It Happened at the Coliseum .. on January 8th

The Isles face Carolina tonight as they look for their 7th straight win.

Our Butch Goring figures in today's edition of  It Happened at the Coliseum ... follow the link to how I originally published it four years ago today.

It Happened at the Coliseum ... on January 8th

The Skinny: Isles 4, St. Louis 3

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 40

Isles 4, St. Louis 3

Jordan Eberle and Johnny Boychuk scored goals 11 seconds apart midway through the third period as the Isles rallied (again) from a 2-0 deficit for a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues before a crowd of 16,801 at the Enterprise Center.

Robin Lehner made 29 saves to extend his career-best personal winning streak to seven games; he is 7-1-2 in his last 10 decisions.

The Isles, who have won the last four games that they trailed by a 2-0 score, are 9-1-0 in their last ten games and have moved ten games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2016-17 season with a 41-29-12 record.

 

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Brayden Schenn (8) Jaden Schwartz, Jay Bouwmeester 04:11 NYI 0,STL 1

Zach Sanford (5) Vince Dunn, Tyler Bozak 16:37 NYI 0,STL 2

2nd Period

Matt Martin (5) Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck 02:25 NYI 1,STL 2

3rd Period

Jordan Eberle (8) Anders Lee, Adam Pelech 08:27 NYI 2,STL 2

Johnny Boychuk (3) Casey Cizikas 08:38 NYI 3,STL 2

Anders Lee (15) Devon Toews, Scott Mayfield 15:04 NYI 4,STL 2

Ryan O'Reilly (16) David Perron, Vladimir Tarasenko 18:27 NYI 4,STL 3

The Skinny    

The Isles have won six straight games for the first time since the final six games of the 2016-17 season; this matches their longest single season winning streak since the won nine straight games between December 31, 1989 and January 19, 1990 …Matt Martin, playing his 599th NHL game, scored the Isles' first goal…The Eberle and Boychuk goals were the fastest 2 goals scored by the Isles since November 30, 2016 vs. Pittsburgh when Anders Lee scored a winning goal and Nikolay Kulemin an empty-netter three seconds apart…The Isles now are six points ahead of last season's pace through 40 games; including shootout winners they have scored 16 fewer goals and allowed 37 fewer goals than last year's first 40 games… The Isles are a season-high ten games over NHL-.500 (23-13-4)… The win moves the Isles into the first wild card spot; while they remain in 4th place in the Metro they are just one point behind Columbus, and two points behind both Pittsburgh and Washington… One game after having 50 shots, the Isles won with only 14 shots on goal… During the Isles' current 10-game stretch (7-1-2), they have allowed only 19 goals, including only 13 at even-strength…The Isles (11-8-0) are one of three teams to have won more than half of the games they allowed the opening goal [Tampa Bay (15-5-0) and Winnipeg (12-8-0) are the others…The Isles have won four straight on the road and have now earned 27 points in 22 road games this season; it's only the second time in the post-Cup era that they have had 27 points in the first 22 on the road. They had only 26 points through 29 road games last season…Mathew Barzal's point streak ended at six games. He now has 123 points in 124 NHL games… In addition to his game-winning goal, Captain Anders Lee recorded his 15th assist of the season. It was the 98th assist of Lee's career; Lee had career highs in both goals (40) and assists (22) last season…The Isles were shorthanded five times, matching a season high.  They killed all five penalties, marking the first time in almost exactly a year (1-7-18 vs New Jersey) that they had been shorthanded at least five times and did not allow a goal. It was the first time in the last seven games that the Isles were shorthanded more than twice.

Comeback Kids

The Isles improve to 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12.28) and STL (1/5);  all five wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 8-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

First Time in a Long Time

The Isles have won nearly 1,600 games in their history; this is only the eighth time that they have done so with fourteen or fewer shots; the most recent time was on October 10, 2011 at the Coliseum vs. Minnesota (2-1 win).

The club record for fewest shots in a win is 13 shots, done twice in 2000 under coach Butch Goring: 

• 4/6/2000 at Ottawa

• 10/31/2000 vs. Boston

First Time Ever

The Isles have won four consecutive games when allowing the game's first two goals.  All four wins have been in regulation, marking the first time that has ever happened.  The Isles also recorded four consecutive wins when trailing 2-0 in 2013-14, but the first of those wins was in a shootout.

