All the numbers on the New York Islanders from the team's long-time television statistician.

Enjoy the break!   MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(This post was revised to correct Pat LaFontaine's birth year)

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

The Skinny: Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 36

Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

Mathew Barzal became the first Islander rookie since Michael Grabner to record a hat trick, each set-up by Jordan Eberle, as the Islanders defeated the Winnipeg 5-2 before a crowd of 13,589 at Barclays Center.

Andrew Ladd also earned two assists on the Barzal tally as the entire line were selected as the Three Stars.  The win guarantees the Islanders (19-13-4, but only 4-6-2 in December) will spend the Christmas break in a playoff spot.

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

01:31 New York PPG - Anders Lee (22) ASST: Josh Bailey (36), Nick Leddy (20) 1-0

02:20 New York Mathew Barzal (10) ASST: Jordan Eberle (13), Andrew Ladd (8) 2-0

13:42 Winnipeg Tucker Poolman (1) ASST: Ben Chiarot (3), Nikolaj Ehlers (12) 2-1

19:24 New York Mathew Barzal (11) ASST: Jordan Eberle (14), Johnny Boychuk (6) 3-1

2ND PERIOD

No Scoring

3RD PERIOD

11:22 New York Mathew Barzal (12) ASST: Jordan Eberle (15), Andrew Ladd (9) 4-1

15:01 New York Anthony Beauvillier (4) ASST: John Tavares (25) 5-1

18:24 Winnipeg Adam Lowry (7) ASST: Kyle Connor (10), Joel Armia (9) 5-2 

The Skinny (through Saturday afternoon)

Mathew Barzal tied the club record for goals by a rookie (3) with his first NHL hat trick.  It was also his first career multi-goal game.  Barzal is the first Islander rookie with a hat trick since Michael Grabner (2-13-11 vs. Buffalo) and the youngest Islander rookie with a hat trick since Pat LaFontaine (3-3-84 vs Toronto) … Barzal is the first Islander to record a hat trick against the (current) Jets since the franchise relocated from Atlanta; the Isles' last hat trick against "Winnipeg" was by Ziggy Palffy in 1996…Jordan Eberle record his first three assist game as an Islander, tying his career high…The Isles have recorded two hat tricks this month (Bailey on 12/13 vs. Columbus); it's the first time since February, 2011 (Grabner and Matt Moulson) that two different Isles have recorded hat tricks in a calendar month…Josh Bailey tied Jacob Voracek for the NHL lead in assists (36); an NHL-leading 18 of those assists have come on the power play.  Bailey has points on 21 of the Isles' 28 power play goals….After trailing 2-0 in four of the last five games (and being outscored 11-3 in those first periods), the Isles struck for 2 goals in the first 2:20.  It was the earliest two Islander goals since October 20, 2005, when Miro Satan and Jason Blake scored in the first 1:55 in a game against the Rangers and only the 13th time in club history the Isles have scored twice in the first 2:20 … Josh Bailey (10-36-46) and John Tavares (21-25-46) remain tied for the team scoring lead; the linemates have combined for 29 points on the last 23 Islander goals... Bailey now has an eight-game point streak (5-10-15), Tavares has a seven-game streak(4-11-15), Barzal (4-3-7) and Eberle (1-5-6) each have four game streaks… Josh Bailey's 36 assists and 46 points are already the second-highest totals of his career…For the seven time in the last eight games, the score was 2-0 at some point …The Isles improve to 22.8% on the power play; the Isles haven't finished a season with a 20% power play efficiency since the 1993-94 season; at home they are even better: 28.1%...Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 130 goals in the first 36 games (first time since 1993-94, when they had also scored 130) and allowed 127 goals (the highest since 2005-06, when they allowed 1295)…The Isles outscored the Jets 2-1 in the third period; they have outscored opponents 46-36 in the final session… Anthony Beauvillier recorded his first goal since December 1st against Ottawa…Jaroslav Halak improves to 6-2-1 as a starter at Barclays Center this season…Tucker Poolman scored his first NHL goal…It was the Jets' 11th regulation loss; 8 of them have been by three goals or more…The Isles remain perfect in games they lead after one period (11-0-0) and two periods (14-0-0)…The Isles improve to 9-1-0 on Saturday; they are 10-12-4 the rest of the week…Paul Maurice coached his 1,402nd game, passing Ron Wilson for 8th in NHL history.

