The Skinny on the Metro Playoff Race

Over 3/4 of the fans who responded to my Twitter poll got what they wanted - a regulation win for somebody, preferably Pittsburgh.

Caps have 89, #Isles

87, Penguins 83. All 3 have played 69 games. Wash at Pitt tonight (NCSBN). So, NYI fans- who are you rooting for?

Caps

21%

Pens

28%

Either, just no OT

50%

551 votes · Final results

Pittsburgh beat Washington 5-3, while Columbus beat Boston 7-4.

With the Penguin win, the Isles remain two points out of first place in the Metro, and now hold a game in hand over the Caps.   The Isles are now two points ahead of Pittsburgh, four points ahead of Carolina and six points ahead of Columbus.  All five Metro teams are currently in playoff position.

The Isles could move back into first place on Thursday with an Isles win and a Capital regulation loss to Philadelphia.  That would give both teams 89 points and the Isles would still hold a game-in-hand.

Metro Playoff Watch

1. Caps 89 points/70 games/37 ROW (Thursday at Philadelphia)

2. Isles 87 points/69 games/36 ROW (Thursday vs. Montreal)

3. Penguins 85 points/70 games/37 ROW (Thursday at Buffalo)

4. Hurricanes 83 points/69 games/37 ROW (Friday at Columbus)

5. Blue Jackets 81 points/70 games/38 ROW (Friday vs. Carolina)

6. Philadelphia 76 points/69 games/32 ROW (Thursday vs. Washington)

Also, in Wild Card Race

Canadiens 81 points/70 games/35 ROW (Thursday at Islanders)

Carey Price became the winningest goalie in Canadiens history on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Detroit.

The Blue Jackets currently hold the second Wild Card, so five Metropolitan Division teams are currently in playoff spots.

Magic Numbers:

The magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains 19, but would fall to 15 with a regulation win over Montreal on Thursday.  The magic number to win the division is now 27.

The Skinny: Isles 2, Columbus 0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 69

Isles 2, Columbus 0

Ryan Pulock's first period goal was all that the Isles needed as Thomas Greiss made 31 saves for his 20th victory and 5th shutout of the season as the Isles blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0 before a crowd of 11,827 at Nassau Coliseum.

Anders Lee added his 24th goal into an empty net as the Isles improved to 3-1-0 in their last four and 5-5-1 in their last 11 games.  Lee's goal was the first for an Islander forward since Casey Cizikas' empty-netter in Ottawa.

The Isles move within two points of idle Washington for the Metro Division lead.  Carolina beat Colorado to move into 3rd place with 83 points; Pittsburgh also has 83.  Columbus remains in the 2nd Wild Card with 79 points (a ROW tiebreaker ahead of Montreal).   

With tonight's results, the Isles' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is reduced to 19; their magic number to win a division for the first time since 1987-88 is now 29.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Ryan Pulock (8) Cal Clutterbuck, Adam Pelech 06:11 CBJ 0,NYI 1

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Anders Lee (24)EN Valtteri Filppula 18:30 CBJ 0,NYI 2 

The Skinny       

The Isles are 26-10-3 in their last 39 games and have matched a season-high 18 games over .500 for the fourth time…Ryan Pulock recorded his career high 33rd point on the opening/winning goal; three of his eight goals this season have been game-winners… The Isles have surpassed last season's win and point total; including shootout winners they have scored 22 fewer goals and allowed 77 fewer goals than last year's first 69 games… The Isles have 46 points at home and 41 points on the road … The Isles did not have a power play goal for the ninth straight game (0-20); their power play falls to 4-47 in games played at the Coliseum… With their goals tonight, the Isles have scored 65 goals in the 1st period, 60 goals in the 2nd period, and 66 goals in the third period… Devon Toews took his first NHL penalty; he is the first player in the Real Time Era to play at least 600 minutes in his first 34 NHL games without committing a penalty… With their 40 wins evenly split between Greiss and Robin Lehner, the Isles join Tampa Bay as teams with multiple 20-game winners this season…The Isles lead the NHL with 28 wins while being outshot… Cam Atkinson hit goal posts in both the 1st and 2nd periods…The Jackets have been shutout three times in the last six games…There were only 36 face-offs, fewest in an Islander game since 4/7/2001, when there were just 34 in a season-ending game in Boston…Anders Lee has six goals in the last 12 games…The Isles have scored 14 empty-net goals, including 12 5-on-6 goals. That ties the 1989-90 squad for the most 5-on-6 goals in the last 31 seasons.

Metro Playoff Watch

1. Caps 89 points/69 games/37 ROW (Tuesday at Pittsburgh)

2. Isles 87 points/69 games/36 ROW (Thursday vs. Montreal)

3. Hurricanes 83 points/69 games/37 ROW (Friday at Columbus)

4. Penguins 83 points/69 games/36 ROW (Tuesday vs. Washington)

5. Blue Jackets 79 points/69 games/37 ROW (Tuesday vs. Boston)

6. Philadelphia 76 points/69 games/32 ROW (Thursday vs. Washington)

Also in Wild Card Race

Canadiens 79 points/69 games/34 ROW (Tuesday vs. Detroit)

The Blue Jackets currently hold the second Wild Card, so five Metropolitan Division teams are currently in playoff spots.