The Isles were 2-20-2 last season when trailing 2-0, and both wins were in overtime.

One is Enough

The Isles improve to 9-2-43 in one-goal games.  Their .600 winning percentage (not points percentage) in 1-goal games is their best since 2014-15 (.605).  2014-15 is the only full season since 1992 that the Isles have won 60% of their one-goal games.  The Isles went 31-21-22 in 1-goal games over the last two seasons (winning just.41.9% of the games).

Streaking Lehner

Robin Lehner has won a career-high seven straight decisions. Lehner has allowed only 13 goals in his last ten games (7-1-2, 1.34 GAA, .952 save percentage).  

Most Points Thru 40 Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 53: 2014-15

• 50: 2018-19

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)

1. ISLES 107 

2. Nashville 109

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 104

2. Nashville 108

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 84

2. Anthony Beauvillier 41

Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points

2. Mathew Barzal 89 assists, 123 points

Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

USA Hockey

Anders Lee was credited with the winning goal. It was his 139th career goal as an Islander, tying him with Kyle Okposo for 2nd on the Islander goal-scoring list among American-born players, trailing only Pat LaFontaine (287). 

Coach Trotz

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 785-581-60-138 in 1564 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    833 

4. Barry Trotz   785

5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2141

2. Joel Quenneville 1636

3. Al Arbour   1607

4. Barry Trotz   1564

5. Ken Hitchcock   1557

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season

This Season: 23-13-4 (50 points), with 121 goals scored and 107 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 20-16-4 (44 points), with 137 goals scored and 144 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 12-5-4 when scoring first and are 11-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles        6-2-6=14

St. Louis 10-8-14=32

The Isles are 5-8-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 18-4-3 when they are outshot. 

Home and Road

The Islanders are 23-13-4 overall; 10-5-3 at home (3-0-1 on Long Island and 7-5-2 in Brooklyn) and 13-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.

St. Louis is 16-19-4 overall; 10-12-2 at home and 6-7-2 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-3-1 in Division games and 13-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 15-5-4 against the East and 8-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 29 saves; he improved to 11-6-3 on the season and 5-3-1 in his career against St. Louis.   

Jake Allen made 47 saves but falls to 14-13-4 on the season and 2-3-0 in his career against the Isles. 

 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; St. Louis was 0-5 on the power play in 8:20 of PP time. 

The Isles are 15-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-12-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 9-9-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 13-4-1 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 21-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-12-3 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 9-2-4 in games decided by a single goal including 4-2 in regulation. They are 3-1 in games decided in overtime and are 2-3 in shootouts.  The Isles are 3-4 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs 

The Isles are 4-1-0 in the front half and 5-0-0 in the back half.   The next back-to-back is January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay.

 

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 2-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 15-13-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (20:51); St. Louis: Alex Pietrangelo (27:10)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:31 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (13-6-3), Nick Leddy (6-6-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 29,St. Louis 27 (52%).  

Casey Cizikas won 15 of 23 for the Isles; Ivan Barbashev won 3 of 5 for St. Louis. 

Face-offs by period: 1st period  6/15; 2nd period 11/13; 3rd period 12/28

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 19/41, Power play 3/4, Penalty kill 7/11.

Hit Count

Isles 21 (Five with 3)  

St. Louis 12 (Two with 3)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –11 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee, Matt Martin).  

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 14 shots (Nick Leddy-4) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 44, St. Louis 59

5-on-5 Isles 36, St. Louis 39

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Cal Clutterbuck/Matt Martin +10

St. Louis: Vince Dunn +13

 

Night and Day

The Isles are 20-12-4 in night games and 3-1-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 12th vs. the Rangers. 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 158, Brock Nelson 135, Mathew Barzal 122

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR), (Valtteri Filppula- IR), Tom Kuhnhackl, Ross Johnston,  Luca Sbisa, 

Total games lost: 80

Late Heroes

The Isles have not yet scored in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead.

Late Goals Allowed

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

10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.

11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)

11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.