Youngest Isles Hat Tricks by a Rookie (revised to fix Patty's birth year)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs Caps)

4. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

John Tavares had two hat tricks as a "younger" 20-year-old than Barzal, but both were in his sophomore season.

No Goals in the Second Period

The Isles have scored 45 goals and allowed 45 goals in the second period.  This was only the second time this season that neither team scored in the middle session and only the 4th time since Doug Weight became the Isles head coach in January.

Leading goal scorers in NHL (through Saturday afternoon)

1. Alex Ovechkin 23

       Nikita Kucherov 23

3 Anders Lee 22

4      John Tavares 21

21 Club 

Anders Lee has 22 goals and John Tavares has 21; they are the first Islanders to score 21 goals in 25 years to score 21 goals before Christmas (Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93) while Lee is the first to score 22 by Christmas since Pat LaFontaine in 1989-90.

40-40 Club

The Isles have allowed 40 shots on goal in each of the last two games, both at home.  The last time the Isles allowed at least 40 shots in consecutive games, both at home, was on March 29 – April 1, 2008.

Casey on the Draw

Casey Cizikas has won 73 of 106 draws over the last five games (69%), including 15 of 22 today.

Casey is a team-best 55.2% on draws – the highest by a regular Islander center since Zenon Konopka (57.7 in 2010-11).  Konopka (52.3 in 2010-11) was also the last regular Isle center to win at least 50% of his draws while shorthanded; Cizikas has won 46 of 96 shorthanded this season.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

John Tavares recorded one assist, leaving him just one assist behind Patrick Flatley for 6th place.  Tavares played in his 623rd game, passing Stefan Persson and tying Billy Harris for 11th place.

Josh Bailey played in his 675th game, still 9th among skaters, but breaking a tie with Billy Smith (674).

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 78th win, breaking a tie will Roland Melanson for 5th place.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals nine times at home (8-1-0) and thirteen times overall (12-1-0). The Isles have also scored one shootout winner for a five goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first thirteen times this season (12-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 19-13-4 this season; they were 15-15-6 through 36 games last season and won only 19 of their first 44 games last season (19-17-8).  Their 19th win came in Doug Weight's second game as Islander head coach. 

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 222nd career win, passing Ilya Bryzgalov for 68th place on the all-time NHL win list.   

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 43-24-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles         12-7-10=29

Winnipeg 12-10-18=40

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 13-7-2 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged twice and been successful once.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks -- successful

The opponents have not challenged an Islander goal due to an offside so far this season.

Home for the Holidays

This was the second game of a five game homestand.  The Isles are 2-1-1 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 -  Vs. Ducks L 4-5 (OT)

12/23 – Vs. Jets W 5-2

12/27 – Vs. Sabres

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times).  

Home and Road

The Islanders are 19-13-4 overall; 11-3-3 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.  

Winnipeg is 20-11-6 overall; 12-3-1 at home and 8-8-5 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 14-9-3 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 9-8-1 against the East and 10-5-3 against the West.  The Isles have beaten each of the top 3 teams in each Western Division (including San Jose twice).

Our House

The Isles are 11-3-3 at home; they are 4-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves to improve to 10-8-2 on the season and 7-3-0 in his career against Winnipeg.  

Steve Mason made 24 saves but falls to 2-6-1 on the season and 9-4-3 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 2:44 of PP time; Winnipeg was 0-3 in 4:29 of PP time. 

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 11-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-4-2 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 18-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 6-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 3-3 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal 

The Isles are 12-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-4 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end. 

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-2-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-2-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 10-9-4 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:49); Winnipeg: Jacob Trouba (24:07)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

Andre Ladd led the forwards in ice-time (17:08). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 33, Winnipeg 26 (56%). 

Casey Cizikas won 15 of 22 for the Isles; Mark Schiefele won 10 of 18 for Winnipeg.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 13/24; 2nd period 13/21; 3rd period 7/14.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 29/53; Power play 3/3; Penalty kill 1/3.

Hit Count

Isles 30 (Cal Clutterbuck -6)

Winnipeg 26 (Brandon Tanev and Mathieu Perreault -4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots; Nick Leddy led the way with four.