Moving on Up

Thomas Greiss' shutout was his 10th as an Islander, breaking a tie Evgeni Nabokov for 6th place; Anders Lee's empty-netter was his 148th as an Islander, breaking a tie with Pierre Turgeon for 15th place.

Silence the Cannon (even in Uniondale)

Thomas Greiss (and the Islanders) extend the shutout streaks vs. Columbus to 151:27.  It's the first time that the Isles have ever had two shutouts against the Jackets or blanked the Jackets in consecutive games.

Greiss has recorded five shutouts this year; he is only the 8th Islander goalie to have at least five shutouts in a season. Only two have had more:  Chico Resch – 7 in 1975-76 and Jaroslav Halak – 6 in 2014-15.

Strength in the Nets

Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss have each won 20 games.  It's the 1st time in the last 35 years that the Isles have gotten at least 20 wins from two different goalies.  Billy Smith won 23 games and Roland Melanson won 20 in 1983-84.

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.19

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.26

4. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.28

5. Jaroslav Halak 2015-16 2.30

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Season 

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928 

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .927 (.9269)

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .927 (.9268) 

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

For the + Column

Casey Cizikas was +1 today and is now +26 on the season.  In the last 30 seasons, only two Islander forwards have finished +25 or higher.

1. Marty McInnis 1993-94 +31 

2. Benoit Hogue 1991-92 +30

3. Casey Cizikas 2018-19 +26

4. Ray Ferraro 1991-92 +25

5. Ryan Strome 2014-15 +23

        Trent Hunter 2003-04 +23

Most Goals by an Isle With 0 PP goals

• 22- Bob Nystrom (81-82), Butch Goring (83-84), Randy Wood (87-88)

• 21- Garry Howatt (75-76), Brent Sutter (82-83)

• 20- John Tonelli (85-86), Jason Chimera (16-17)

• 19- Steve Tambellini (80-81), Casey Cizikas (18-19)

It's Good to be Home

The Isles are 9-5-2 on Coliseum ice; they are averaging 96.5% of capacity on Long Island (including ten sellouts).  

 

Most Points Thru 69 Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 90: 2014-15

• 87: 2018-19

• 85: 2015-16

Most Points Thru 33 Road Games

• 43: 1976-77

• 41: 2018-19

• 41: 1980-81

• 40: 1981-82

• 39: 1975-76

• 39: 1978-79

• 39: 2014-15

Most Points Thru 36 Home Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 52: 1984-85

• 50: 2015-16

• 48: 1987-88

• 48: 2003-04

• 47: 2014-15

• 46: 2016-17

• 46: 1985-86

• 46: 2018-19

Fewest Goals Allowed Thru 69 Games (Includes SO)

• 162 1975-76

• 165 1976-77  

• 168 2018-19

Road Warriors

The Isles are 10-3-2 in their last 15 road games and 13-4-2 in their last 19 road games.  The 28 points match the most that the Isles have earned in any single-season stretch of 19 road games in their history (done several times).

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Only once in NHL history has a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.   Here's where the Isles are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals) 

The Jennings Trophy is awarded based on goals allowed including shootout goals.

1. ISLES 168

2. Dallas 172 

3. Boston 173

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 163

2. Boston 170 

3. Dallas 172

Coach Trotz

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 802-590-60-141 in 1,593 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    844 

4. Barry Trotz   802

5. Al Arbour           782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville   1,636

3. Al Arbour           1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,593

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,584

Trotz, who will coach his 1,600th game on March 24th, 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: 40-22-7 (87 points), with 200 goals scored and 168 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 30-29-10 (70 points), with 222 goals scored and 245 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles have allowed 77 fewer goals, a decrease of 31.4% as compared to last season.

Last Season (final): 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 25-9-5 when scoring first and are 15-13-2 when allowing the opening goal (which includes a 1-0 shootout loss).  

Highest Percentage of Games Won (Post-Cup Era) Allowing First Goal

• .545 (18-13-2) 2014-15

• .500 (15-13-2) 2018-19

• .410 (14-21-4) 1985-86

The Shots

Isles          8-8-4=20

Columbus 8-12-11=31

The Isles are 12-13-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-2-0 when the shots are even and 28-7-6 when they are outshot. [The 28 wins when outshot are a franchise record; they won 25 in both 1983-84 and 2017-18.]

Home and Road

The Islanders are 40-22-7 overall; 21-11-4 at home (9-5-2 on Long Island and 12-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 19-11-3 on the road.  All their remaining regular season home games are at the Nassau Coliseum.