12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges

12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 

5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 755

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 139 and Anders Lee 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 132…

24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 112

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…

12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Josh Bailey 276

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 408

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 142

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 74

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and 2 points to 0).  The teams will conclude their season series on January 15th at Barclays Center. 

The Isles are 5-1-1 in the last seven games against the Blues.

On the Farm 

It was a lost weekend in Upstate New York for the Sound Tigers who dropped a 3-1 decision in Syracuse on Friday and a 3-2 game in Binghamton on Saturday.  

Rookie Otto Koivula scored two of the Sound Tiger goals and assisted on the third as Bridgeport fell to  21-11-4-2 on the season. Koivula leads all current Sound Tigers with 25 points on the season; he is also now tied-4th among all AHL rookies in points. 

The Sound Tigers are now off until Friday when they return to Upstate New York to face the Utica Comets.

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Sebastian Aho 21; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 11-6-2 (2.70 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-5-4 (3.06 GAA)

Up Next

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8th –  CAROLINA AT ISLANDERS AT NASSAU COLISEUM 7:00PM

 [MSG+(Pre-game at 6:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles look to complete a sweep as they return home to face the Carolina Hurricanes for the final time this season.  The Isles have held the Canes to just one goal in all three games, outscoring Carolina 8-3, despite being outshot 112-59. Thomas Greiss has been in nets for all three victories.

Overall, the Isles have won 7 of the last 9 games between the teams.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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 the Winning Streak

The Isles will be looking for their 6th straight win tonight in St. Louis.

The Isles last won six straight to end the 2016-17 season but it has been a while since they have had a longer streak.

In 2014, the Isles had a 7-game streak but that was over two seasons (last three of 2013-14, first four of 2014-15).  

To find a longer streak you have to go back 29 years - from December 31, 1989 to January 19, 1990 - when they won nine straight games.  That remains (at least until Tuesday), the only single-season winning streak in the Post-Cup era of at least seven games and remains (at least until Thursday), the only 9-game winning streak since the 15-game streak in 1982.

Win Streaks of 6+ Games In the Post-Cup Era

• 6: March 1988
• 9: December 1989- January 1990
• 6: December 1993
• 6: December 2003
• 6: Over 2 seasons in 2007
• 6: February 2008
• 7: Over 2 seasons in 2014
• 6: March/April 2017

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 3, Chicago 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 39

Isles 3, Chicago 2 (OT)

Devon Toews made the Islanders' 50th shot count. Toews' first NHL goal came 1:48 into overtime as the Isles extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks before a near-sellout crowd of 13,454 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Robin Lehner made 19 saves to extend his personal winning streak to six games and lower his NHL-leading GAA to 2.13.  Mathew Barzal scored both Isles goals in regulation, giving him seven of the Isles' last 12 goals before Toews' winner.

The Isles are 8-1-0 in their last nine games and have moved nine games over NHL-.500 for the first time since they ended the 2016-17 season with a 41-29-12 record.

 

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Dominik Kahun (6) Brandon Saad, Duncan Keith 03:05 CHI 1,NYI 0

Mathew Barzal (11) Anthony Beauvillier, Johnny Boychuk 06:47 CHI 1,NYI 1

2nd Period

Mathew Barzal (12) Nick Leddy, Anders Lee 18:56 CHI 1,NYI 2 PPG

3rd Period

Patrick Kane (23) Erik Gustafsson, Jonathan Toews 05:01 CHI 2,NYI 2 PPG

OT

Devon Toews (1) Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson 01:48 CHI 2,NYI 3