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 44, Winnipeg 71 (including 47-20 in Winnipeg's favor in the final 34 minutes).

5-on-5 Isles 38, Winnipeg 61

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Andrew Ladd +1

Winnipeg: Mathieu Perreault +14

Night and Day 

The Isles are 17-13-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 224 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 187 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 185, Nick Leddy 113.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 113

     Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), Dennis Seidenberg, Steve Bernier, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 89

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 675 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris and John Tavares 623

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 256

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro and Josh Bailey 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 7. John Tavares 327

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 236

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 583

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 352

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 144 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Jaroslav Halak 78 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and two points to none).  The teams will conclude the season series on Friday in Winnipeg.

The Isles have won 5 of the last 6 games between the teams.  Since the Jets relocated from Atlanta, the Isles are only 4-4-0 at home against Winnipeg, but they are 7-0-1 in Manitoba.

On the Farm

Bridgeport split a pair of games this weekend to reach the Christmas break with a 14-13-1-1 record

On Friday, Bridgeport dropped a 5-2 decision in Springfield. The Sound Tigers rebounded to defeat Hartford 5-1 on Saturday.  Seven different Sound Tigers scored in the two games; Michael dal Colle had three assists, giving him six points in the last six games (1-5-6).

Tanner Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 30 points (8-22-30); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 12. Christopher Gibson is 10-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-6-2.

Bridgeport returns to action at home on Wednesday against Hershey. 

Up Next

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27th –BUFFALO AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM 

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 12:30PM), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM]

The Isles conclude the homestand as they entertain the Buffalo Sabres in the first game after the Christmas break.

The Isles defeated the Sabres 6-3 in the home opener; each team scored twice shorthanded in that game—the only time that has happened in Islander history.

The Isles have won the last three meetings, outscoring Buffalo 15-6; the Isles are 4-0-2 in their last six vs. Buffalo and are 9-1-5 in their last 15 games against the Sabres.

The season series concludes on February 8th in Buffalo.

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

The Skinny: Anaheim 5, Isles 4 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 35

Anaheim 5, Isles 4 (OT)

Rickard Rakell scored the tying goal with 75 seconds remaining in regulation and Hampus Lindholm completed his hat trick with an overtime goal as the Anaheim Duckc defeated the Islanders 5-4 before a crowd of 10,092 at Barclays Center.

The Isles had rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to take a 4-3 lead on an Andrew Ladd goals.  Both John Tavares and Josh Bailey each had three points for New York as each player recorded multiple points for the fifth straight game.

The Isles have won just one of their last five games and are 3-6-2 in December.

 

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

08:09 Anaheim Hampus Lindholm (4) ASST: Andrew Cogliano (12), Ryan Getzlaf (10) 1-0

09:54 Anaheim Ondrej Kase (8) ASST: Josh Manson (14), Nick Ritchie (7) 2-0

2ND PERIOD

05:39 New York PPG - Mathew Barzal (9) ASST: Josh Bailey (33), John Tavares (24) 2-1

12:36 Anaheim Hampus Lindholm (5) ASST: Ryan Getzlaf (11) 3-1

16:59 New York PPG - John Tavares (20) ASST: Josh Bailey (34), Mathew Barzal (23) 3-2

3RD PERIOD

05:44 New York John Tavares (21) ASST: Josh Bailey (35), Nick Leddy (19) 3-3

07:52 New York Andrew Ladd (9) ASST: Jordan Eberle (12), Scott Mayfield (7) 3-4

18:45 Anaheim Rickard Rakell (9) ASST: Brandon Montour (11), Ryan Getzlaf (12) 4-4

OT PERIOD

04:03 Anaheim Hampus Lindholm (6) ASST: Ryan Getzlaf (13), Ondrej Kase (6) 5-4

 