Columbus is 38-28-3 overall; 18-16-2 at home and 20-12-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 16-8-1 in Division games and 24-14-6 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 25-12-5 against the East and 15-10-2 against the West.  

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 31 saves for his fifth shutout of the season; he improves to 20-11-5 on the season and 8-6-3 in his career against Columbus.   

Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves but falls to 29-22-1 on the season and 15-8-0 against the Islanders.  

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 3:49 of PP time; Columbus was 0-1 on the power play in 1:49 of PP time.

The Isles are 22-2-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 18-20-5 when they do not.  The Isles are 13-13-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 27-9-2 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 33-2-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 7-20-5 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 15-4-7 in games decided by a single goal including 6-4 in regulation. They are 5-2 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts.  The Isles are 6-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Tired vs. Rested 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 6-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 5-1-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 25-21-5 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (24:56); Columbus: Seth Jones (27:10)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 17:42 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (19-11-5), Nick Leddy (14-9-2), Scott Mayfield (6-1-0), Johnny Boychuk (0-1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 24, Columbus 12 (67%).  

Brock Nelson won 10 of 14 for the Isles; no Blue Jacket won more than half of their draws.  

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/12; 2nd period 6/12; 3rd period 8/12.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 21/32, Power play 2/2, Penalty kill 1/2.

Hit Count

Isles 27 (Leo Komarov -6)  

Columbus 37 (Seth Jones -5)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –14 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Anders Lee- 2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Jordan Eberle).  

 

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots (Scott Mayfield-4) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 33, Columbus 62

5-on-5 Isles 30, Columbus 53

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Thomas Hickey +1

Columbus: Cam Atkinson & John Anderson +12

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 7-3-1 in the front half and 9-1-1 in the back half. The next back-to-back is March 16-17 in Detroit and Minnesota and the final back-to-back of the season is the following week (March 23-24) in Columbus and vs. Arizona. 

The Isles won the first nine back-ends of back-to-backs this season, establishing a new club record for consecutive wins in back ends, but are 0-1-1 in the last two back-ends. 

Night and Day

The Isles are 34-19-7 in night games and 6-3-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on March 16th in Detroit. The final two matinees are the following weekend (March 23rd in Philly and March 24th vs. Arizona (at the Coliseum). 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 187, Brock Nelson 164, Mathew Barzal 151.  Four other Isles: Nick Leddy, Ryan Pulock, Josh Bailey and Leo Komarov have appeared in every game this season.

Scratches

(Robin Lehner -INJ), (Johnny Boychuk -INJ), Tom Kuhnhackl, Michael Dal Colle, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston

Total games lost: 133

Comeback Kings

The Isles are 6-5-1 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8), OTT (12/28), STL (1/5) and COL (2/9 - OT), while earning a point vs. EDM (2/21 – OTL).

The Isles are 15-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:

1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

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.

1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

2/5 vs BOS Bruins – Isles goal overturned after successful Bruin challenge.

2/28 vs TOR Maple Leafs – Maple Leaf 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 784

Goals

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

14. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 15. Anders Lee 148 …

17. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 138…

21. Duane Sutter 121 *** 22. Brock Nelson 120

Assists

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

9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Bob Bourne 304 *** 11.  Josh Bailey 289 …

25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski and Nick Leddy 150

Points

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

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 427…

23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. Anders Lee 251

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 156

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Thomas Greiss 82

Shutouts (Goalie)

1. Glenn Resch 25 ***2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 16 *** 4. Tommy Salo 14***

5. Jaroslav Halak 12 *** 6.  Thomas Greiss 10

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series three games to none (and 6 points to 0). The Isles will look for a clean sweep of the season series in Columbus on March 26th.

The Isles are 11-1-4 in their last 16 home games against Columbus.

On the Farm  

The Sound Tigers earned a split of their two-game weekend trip with a 3-2 shootout win in Toronto on Sunday.  Bridgeport, who has won eight of their last nine games, is 12-2-1-0 in their last 15 games (including three OT wins and three shootout wins) and  36-19-5-2 on the season.  

The Sound Tigers are off until Friday, when they conclude their 5-game road trip in Hershey.  Bridgeport will begin an eight-game homestand on Sunday against Springfield.

Leaders:  Goals: Steve Bernier 20; Assists: Chris Bourque 33; Points: Chris Bourque 46; +/-: Otto Koivula +15.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 18-10-3 (2.91 GAA); Christopher Gibson 18-9-4 (2.89 GAA)

Up Next

THURSDAY, MARCH 14th  – MONTREAL AT ISLANDERS AT NASSSAU COLISEUM 7:00PM 

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

The Isles conclude the homestand as they entertain the Montreal Canadiens; it will be the first meeting of the teams since the Habs rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 shootout win back on November 5th.

The Isles are only 4-11-2 in their last 17 games against Les Canadiens, including 1-6-2 in their last nine home games.

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

It Happened at the Coliseum ... on March 11th

You could make the argument that today's It Happened at the Coliseum was the game that kick-started a Dynasty.