The Skinny    

The Isles have won five straight games for the second time this season; it's only the 2nd time in the last 11 seasons that they have had multiple win streaks of at least five games…Mathew Barzal now has eight goals in the last six games; he drew both Isles power plays (19 on the season) and finished with a career-high 8 shots on goal… Devon Toews' game-winner came in his 5th NHL game; the rookie defenseman had six shots on goal after having only seven in his first four games…The Isles now are four points ahead of last season's pace through 39 games; including shootout winners they have scored 19 fewer goals and allowed 35 fewer goals than last year's first 39 games… The Isles are a season-high nine games over NHL-.500 (22-13-4)… The win keeps the Isles in 9th place in the conference; while they are in 4th place in the Metro they are just one point behind Columbus, two points behind Pittsburgh and three points behind Washington... The Isles had 50 shots on goal; it's their most shots in a game since April 11, 2015 (52 vs. Columbus in the final game of Coliseum Era I)…All 18 Islander skaters had at least one shot on goal…Patrick Kane is one of two American-born players (Keith Tkachuk) with twelve seasons of at least 20 goals…Jonathan Toews assisted on the tying goal to extend his assist streak to five games and set the stage for Devon Toews (no relation) first NHL goal…During the Isles' current 9-game stretch (6-1-2), they have allowed only 16 goals, including only 10 at even-strength.

Howie's Stat

Devon Toews is the 372nd player in Islander history to score a goal.

First Times in a Ridiculously Long Time

Devon Toews is the first Islander to score his first NHL goal in overtime at the Coliseum since Radek Martinek in 2001; Thomas Hickey is the only other Islander to score his first NHL goal in overtime.  Of the 18 players to do so in the modern era, three are Islanders.

The Isles had 50 shots, following the 48-shot effort vs. Detroit on December 15th. It's the first time since February 24-25, 1990 that the Isles have had at least 48 shots in consecutive Coliseum games.  It's also the first time that they have had at least 48 shots twice in a 3-game span of home games since February 26- March 2, 2008.

The Isles outshot Chicago 50-21. It's the first time since October 25, 2008 (+32) that the Isles have outshot the opposition by at least 29 shots.

This is the 13th time in club history that the Isles have had at least 50 shots on goal at home. The Isles are 5-7-1 in those 13 games; the Isles had gone 0-6-1 in the previous seven since defeating Pittsburgh 9-0 on October 14, 1982 – the day they raised the third Cup banner.

Josh Bailey won all 11 face-offs he took. He is the first Islander to do so since Zenon Konopka also went 11-11 on January 6, 2009 in Edmonton.

A Short List

Face-off stats have been an official 'real-time" stat since 1997-98.  Josh Bailey is the 4th Islander to win at least 11 draws without a loss:

• Dave Scatchard 19-0 1/21/2000 vs. New Jersey

• Frans Nielsen 12-0 11/6/2010 vs. Philadelphia

• Josh Bailey 11-0 tonight

• Zenon Konopka 11-0 1/6/2009 vs Edmonton 

Streaking Lehner

Robin Lehner has won six consecutive decisions in a single season for the first time in his career (he closed the 2013-14 season with four straight wins and won the first two games the following season for a 6-game multi-season streak). Lehner has allowed only 10 goals in his last nine games (6-1-2, 1.15 GAA, .959 save percentage).  

Most Points Thru 38 Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 53: 2014-15

• 48: 2018-19

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)

1. ISLES 104

        Nashville 104

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 101

2. Nashville 103

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 84

2. Anthony Beauvillier 41

Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points

2. Mathew Barzal 89 assists, 123 points

Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

USA Hockey

Anders Lee has 138 career goals, leaving him one goal behind Kyle Okposo.  Okposo is 2nd on the Islander goal-scoring list among American-born players, trailing only Pat LaFontaine (287).

Coach Trotz

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 784-581-60-138 in 1563 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    833 

4. Barry Trotz   784

5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2141

2. Joel Quenneville 1636

3. Al Arbour   1607

4. Barry Trotz   1563

5. Ken Hitchcock   1556

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season

This Season: 22-13-4 (48 points), with 117 goals scored and 104 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 20-15-4 (44 points), with 136 goals scored and 139 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 12-5-4 when scoring first and are 10-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    14-16-18-2=50

Chicago 3-13-3-2=21

The Isles are 5-8-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 17-4-3 when they are outshot. 

Home and Road

The Islanders are 22-13-4 overall; 10-5-3 at home (3-0-1 on Long Island and 7-5-2 in Brooklyn) and 12-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.

Chicago is 15-21-7 overall; 8-9-4 at home and 7-12-3 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-3-1 in Division games and 12-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 15-5-4 against the East and 7-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 19 saves; he improved to 10-6-3 on the season and 1-2-1 in his career against Chicago.   