The Skinny  

Josh Bailey is the first player in the NHL to reach 35 assists this season and the first NHL player to do so within a team's first 35 games since Sidney Crosby and Martin St. Louis did so in 2012-13…The Isles allowed the first goal for the 23nd time in 35 games (7-12-4); the Isles have scored the first goal fewer times than any other team in the NHL … Josh Bailey (10-35-45) and John Tavares (21-24-45) remain tied for the team scoring lead); the linemates have combined for 27 points on the last 18 Islander goals... Bailey now has a  seven-game point streak while John Tavares has a six-game streak… Anders Lee's streak ended at six games…Bailey now has 15 multi-point games (already a career-high) and Tavares has 14 …Tavares and Bailey are the first Islanders with five consecutive multi-point games since Pierre Turgeon (6 games) in 1993-94 ..Josh Bailey's 35 assists and 45 points  are already the second-highest totals of his career…For the sixth time in the last seven games, the score was 2-0 at some point …The Isles improve to 22.5% on the power play; the Isles haven't finished a season with a 20% power play efficiency since the 1993-94 season; at home they are even better: 27.8%...Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 125 goals in the first 35 games (most since 1993-94, when they had scored 127) and allowed 125 goals (tying the highest since 2005-06, when they allowed 125)…The Isles outscored the Ducks 2-1 in the third period; they have outscored opponents 44-35 in the final session… Mathew Barzal had two points and continues to lead all rookies in assists with 23; it's the most assists for an Islander rookie since John Tavares had 30 in 2009-10…Andrew Cogliano played in his 822nd consecutive game; he has never missed a game since joining the NHL…Ryan Miller recorded 362nd career win (4th among actives)..The Ducks had lost all four previous games decided in overtime…Hampus Lindholm had scored 32 goals in 324 prior NHL games.  He is the first Duck defender to score a hat trick since Lubomir Visnovsky (3-4-11 vs Dallas).  Lubo also completed his hat trick in overtime…Lindholm is only the 7th defensemen in NHL History (regular season/playoffs) to complete a hat trick in overtime; Doug Crossman, then with Tampa Bay, also did it against the Isles...Ryan Getzlaf had four assists for his 17th career 4-point game.

Leading goal scorers in NHL

1. Alex Ovechkin 23

       Nikita Kucherov 23

3 Anders Lee 21

John Tavares 21

21 Club 

Anders Lee and John Tavares each have 21 goals; they are the first Islanders to score 21 goals in 25 years to score 21 goals before Christmas (Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93); the only previous time in club history that Islander teammates had 20 goals before Christmas was in 1977-78, when Mike Bossy (then a rookie) and Bryan Trottier did so.

Casey on the Draw

Casey Cizikas has won 58 of 84 draws over the last four games (68%), including 13 of 20 tonight.

Casey is a team-best 54.6% on draws.

Moving On Up

John Tavares recorded one assists leaving him just three assists behind Patrick Flatley for 6th place.

Josh Bailey had three assists, giving him 351 points.  With his second point, he passed Frans Nielsen for 16th place on the all-time list.  

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals eight times at home (7-1-0) and twelve times overall (11-1-0). The Isles have also scored one shootout winner for a five goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first twelve times this season (11-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 18-13-4 this season; they were 14-15-6 through 34 games last season and won only 18 of their first 43 games last season (18-17-8).  Their 18th win came in Doug Weight's first game as Islander head coach. 

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 221 career wins; he is tied with Ilya Bryzgalov for 68th place on the all-time NHL win list.   

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 42-24-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles    5-9-10-2=26

Anaheim 11-15-13-1=40

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 12-7-2 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged twice and been successful once.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks -- successful

The opponents have not challenged an Islander goal due to an offside so far this season.

Home for the Holidays

This was the second game of a five game homestand.  The Isles are 1-1-1 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 -  Vs. Ducks L 5-4 (OT)

12/23 – Vs. Jets (1pm)

12/27 – Vs. Sabres

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times).  

Home and Road

The Islanders are 18-13-4 overall; 10-3-3 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.  

Anaheim is 15-13-8 overall; 8-7-3 at home and 7-6-5 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 13-9-3 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 9-8-1 against the East and 9-5-3 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 10-3-23 at home; they are 4-2-0 against the East and 6-1-3 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 27-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves; he is 9-8-2 on the season and 8-6-1 in his career against Anaheim.  

Ryan Miller made 22 saves to improve to 4-1-4 on the season and 19-10-3 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-3 on the power play in 2:28 of PP time; Anaheim was 0-2 in 3:33 of PP time. 

The Isles are 11-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 11-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 7-4-2 when they do not.    