There's no argument that Butch Goring, who had played the previous night in Montreal as a member of the Kings, made his debut with the Islanders on this date in 1980.

And the rest is HISTORY.

(A side note - I spent a minute or two Saturday night with Dave Lewis, who went the other way (with Billy Harris) in this deal.  He would eventually get his name on the Stanley Cup three times as an assistant coach with Detroit.)

Here's how I described it four years ago, as It Happened at the Coliseum.

It Happened at the Coliseum … on MARCH 11th

35 years ago tonight (1980) – The “final piece” of what would become the Islanders’ Stanley Cup puzzle made his Isles debut as newly-acquired Robert “Butch” Goring skated in his first game for the team that had acquired him just hours ago.  The Isles defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-1 behind goals by Anders Kallur, Bob Lorimer, Mike Bossy (his 48^th) and Bob Bourne.

From the Isles website:
http://video.islanders.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=35457

But it was the addition of Goring that was the big story. “I think he’s a real quality centerman”, Chico Resch told Newsday’s Jim Smith.  “He gives us depth,…handles the puck well in traffic and in pressure situations.”

Goring left Los Angeles as the Kings’ all-time record holder in goals (265), assists (385) and points (660).  “I’m happy to come to a good team like the Islanders” he said.  “Certainly winning the Stanley Cup before my career’s over was my chief goal.  But in LA, it didn’t look that was going to happen in the near future.  I made it pretty plain that if they trade me, I wanted to go to a winner.”    In the next four years, he accomplished his chief goal four times. 

The arrival of Goring sparked the Isles (31-28-9 when he arrived) to an 8-0-4 finish to the regular season.

Also on this date: (1986) – Mike Bossy scored two goals against Rejean Lemelin and then scored two goals against Mike Vernon as the Isles pounded Calgary 8-4.  Bossy’s third goal was the magical 50^thgoal.  It was the ninth (and final) time that he did so; Wayne Gretzky is the only other NHL player to record nine 50-goal seasons, but only Bossy did in it consecutive seasons.

It was the final 4-goal game of Bossy’s career.

All-time, the Isles have played nine March 11th games at the Coliseum and finish with a 5-3-1 record on this date at 1255 Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale. 

The Skinny on the Metro Playoff Race

It was not a good day for the Isles to be off, as both Washington and Pittsburgh beat tough opponents.

Washington beat Winnipeg 3-1 in DC; Pittsburgh handed the Bruins their first regulation loss since the All-Star Break (ending the Bruins' 6-game win streak and 19-game point streak(15-0-4),  4-2.  Both wins were cemented with empty net goals.

The Isles' magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains 21.

Metro Playoff Watch

1. Caps 89 points/69 games/37 ROW (Tuesday at Pittsburgh)

2. Isles 85 points/68 games/35 ROW (Monday vs. Columbus)

3. Penguins 83 points/69 games/36 ROW (Tuesday vs. Washington)
4. Hurricanes 81 points/67 games/36 ROW (Monday at Colorado)

5. Blue Jackets 79 points/68 games/37 ROW (Monday at Isles)

The Blue Jackets currently hold the second Wild Card, so five Metropolitan Division teams are currently in playoff spots.

The Skinny; Philadelphia 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 67

Philadelphia 5, Isles 2

The Flyers scored four goals in five shots starting late in the first period as they spoiled Bill Torrey Appreciation Night with a 5-2 win over the Isles before a sell-out crowd of 13,917 at Nassau Coliseum.

Both Islander goals came from defensemen (Scott Mayfield early and Nick Leddy late) as the Isles dropped to 4-5-1 in their last ten games.

The Isles remain two points behind idle Washington for the Metro Division lead.  Pittsburgh lost to Columbus while Carolina beat Nashville.  Carolina moves into 3rd place with 81 points; Pittsburgh also has 81.  Columbus moves into 2nd Wild Card with 79.   

With tonight's results, the Isles' magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains 21; their magic number to win a division for the first time since 1987-88 is still 31.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Scott Mayfield (4) Nick Leddy, Mathew Barzal 06:30 PHI 0,NYI 1

Ryan Hartman (11) Ivan Provorov, Shayne Gostisbehere 15:20 PHI 1,NYI 1

James van Riemsdyk (20) Jakub Voracek, Travis Sanheim 19:56 PHI 2,NYI 1

2nd Period

Sean Couturier (28) Jakub Voracek, Travis Sanheim 01:34 PHI 3,NYI 1

Nolan Patrick (13) Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk 05:35 PHI 4,NYI 1

Travis Konecny (22) Shayne Gostisbehere, Scott Laughton 17:26 PHI 5,NYI 1

3rd Period

Nick Leddy (3) Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock 16:28 PHI 5,NYI 2 