Collin Delia made 47 saves ; he is 3-0-1 on the season and 0-0-1 in his career against the Isles. 

 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-2 on the power play in 2:21 of PP time; Chicago was 1-2 on the power play in 2:38 of PP time. 

The Isles are 15-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-12-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 9-9-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 12-4-1 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 20-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-12-3 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 8-2-4 in games decided by a single goal including 3-2 in regulation. They are 3-1 in games decided in overtime and are 2-3 in shootouts.  The Isles are 3-4 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs 

The Isles are 4-1-0 in the front half and 5-0-0 in the back half.   The next back-to-back is January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay.

 

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 2-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 14-13-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:50); Chicago: Erik Gustafsson (23:56)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:41 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (12-6-3), Nick Leddy (6-6-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 38,Chicago 20 (66%).  

Josh Bailey won 11 of 11 for the Isles; David Kampf won 7 of 11  for Chicago. 

Face-offs by period: 1st period  15/19; 2nd period 13/20; 3rd period 10/17; Overtime 0/2

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 33/52, Power play 3/3, Penalty kill 2/3.

Hit Count

Isles 24 (Matt Martin -6)  

Chicago 14 (John Hayden -5)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –11 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee, Matt Martin).  

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 14 shots (Five with 2) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 72, Chicago 46

5-on-5 Isles 65, Chicago 38

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Mathew Barzal +19

Chicago: Jonathan Toews +6

 

Night and Day

The Isles are 19-12-4 in night games and 3-1-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 12th vs. the Rangers. 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 157, Brock Nelson 134, Mathew Barzal 121

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR), (Jordan Eberle-IR), (Valtteri Filppula- INJ), Ross Johnston,  Luca Sbisa, 

Total games lost: 77

Late Heroes

The Isles have not yet scored in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead.

Late Goals Allowed

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

10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.

11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)

11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.

12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges

12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

Comeback Kids

The Isles are 4-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8) and OTT (12.28); all four wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 8-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 

5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 754

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 18.  Anders Lee 138 ***19. Josh Bailey 132…

24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 112

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…

12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Josh Bailey 276

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 408

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 142

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 74

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and 2 points to 0).  The Isles will visit Chicago on January 22 in the final game before the All-Star Break. 

While the Blackhawks are unbeaten at Barclays (Isles 0-2-1 in three games), the Isles are 5-0-1 in the last six games vs. Chicago at the Coliseum.  The Isles have won two of three overall from Chicago, with both wins punctuated by big moments for rookie defensemen (Pulock had a 5-point game last January). 

On the Farm 

The Sound Tigers opened 2019 with a 5-4 shootout loss in Rochester.  Tanner Fritz and Matt Gaudreau each had a goal and an assist while Jeremy Smith, the December AHL Goalie of the Month, made 25 saves. Bridgeport is 21-9-4-2 on the season and  has earned points in 22 of their last 26 games (17-4-3-2). The Sound Tigers next play on Friday in Syracuse and on Saturday in Binghamton.

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Sebastian Aho 21; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 11-5-2 (2.68 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-4-4 (3.06 GAA)

Up Next

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5th –  ISLANDERS AT ST. LOUIS 8:00PM

 [MSG+(Pre-game at 7:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com] 

Go West, Young Men.

The Isles head to St. Louis for a one-game Western Conference road trip as they face the Blues for the first time this season.  It's the first time since October 24, 2015 that the Isles will have a one-game road trip to face a Western Conference opponent; that trip was also to St. Louis.

The Isles took three points from St. Louis in a pair of early-season games last season; the Blues won in Brooklyn in a shootout and the Isles won 5-2 in the Midwest 

The Isles are 4-1-1 in the last six against the Blues; Thomas Greiss has been in the nets for all four wins. 

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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

It Happened at the Coliseum ... on JANUARY 3rd

Happy 2019!

With the Isles returning to the Coliseum, I'm looking back at special games that occurred on this date in Coliseum history.

Click here for today's edition, starring Mark Parrish.

http://www.nyiskinny.com/2015/01/it-happened-at-coliseum-on-january-3rd.html

The Skinny: Isles 3, Buffalo 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 38

Isles 3, Buffalo 1

Robin Lehner made 39 saves for his fifth straight win and Brock Nelson scored the winning goal as the Isles closed out 2018 with a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres before a sellout crowd of 19,070 at Keybank Center.