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 17-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 6-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 3-3 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal 

The Isles are 11-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-4 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end. 

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-2-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-2-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 9-9-4 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (24:19); Anaheim: Cam Fowler (26:47)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (19:40). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 35, Anaheim 41 (46%). 

Casey Cizikas won 13 of 20 for the Isles; Antoine Vermette won 10 of 16 for Anaheim.

 

Face-offs by period: 1st period 7/20; 2nd period 10/27; 3rd period 15/24; Overtime 3/5.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 29/68; Power play 3/5; Penalty kill 3/3.

Hit Count

Isles 38 (Cal Clutterbuck -8)

Anaheim 29 (Nick Ritchie-5)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 17 shots; Johnny Boychuk, Ryan Pulock and Casey Cizikas led the way with three.

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 53, Anaheim 71

5-on-5 Isles 44, Anaheim 51

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Jordan Eberle & Mathew Barzal +10

Anaheim: Brandon Montour +11

Night and Day 

The Isles are 17-13-3 in night games and 1-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next one is December 23rd vs. Winnipeg (1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 223 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 186 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 184, Nick Leddy 112.

Century Club

Calvin deHaan and Nick Leddy have joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

11. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 112

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), Dennis Seidenberg, Anthony Beauvillier, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 87

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 674 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris 623 *** 12. Stefan Persson 622 and John Tavares 622

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 256

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro and Josh Bailey 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 7. John Tavares 326

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 235

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 582

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 351

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 143 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Rollie Melanson and Jaroslav Halak 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

Anaheim wins the season series two games to none (and four points to one).  This game marked the Ducks' first win in Brooklyn.

This was the fourth straight game between the teams to be decided in overtime, including games each of the last two seasons in Brooklyn.

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 13-12-1-1 heading into Friday night's game in Springfield.

Tanner Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 28 points (8-21-29); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 12. Christopher Gibson is 9-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-5-2.

Bridgeport is in Hartford at 3pm on Saturday in their final game before the Christmas break.

Up Next

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23rd –WINNIPEG AT ISLANDERS 1:00PM 

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 12:30PM), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM]

The Isles will play their second home matinee of the season on Saturday as they entertain the Winnipeg Jets.

This is the first meeting of the teams this season; they will meet six night later in Winnipeg to conclude the season series.

Overall the Islanders have won 4 of the last 5 games between the teams, although the Jets earned a 4-2 win in Brooklyn on March 16th in the most recent matchup between the teams.

And Finally… 

Congratulations to Tage Thompson, the son of Sound Tiger coach Brent Thompson, on his first NHL goal.

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

The Skinny: Detroit 6, Isles 3

“The Skinny”

By Eric Hornick

Game 34

Detroit 6, Isles 3 

Trevor Daley broke a 3-3 tie with 9:57 to play and both Dylan Larkin and Henrik Zetterberg had three assists as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Islanders 6-3 before a crowd of 10,511 at Barclays Center.

The Islanders had taken a 3-2 lead late in a dominating 2nd period on power play goals from Ryan Pulock and Josh Bailey, but Anthony Mantha got the Red Wings even before the 2nd period ended.

The Isles have dropped three of their last four games and are 3-6-1 in December.

 

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

06:32 New York Anders Lee (21) ASST: John Tavares (22), Josh Bailey (32) 1-0

09:33 Detroit Martin Frk (7) ASST: Jonathan Ericsson (7), Dylan Larkin (20) 1-1

16:49 Detroit PPG - Gustav Nyquist (9) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (16), Tomas Tatar (6) 1-2

2ND PERIOD

02:03 New York PPG - Ryan Pulock (2) ASST: Jordan Eberle (11) 2-2

12:59 New York PPG - Josh Bailey (10) ASST: Mathew Barzal (22), John Tavares (23) 3-2

15:15 Detroit Anthony Mantha (13) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (17) 3-3

3RD PERIOD

10:03 Detroit Trevor Daley (2) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (18), Dylan Larkin (21)  3-4

14:12 Detroit Mike Green (3) ASST: Dylan Larkin (22), Andreas Athanasiou (6)  3-5

19:31 Detroit EN - Luke Glendening (7) ASST: Danny DeKeyser (1), Frans Nielsen (5) 3-5