The Skinny       

The Isles are 25-10-3 in their last 38 games but are 0-3 with a chance to go 19 games over NHL-.500 for the first time since April 2015.… Nick Leddy had a goal and an assist, extending his assist streak to three games; it was his 150th assist as an Isle… Mathew Barzal recorded his 100th and 101st career assists; it is the first time he has had points in consecutive games since mid-January…The Isles have surpassed last season's win and point total; including shootout winners they have scored 19 fewer goals and allowed 75 fewer goals than last year's first 68 games… The Isles have 44 points at home and 41 points on the road … The Isles did not have a power play goal for the eighth straight game (0-18); their power play falls to 4-45 in games played at the Coliseum… With their goals tonight, the Isles have scored 64 goals in the 1st period, 60 goals in the 2nd period, and 65 goals in the third period… The Flyers got goals from five different players; 11 players had points… Both Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov went +4…Claude Giroux extended his assist streak to seven games; it was his 750th NHL point…After changing goalies only four times in the first 64 games, the Isles have used two goalies in three of the last four games…The Isles are 8-8-1 in their last 17 games against Metro opponents after winning their first seven games against divisional foes.

The Injury

Johnny Boychuk left the game in the third period; Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek was assessed a major penalty for interference on the play.

Metro Playoff Watch

1. Caps 87 points/68 games/36 ROW (Sunday vs. Winnipeg)

2. Isles 85 points/68 games/35 ROW (Monday vs. Columbus)

3. Hurricanes 81 points/67 games/36 ROW (Monday at Colorado)

4. Penguins 81 points/68 games/35 ROW (Sunday vs. Boston)

5. Blue Jackets 79 points/68 games/37 ROW (Monday at Isles)

The Blue Jackets currently hold the second Wild Card, so five Metropolitan Division teams are currently in playoff spots.

Strength in the Nets

Robin Lehner has won 20 games and Thomas Greiss 19.  It's the 1st time in the last 33 years that the Isles have gotten at least 19 wins from two different goalies.  Billy Smith won 20 games and Kelly Hrudey won 19 in 1985-86.

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.19

3. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.28

4. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.30

        Jaroslav Halak 2015-16 2.30

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Season 

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928 

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .927

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .925 

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

For the + Column

Casey Cizikas was -1 today and is now +25 on the season.  In the last 30 seasons, only three Islander forwards have finished +25 or higher.

1. Marty McInnis 1993-94 +31 

2. Benoit Hogue 1991-92 +30

3. Casey Cizikas 2018-19 +26

4. Ray Ferraro 1991-92 +25

5. Ryan Strome 2014-15 +23

        Trent Hunter 2003-04 +23

Most Goals by an Isle With 0 PP goals

• 22- Bob Nystrom (81-82), Butch Goring (83-84), Randy Wood (87-88)

• 21- Garry Howatt (75-76), Brent Sutter (82-83)

• 20- John Tonelli (85-86), Jason Chimera (16-17)

• 19- Steve Tambellini (80-81), Casey Cizikas (18-19)

It's Good to be Home

The Isles are 8-5-2 on Coliseum ice; they are averaging 97.3% of capacity on Long Island (including ten sellouts).  

 

Most Points Thru 68 Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 90: 2014-15

• 85: 2018-19

• 85: 2015-16

Most Points Thru 33 Road Games

• 43: 1976-77

• 41: 2018-19

• 41: 1980-81

• 40: 1981-82

• 39: 1975-76

• 39: 1978-79

• 39: 2014-15

Most Points Thru 35 Home Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 48: 1984-85

• 48: 1987-88

• 46: 2003-04

• 46: 2014-15

• 46: 2016-17

• 46: 2015-16

• 44: 1985-86

• 44: 2018-19

Fewest Goals Allowed Thru 68 Games (Includes SO)

• 160 1975-76

• 163 1976-77  

• 168 2018-19

Road Warriors

The Isles are 10-3-2 in their last 15 road games and 13-4-2 in their last 19 road games.  The 28 points match the most that the Isles have earned in any single-season stretch of 19 road games in their history (done several times).

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Only once in NHL history has a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.   Here's where the Isles are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals) 

The Jennings Trophy is awarded based on goals allowed including shootout goals.

1. ISLES 168

2. Boston 169

3. Dallas 172 

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 163

2. Boston 166 

3. Dallas 172

Coach Trotz

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 801-589-60-141 in 1,592 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    843 

4. Barry Trotz   801

5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,592

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,583

Trotz, who will coach his 1,600th game on March 24th, 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: 39-22-7 (85 points), with 198 goals scored and 168 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 29-29-10 (68 points), with 217 goals scored and 243 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles have allowed 75 fewer goals, a decrease of 30.9% as compared to last season.

Last Season (final): 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 24-9-5 when scoring first and are 15-13-2 when allowing the opening goal (which includes a 1-0 shootout loss).  

Highest Percentage of Games Won (Post-Cup Era) Allowing First Goal

• .545 (18-13-2) 2014-15

• .500 (15-13-2) 2018-19

• .410 (14-21-4) 1985-86

The Shots

Isles      6-13-8=27

Philadelphia 10-5-10=25

The Isles are 12-13-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-2-0 when the shots are even and 27-7-6 when they are outshot. [The 27 wins when outshot are a franchise record; they won 25 in both 1983-84 and 2017-18.]