Lehner extended his shutout streak to 177:43 before Kyle Okposo's power play goal ended the streak. It was the first goal allowed by the Isles in 144:03.

Barry Trotz recorded his 783rd coaching victory, passing Isles legend Al Arbour for 4th place on the All-time NHL list.

Isles are 7-1-0 in their last eight games; since the 6:11 mark of the second period on Friday they have outscored the opposition by a 12-1 score.
   

The Scoring:  

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Nick Leddy (2) Mathew Barzal, Leo Komarov 02:59 NYI 1,BUF 0

Leo Komarov (5)Nick Leddy, Mathew Barzal 02:59 NYI 1,BUF 0

3rd Period

Brock Nelson (13) Joshua Ho-Sang, Scott Mayfield 01:45 NYI 2,BUF 0

Kyle Okposo (6) Nathan Beaulieu, Casey Mittelstadt 10:14 NYI 2,BUF 1 PPG

Ryan Pulock (3)EN Robin Lehner 19:28 NYI 3,BUF 1

The Skinny    

A post-game scoring change gave Leo Komarov credit for the Isles' first goal...Brock Nelson scored his 13th goal of the season; he didn't reach that mark until February 9th last season.  It was his third goal in the last seven games.… Josh Bailey played his 753rd game as an Islander passing Mike Bossy for 6th place on the all-time Isles list…The Isles now are two points ahead of last season's pace through 38 games; including shootout winners they have scored 21 fewer goals and allowed 31 fewer goals than last year's first 37 games… The Isles are a season-high eight games over NHL-.500 (22-13-4); they were last eight over .500 when they were 16-8-2 after a win on December 4, 2017 … The Isles finish December with a 9-4-1 mark; it's the first time since 2015-16 that they have opened the season with three winning months and the first time since 2003-04 that that have won at least nine December games… The Isles have earned 25 points in 21 road games this season; it's only the third time in the post-Cup era that they have had 25 points in the first 21 on the road. They had only 24 points through 26 road games last season… Vladimir Sobotka played in his 500th NHL game…Robin Lehner was credited with an assist of Ryan Pulock's 183-foot empty-netter…Leo Komarov has points in three of his last four games…Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to five games (6-3-9)… Kyle Okposo's power play goal was his first goal in 22 games…By outscoring Buffalo 2-1 in the third, the Isles have now outscored the opposition in all three periods (and in overtime) on the season.…The win moves the Isles into the second wild card spot, ahead of the Boston Bruins; the Bruins have the same number of points but have played one more game.

The Injuries

Valtteri Filppula and Jack Eichel left the game in the first period; they did not return.

First Times in a Ridiculously Long Time

The Nick Leddy goal was the 10th scored by the Isles since the opposition last scored. It's the first time since April 1998 that the Isles have scored ten straight goals.

Brock Nelson then made it 11 straight goals with the eventual game-winner. It was the first time since March 1988 that the Isles had scored at least 11 straight goals.  (They scored 13 in that stretch, including two by Denis Potvin.)

It's Just Another New Year's Eve

The Isles are 11-1-1 in their last 13 New Year's Eve games.

Calendar Year 2018 Leaders

4 players played all 81 games the Isles played in 2018  -- Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock.

• Goals:  Anders Lee 30, Anthony Beauvillier 28, Brock Nelson 23

• Assists: Barzal 66, Josh Bailey 37, Pulock 32

• Points: Barzal 85, Bailey 51,Lee 50

• +/-: Hickey 21, Nelson 16, Komarov 12 (just with NYI)

• PIM: Johnston 83, Clutterbuck 65, Lee 53

• GWG: Jordan Eberle 5, Beauvillier 4, Barzal 4, Nelson 4

• Shots: Pulock 215, Lee 211, Eberle 173

One Year, Two Teams

Jan-Apr     Oct-Dec

15-22-6     21-13-4

GF 2.95         2.95    [This is correct- scoring exactly the same]

GA 3.60         2.61    [...but allowing nearly a goal less a game]