The Skinny  

The Isles allowed the first goal for the 22nd time in 33 games (7-12-3); the Isles have scored the first goal fewer times than any other team in the NHL … Josh Bailey (10-32-42) and John Tavares remain tied for the team scoring lead with John Tavares (19-23-42); the linemates have combined for 21 points on the last 14 Islander goals... Both Bailey and Anders Lee now have six-game point streaks while John Tavares has a five-game streak… Bailey now has 14 multi-point games (already a career-high) and Tavares has 13 …John Tavares has four consecutive multi-assist games …Josh Bailey has four consecutive multi-point games; his 32 assists are already the second-highest total of his career…Bailey also has goals in three straight games… This was the first time in the last six Islander games that the score has been 1-1 at some point …The Isles improve to 21.4% on the power play; the Isles haven’t finished a season with a 20% power play efficiency since the 1993-94 season…The Isles PK drops to 72.3%, which is 31st in the NHL…Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 121 goals in the first 34 games (most since 1993-94, when they had scored 124) and allowed 120 goals (highest since 2005-06, when they allowed 121)…The Isles were outscored 3-0 in the third period; the Isles have outscored opponents 42-34 in the final session… Mathew Barzal assisted on Bailey’s power play goal and continues to lead all rookies in assists with 22; it’s the most assists for an Islander rookie since John Tavares had 30 in 2009-10…The Isles had more shots on goal in the 2nd period (23) than Detroit had in the entire game (22); the 23 shots was a season-high.  The Isles did not have 23 shots in any period last season…Jonathan Ericsson had an assist and was +4…Mike Green’s goal was his 450th career point, including 19 in 34 games against the Isles.

The Discipline

Following the game, Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader was fined $5,000 for spearing Scott Mayfield.  The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowed by the CBA.  Abdelkader was given a minor penalty for slashing on the play.  Had the officials ruled it a spear on the ice, Adbelkader would (by rule) have received a major penalty and a game misconduct.

Seven of One, Half-Dozen of Another

The Isles’ defense combined for 20 shots on goal, including seven from Johnny Boychuk and a career-high six from Ryan Pulock.  Boychuk and Pulock are the first pair of Islander defensemen with at least six shots in a game in 24 years (12-17-1993 vs. Toronto; Vladimir Malakhov had 7 and Uwe Krupp added 6).

Filling the Statistical Categories

In addition to his seven shots on goal, Johnny Boychuk was credited with four hits and four blocks.  He is the first Islander in the Real-Time era to reach (or exceed) all those totals.  It has happened eleven times previously, including four times by Rob Blake.

Leading goal scorers in NHL

1. Alex Ovechkin 23

       Nikita Kucherov 23

3 Anders Lee 21

4 John Tavares 19

Christmas Club 

Anders Lee has 21 goals and John Tavares has 19 goals; Lee is the first Islander to score 21 goals in 25 years to score 21 goals before Christmas (Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93); the only time in club history that Islander teammates had 20 goals before Christmas was in 1977-78, when Mike Bossy (then a rookie) and Bryan Trottier did so.

Tavares and Lee are the first Islander teammates to score 19 goals before Christmas in 25 years (Derek King and Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93) and are the first teammates since Mike Bossy and Brent Sutter in 1984-85 to have scored 19 goals by December 16th.

Casey on the Draw

Casey Cizikas has won 45 of 64 draws over the last three games (70.3%), including 13 of 18 tonight.

Casey is a team-best 54.1% on draws.

While the Isles are 26th in draws this season, they are 12th since the start of December.

Moving On Up

John Tavares recorded two assists, with his first assist passing Brent Sutter for 7th place on the all-time Isles list.  He is now just three assists behind Patrick Flatley for 6th place.

Josh Bailey had two points, giving him 348 points.  He is one point behind Frans Nielsen for 16th place on the all-time list.  His goal was his 116th, tying him with Ray Ferraro for 25th place on the all-time list.

 Anders Lee’ goal was his 105th, tying Benoit Hogue and Ed Westfall for 27th on the all-time Isles list.

Five’s Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals eight times at home (7-1-0) and twelve times overall (11-1-0). The Isles have also scored one shootout winner for a five goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first twelve times this season (11-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 18-13-3 this season; they were 14-14-6 through 34 games last season and won only 18 of their first 43 games last season (18-17-8).  Their 18th win came in Doug Weight’s first game as Islander head coach. 