Home and Road

The Islanders are 39-22-7 overall; 20-11-4 at home (8-5-2 on Long Island and 12-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 19-11-3 on the road.  All their remaining regular season home games are at the Nassau Coliseum.

Philadelphia is 33-27-8 overall; 17-13-4 at home and 16-14-4 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 15-8-1 in Division games and 24-14-6 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 24-12-5 against the East and 15-10-2 against the West.  

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 10 saves over the first two periods; he falls to 19-11-2 on the season and 6-4-20 in his career against Philadelphia.  Christopher Gibson made 10 saves in the third period in his 2nd NHL appearance of the season.

Brian Elliott made 25 saves to improve to 10-8-1 on the season and 8-1-6 against the Islanders.  

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 5:26 of PP time, including a 1:34 5-on-3; Philadelphia was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time.

The Isles are 22-2-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 17-20-5 when they do not.  The Isles are 13-13-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 26-9-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 33-2-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-20-5 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 15-4-7 in games decided by a single goal including 6-4 in regulation. They are 5-2 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts.  The Isles are 5-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Tired vs. Rested 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 6-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 5-1-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 24-21-5 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (25:11); Philadelphia: Ivan Provorov (25:33)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with a season-high 17:59 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (18-11-5), Nick Leddy (14-9-2), Scott Mayfield (6-1-0), Johnny Boychuk (0-1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 26, Philadelphia 23 (53%).  

Anthony Beauvillier won 4 of 4 for the Isles; Sean Couturier won 8 of 11 for Philadelphia.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/17; 2nd period 9/17; 3rd period 7/15.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 22/40, Power play 3/5, Penalty kill 1/4.

Hit Count

Isles 26 (Four with 3)  

Philadelphia 18 (Radko Gudas and Travis Sanheim - 4)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –14 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Anders Lee- 2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Jordan Eberle).  

 

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 14 shots (Ryan Pulock with 3) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 59, Philadelphia 47

5-on-5 Isles 45, Philadelphia 38

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Nick Leddy +13

Philadelphia: Oskar Lindblom +5

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 7-3-1 in the front half and 9-1-1 in the back half. The next back-to-back is March 16-17 in Detroit and Minnesota and the final back-to-back of the season is the following week (March 23-24) in Philadelphia and vs. Arizona. 

The Isles won the first nine back-ends of back-to-backs this season, establishing a new club record for consecutive wins in back ends, but are 0-1-1 in the last two back-ends. 

Night and Day

The Isles are 33-19-7 in night games and 6-3-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on March 16th in Detroit. The final two matinees are the following weekend (March 23rd in Philly and March 24th vs. Arizona (at the Coliseum). 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 186, Brock Nelson 163, Mathew Barzal 150.  Four other Isles: Nick Leddy, Ryan Pulock, Josh Bailey and Leo Komarov have appeared in every game this season.

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Robin Lehner -INJ), Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg Ross Johnston

Total games lost: 131

Comeback Kings

The Isles are 6-5-1 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8), OTT (12/28), STL (1/5) and COL (2/9 - OT), while earning a point vs. EDM (2/21 – OTL).

The Isles are 14-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:

1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

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.

1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

2/5 vs BOS Bruins – Isles goal overturned after successful Bruin challenge.

2/28 vs TOR Maple Leafs – Maple Leaf 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 783

Goals

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

14. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 15. Pierre Turgeon and Anders Lee 147 *** 17. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 138…

21. Duane Sutter 121 *** 22. Brock Nelson 120

Assists

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

9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Bob Bourne 304 *** 11.  Josh Bailey 289 …

25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski and Nick Leddy 150

Points

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

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 427…

23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. Anders Lee 250

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 155

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Thomas Greiss 81

Shutouts (Goalie)

1. Glenn Resch 25 ***2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 16 *** 4. Tommy Salo 14***

5. Jaroslav Halak 12 *** 6.  Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss 9

Season Series Stats

Philadelphia leads the season series two games to one (and 4 points to 2). The final meeting will be in Philadelphia on March 23rd.

The road team has won all three meetings this season.

On the Farm  

The Sound Tigers had their seven-game win streak ended on Friday with a 5-0 loss in Rochester. Bridgeport is 11-2-1-0 in their last 14 games (including three OT wins and two shootout wins) and  35-19-5-2 on the season.  

The Sound Tigers will play on Sunday afternoon at 4pm in Toronto.  That game will be televised by NHL Network.