Shots For  31.4   28.3     [Taking 3.1 fewer shots]

Shots Vs  37.6   31.4     [but allowing 6.2 fewer shots]

PP 25.4% 15.8%  [PP not as successful]

PK 72.4% 77.5%  [...but PK is improved]

Most Wins in December

• 1978 10-1-3

• 2003 10-4-1

• 1983 10-3-1

• 1975 9-2-1

• 1977 9-3-1

• 1989 9-3-1

• 2018 9-4-1

Most Wins by New Year's

• 1983 26-11-2

• 2014 25-11-1

• 1980 24-7-8

• 1978 24-4-7

• 1976 22-8-5

• 2015 21-12-5

• 1981 21-11-5

• 2018 21-13-4 

Streaking Lehner

Robin Lehner has won five consecutive decisions for the first time as an Islander and the first time since he closed the 2013-14 season with four straight wins (and won the first two games the following season for a 6-game multi-season streak. Lehner has allowed only eight goals in his last eight games (5-1-2, 1.04 GAA, .964 save percentage).  In seven December appearances, Lehner's GAA is 1.06, which is the best in the NHL among goalies who have appeared in more than two games.

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Here's where they are this season:

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)

1. ISLES 102

2. Boston 103

3. Nashville 104

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 99

2. Nashville 103

3. Boston 103

Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 84

2. Anthony Beauvillier 41

Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.

Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:

1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points

2. Mathew Barzal 89 assists, 121 points

Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.

USA Hockey

Anders Lee has 138 career goals, leaving him one goal behind Kyle Okposo.  Okposo is 2nd on the Islander goal-scoring list among American-born players, trailing only Pat LaFontaine (287).

Passing Al

Barry Trotz recorded his 783rd career win, breaking a tie with Al Arbour for 4th place on the all-time list.

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 783-581-60-138 in 1562 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    832 

4. Barry Trotz   783

5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2141

2. Joel Quenneville 1636

3. Al Arbour   1607

4. Barry Trotz   1562

5. Ken Hitchcock   1555

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.

This Season vs. Last Season

This Season: 21-13-4 (46 points), with 114 goals scored and 102 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 20-14-4 (44 points), with 135 goals scored and 133 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 12-5-4 when scoring first and are 9-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    15-15-3=33

Buffalo 12-15-13=40

The Isles are 4-8-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 17-4-3 when they are outshot. 

Home and Road

The Islanders are 21-13-4 overall; 9-5-3 at home (2-0-1 on Long Island and 7-5-2 in Brooklyn) and 12-8-1 on the road.  The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.

Buffalo is 21-13-6 overall; 12-5-3 at home and 9-8-3 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-3-1 in Division games and 11-10-3 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 15-5-4 against the East and 6-8-0 against the West.  

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 39 saves; he improved to 9-6-3 on the season and 5-4-0 in his career against Buffalo.   

Carter Hutton made 30 saves but falls to 13-12-3 on the season and 1-1-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-2 on the power play in 3:42 of PP time; Buffalo was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time. 

The Isles are 14-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-12-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 8-9-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 12-4-1 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-12-3 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

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

Back-to-Backs 

The Isles are 4-1-0 in the front half and 5-0-0 in the back half.   The next back-to-back is January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay.

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 2-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 13-13-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:22); Buffalo: Rasmus Ristolainen (25:06)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:58 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (11-6-3), Nick Leddy (6-6-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 26,Buffalo 31 (47%).  

Josh Bailey won 6 of 10 for the Isles; Jeff Skinner won 4 of 5  for Buffalo. 

Face-offs by period: 1st period  10/16; 2nd period 11/20; 3rd period 5/21x

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 22/46, Power play 3/5, Penalty kill 1/6.

Hit Count

Isles 12 (Matt Martin & Cal Clutterbuck -3)  

Buffalo 10 (Rasmus Ristolainen-5)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –11 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee, Matt Martin).  