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 221 career wins; he is tied with Ilya Bryzgalov for 68th place on the all-time NHL win list.   

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including Greiss is 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 42-24-7 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles    9-23-5=37

Detroit 6-4-12=22

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 12-7-1 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged twice and been successful once.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks -- successful

The opponents have not challenged an Islander goal due to an offside so far this season.

Home for the Holidays

This was the second game of a five game homestand.  The Isles are 1-1-0 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 -  Vs. Ducks

12/23 – Vs. Jets (1pm)

12/27 – Vs. Sabres

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times).  

Home and Road

The Islanders are 18-13-3 overall; 10-3-2 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.  

Detroit is 13-13-7 overall; 6-6-6 at home and 7-7-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 13-9-2 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 9-8-1 against the East and 9-5-2 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 10-3-2 at home; they are 4-2-0 against the East and 6-1-2 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 27-5-5 all-time at Barclays against the West.

Most Points Through 15 Home Games (Post-Cup era)

24- 1984-85

22- 2017-18

22- 2014-15

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 16 saves but falls to 9-5-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in his career against Detroit.  

Petr Mrazek made 34 saves to improve to 3-4-1 on the season and 6-3-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-3 on the power play in 3:33 of PP time; Detroit was 1-1 in 0:57 of PP time. 

The Isles are 11-7-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 11-9-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 7-4-2 when they do not.    

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 17-5-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 6-4-3 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 3-2 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal 

The Isles are 11-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-3 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end. 

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-2-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-2-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 9-9-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:56); Detroit: Jonathan Ericson (23:50)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-1), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (19:19). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-10-3), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 31, Detroit 33 (48%). 

Casey Cizikas won 13 of 18 for the Isles; Henrik Zetterberg won 10 of 19 for Detroit.

 

Face-offs by period: 1st period 8/16; 2nd period 15/27; 3rd period 8/21.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 27/58; Power play 3/5; Penalty kill 1/1.

Hit Count

Isles 26 (Johnny Boychuk and Cal Clutterbuck -4)

Detroit 24 (Jonathan Ericson & Luke Glendening -4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 18 shots; Johnny Boychuk led the way with four.

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 51, Detroit 59

5-on-5 Isles 42, Detroit 54

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech +4

Detroit:  Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha +8

Night and Day 

The Isles are 17-13-2 in night games and 1-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next one is December 23rd vs. Winnipeg (1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 222 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 185 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 183, Nick Leddy 111.

Century Club

Calvin deHaan and Nick Leddy have joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

11. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 111

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), (Thomas Hickey-Injured), (Shane Prince-conditioning), Alan Quine

Total games lost: 85

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 673 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris 623 *** 12. Stefan Persson 622 *** 13. John Tavares 621

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 254

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro and Josh Bailey 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 7. John Tavares 325

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 232

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 579

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 17.  Josh Bailey 348

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 142 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Rollie Melanson and Jaroslav Halak 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

Detroit leads the season series one game to none (and two points to none). The teams will meet again in Brooklyn on February 9th; the Isles will end the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on April 7th.

The Red Wings have taken 5-out-of-7 from the Isles over the last three seasons and Petr Mrazek owns six wins over the Isles in the past four seasons.

On the Farm

Bridgeport fell to 13-12-1-1 following a 3-2 overtime loss to Lehigh Valley on Sunday.  Casey Bailey had a goal and an assist for the Sound Tigers; Michael dal Colle also scored.

Tanner Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 28 points (8-21-29); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 12. Christopher Gibson is 9-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-5-2.

Bridgeport visits Springfield on Friday night and travels to Hartford at 3pm on Saturday.  

Up Next

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21st –ANAHEIM AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM 

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 6:30PM), WNYM 970AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The middle game of this 5-game homestand is on Thursday as the Isles host Anaheim.

This is the second meeting of the teams this season; the Isles outshot Anaheim 41-30 at the Pond in October but dropped a 3-2 decision.

Each of the last three games has ended by a 3-2 score and the home team has won all three, including last season’s Islander home opener.  Overall the Islanders have won 4 of the last 5 games between the teams.

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.