Leaders:  Goals: Steve Bernier 20; Assists: Chris Bourque 33; Points: Chris Bourque 46; +/-: Otto Koivula +16.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 17-10-3 (2.95 GAA); Christopher Gibson 18-9-4 (2.89 GAA)

Up Next

MONDAY, MARCH 11th  – COLUMBUS AT ISLANDERS AT NASSSAU COLISEUM 7:00PM 

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

The homestand continues as the Isles host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus moved back into a playoff spot with their win on Saturday over Pittsburgh and will beginning a difficult week of their own, including two games against Boston.

The Isles lead the season series 2 games to 0, rallying to win the Coliseum re-opener in December, and blanking the Jackets on Valentine's Day.  Overall, the Isles are 10-1-4 in their last 15 home games against Columbus.

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

It Happened at the Coliseum ... on March 9th

It's Bill Torrey Appreciation Night...and another huge game as the Isles look to recapture first place for the third time in five days.  (6:30 pre-game and 7:00 game-time.)

Here's how I presented "It Happened" four years ago..,, which features an Islander win over the Flyers!

It Happened at the Coliseum … on MARCH 9th

(1993) – Pierre Turgeon scored his 44th goal and added two assists, establishing a career high with 107 points, as the Islanders beat Philadelphia 4-2.

It was the Islanders’ fifth straight win, marking their longest win streak since a 9-game streak in 1989-1990.  With the win, the Isles (32-28-6) moved 4 games over .500 for the first since 1990.

Turgeon’s goal was sandwiched by Flyer tallies from Kevin Dineen Rod Brind’Amour.  Turgeon then earned assists on Tom Kurvers’ tying goal in the second period and Derek King’s lead goal with 4:19 to play. It was King’s 33rd goal of the season.

Benoit Hogue converted a shorthanded goal into an empty net for the final margin of history.  It was Hogue’s 30th goal of the season, marking the third straight season he reached that mark. It wasn’t an ordinary empty-netter, as the Islanders were two men short at the time, making it a 3-on-6 tally.

The win kept the Isles one point behind the fourth-place Rangers.  Pat Flatley noted, “Realistically, our playoffs have started in this division. It's a best-of-20 and I think we have to win about 15 of them." The Isles would win only eight of their remaining 18 games (8-9-1), and would finish with a 40-37-7 record.  That would be enough to get them into the playoffs, setting the stage for a memorable spring.

Here are some highlights, from ESPN's SportsCenter -- with Chris Berman!

Also on this date: (2013) – John Tavares scored a pair of power play goals 30 seconds apart, giving him 100 career goals as the Islanders beat Washington 5-2.  Tavares’ pair of power play goals were the third-fastest in Islanders history.  Only Clark Gillies (10 seconds; 3-29-75 vs. NYR) and Bryan Trottier (29 seconds; 2-13-82 vs. Philly) have done it faster.

Highlights with Howie and Butch:

All-time, the Isles have played nine March 9th games at the Coliseum and finish with a 5-2-2 record on this date at 1255 Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale.

The Skinny: Isles 4, Ottawa 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 66

Isles 4, Ottawa 2

Anthony Beauvillier scored with 7:31 to play to break a 2-2 tie and the Islanders regained a share of first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators before a crowd of 11,967 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Valtteri Filppula scored two first period goals for the Isles, who completed a sweep of the home-and-home from Ottawa.

The Isles and Washington share the Metro Division lead with identical 39-21-7 records, including 35 ROWs.  For standings purposes, the season series is currently tied (the odd home game, the first one hosted by the Isles, does not count) so the Isles are in first place based on goal differential (+33 to +20);  Pittsburgh blanked Columbus tonight to jump into third place with 85 points.  Idle Carolina has 79 and Columbus, on the outside looking in, has 77 points.   

With tonight's results, the Isles' magic number to clinch a playoff spot falls to 23; their magic number to win a division for the first time since 1987-88 falls to 31.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Valtteri Filppula (14) Leo Komarov, Nick Leddy 05:44 NYI 1,OTT 0