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots (Adam Pelech – 6) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 56, Buffalo 65

5-on-5 Isles 40, Buffalo 53

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Nick Leddy +3

Buffalo: Rasmus Ristolainen +17

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 18-12-4 in night games and 3-1-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 12th vs. the Rangers. 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 156, Brock Nelson 133, Mathew Barzal 120

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR), (Jordan Eberle-IR), (Cal Clutterbuck-INJ),  Luca Sbisa, Tom Kuhnhackl

Total games lost: 73

Late Heroes

The Isles have not yet scored in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead.

Late Goals Allowed

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

10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.

11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)

11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.

12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.

Offside Challenges

12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.

Comeback Kids

The Isles are 4-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8) and OTT (12.28); all four wins have been in regulation.

The Isles are 8-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 *** 

5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Josh Bailey 753

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 18.  Anders Lee 138 ***19. Josh Bailey 132…

24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 112

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…

12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Josh Bailey 275

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 407

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 142

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 74

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and 2 points to 0).  The Isles will return to Buffalo on February 12th and welcome the Sabres to Nassau Coliseum on March 30.

This was the 6th time that the Isles have provided the opposition for the traditional "Pucks and Tux" game in Buffalo; the Isles have won the last five (5-1-0 overall). 

On the Farm 

The Sound Tigers closed out 2018 with three straight wins and are 21-9-4-1 on the season.  Bridgeport, who has not lost in regulation on home ice since its opener,  has earned points in 21 of their last 25 games (17-4-3-1). The Sound Tigers next play on Wednesday in Rochester. 

Leaders:  Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Sebastian Aho/Joshua Ho-Sang 20; Points: Dal Colle 28.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 11-5-1 (2.67 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-4-4 (3.06 GAA)

Up Next

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3rd – CHICAGO AT ISLANDERS AT NASSAU COLISEUM 7:30PM 

[NBCSN (NHL Live pre-game at 6:30pm), WRCN 103.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, Radio.com] 

The Isles open 2019 with a nationally televised game against the Blackhawks at the Coliseum.  It's the fourth of 21 Islander games to be played at the Coliseum this season.

The Isles have won only once of the last seven games from Chicago, a 7-2 win in the Windy City last city that was highlighted by five points from Ryan Pulock. 

Chicago, who was the opponent for the first game at Barclays Center, is one of the few Western Conference teams that has had success in Brooklyn, winning all three games (including the first game in overtime).  The Isles' last home win over the Hawks was on December 13, 2014 in their final visit to the Coliseum.

Brendan Burke and AJ Mleczko will be on the call for NBCSN.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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 Back-to-Backs (and bellies-to-bellies)!

The Isles are off to a great start in back-to-backs this season. The Isles have played five sets of back-to-backs so far, and have gone 9-1-0 in the 10 games.  The loss came in the front-end of the first back-to-back (in Anaheim on October 17).  They have won all five back-ends and have swept the last four back-to-backs.

Sweeping Back-to-Backs

The Isles have swept four back-to-backs for only the 2nd time in franchise history and the 1st time EVER in a single season.

The Stanley Cup Champion Islanders won four straight in 1981:

• Apr 4/5, 1981  (Washington 4-1, @ Buffalo 7-3)
  
• Oct 14/15, 1981 (@ Pittsburgh 4-1, Vancouver 4-1)
  
• Oct 23/24, 1981 (@ Washington 4-2, Washington 6-4)
  
• Nov 10/11, 1981 (@ Winnipeg 5-3, @ Toronto 4-3)
  

[in the midst of this stretch Butch Goring won a Conn Smythe Award]

Back Ends

It has been more than a decade since the Isles won the back-end of (at least) five straight back-to-backs--and they did that over two seasons, winning the last two of the 2007-08 season and the first four of the 2008-09 campaign.

The last time the won the back-end of (at least) five straight back-to-backs in a single season was in 2006-07, when the Isles won the first six back-ends.  Like this season, the Isles had a new Jack Adams Award-winning coach behind their bench: Ted Nolan.

The club record for consecutive back-end wins is 8, and that has been done twice:

• January 22-March 14, 1976
  
• March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
  

Like this season, those teams had a coach who now has 782 career wins behind their bench: Al Arbour.

The next back-to-back is on January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay, with both games in Brooklyn. While the Isles/Rangers game is a 1pm start, Tampa Bay will play at 7pm on January 12th in Buffalo.

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