Brady Tkachuk (15) Ben Harpur, Anthony Duclair 07:00 NYI 1,OTT 1

Valtteri Filppula (15) Tom Kuhnhackl 15:24 NYI 2,OTT 1

2nd Period

Oscar Lindberg (7) Brian Gibbons, Bobby Ryan 09:13 NYI 2,OTT 2

3rd Period

Anthony Beauvillier (16) Adam Pelech, Mathew Barzal 12:29 NYI 3,OTT 2

Casey Cizikas (19)EN 19:11 NYI 4,OTT 2

The Skinny       

The Isles are 25-9-3 in their last 37 games; they are 18 games over NHL-.500, matching the season high.  … Anthony Beauvillier's game winner was his third goal in the last seven games; Mathew Barzal recorded his 99th career assist (and his first point in four games) on the goal…The Isles have surpassed last season's win and point total; including shootout winners they have scored 20 fewer goals and allowed 78 fewer goals than last year's first 67 games… The Isles have 44 points at home and 41 points on the road … The Isles did not have a power play goal for the seventh straight game (0-15)… With their goals tonight, the Isles have scored 63 goals in the 1st period, 60 goals in the 2nd period, and 64 goals in the third period… Former Ranger Oscar Lindberg scored for the 2nd straight game against the Isles; three of his 37 career goals are vs. the Isles…Adam Pelech went +3 and led the Isles in ice-time for the first time this season (22:25); Ryan Pulock also went +3, raising both defenders to +20 on the season. The Isles have not had two defenders go +20 or better in a season since 2003-04 when both Adrian Aucoin (+29) and Kenny Jonsson (+25) did so…Valtteri Filppula recorded his 2nd two-goal game of the season (and 15th of his career); he has not had a hat trick in 941 career games.  Among active forwards, only Mikko Koivu (973) has played more games without a hat.  It's the first time since 2013-14 (25 goals) that Filppula has scored at least 15 goals…Casey Cizikas' empty-net extended his career-high goal total to 19; he and Filppula have now combined for 34 goals this season… Anders Lee did not score a goal, ending his 6-game goal streak against Ottawa...The Isles are 8 games over NHL-.500 on the road for the first time since the end of the 2014-15 season (22-14-5).

Metro Playoff Watch

1. Isles 85 points/67 games/35 ROW (Saturday vs. Philadelphia)

2. Caps 85 points/67 games/35 ROW (Friday vs. New Jersey)

3. Penguins 81 points/67 games/35 ROW (Saturday at Columbus)

4. Hurricanes 79 points/66 games/35 ROW (Friday vs. Winnipeg)

5. Blue Jackets 77 points/67 games/36 ROW (Saturday at Columbus)

The Hurricanes hold the first Wild Card; the Blue Jackets are currently 2 points out of a playoff berth.

Take a Third Off

Through 67 games, the Isles have allowed 163 goals (including shootouts).  That is 78 goals fewer than they allowed through 67 games last season, meaning they have allowed nearly 1/3rd fewer goals this season than last season.

Strength in the Nets

Thomas Greiss is 7-2-1 in his last 11 appearances, allowing a total of 12 goals on 300 shots (7-2-1, 1.21 GAA, .960 save percentage). On the season, his GAA is 2.22 and his save percentage is .928. 

Robin Lehner is 16-5-2 in his last 23 decisions. On the season, his NHL-leading GAA is 2.19 and his save percentage is .927.

Lehner has won 20 games and Greiss 19.  It's the 1st time in the last 33 years that the Isles have gotten at least 19 wins from two different goalies.  Billy Smith won 20 games and Kelly Hrudey won 19 in 1985-86.

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.19

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.22

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Season 

1. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .928 (.92849)

2. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928 (.9276)

3. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .927

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

For the + Column

Casey Cizikas was +1 today and is now +26 on the season.  In the last 30 seasons, only two Islander forwards have finished +26 or higher.

1. Marty McInnis 1993-94 +31 

2. Benoit Hogue 1991-92 +30

3. Casey Cizikas 2018-19 +26

4. Ray Ferraro 1991-92 +25

5. Ryan Strome 2014-15 +23

        Trent Hunter 2003-04 +23

It's Good to be Home

The Isles are 8-4-2 on Coliseum ice; they are averaging 97.1% of capacity on Long Island (including nine sellouts).  

 

Most Points Thru 67 Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 88: 2014-15

• 85: 2018-19

• 84: 2015-16

Most Points Thru 33 Road Games

• 43: 1976-77

• 41: 2018-19

• 41: 1980-81

• 40: 1981-82

• 39: 1975-76

• 39: 1978-79

• 39: 2014-15

Most Points Thru 34 Home Games (Post-Cup Era)

• 46: 1984-85

• 46: 1987-88

• 46: 2003-04

• 46: 2014-15

• 46: 2016-17

• 44: 2015-16

• 44: 2018-19

Fewest Goals Allowed Thru 67 Games (Includes SO)

• 160 1975-76

• 160 1976-77  

• 163 2018-19

Road Warriors

The Isles are 10-3-2 in their last 15 road games and 13-4-2 in their last 19 road games.  The 28 points match the most that the Isles have earned in any single-season stretch of 19 road games in their history (done several times).

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season.  Only once in NHL history has a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.   Here's where the Isles are this season:  

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals) 

The Jennings Trophy is awarded based on goals allowed including shootout goals.

1. ISLES 163

2. Boston 167

3. Dallas 170 

Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)

1. ISLES 158

2. Boston 164 

3. Dallas 170

Coach Trotz

Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 801-589-60-141 in 1,591 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    844 

4. Barry Trotz   801

5. Al Arbour   782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,591

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,583

Trotz, who will coach his 1,600th game on March 24th, 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: 39-21-7 (85 points), with 196 goals scored and 163 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 29-29-9 (67 points), with 216 goals scored and 241 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles have allowed 78 fewer goals, a decrease of 32.4% as compared to last season.

Last Season (final): 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

First Things First

The Isles are 24-8-5 when scoring first and are 15-13-2 when allowing the opening goal (which includes a 1-0 shootout loss).  

Highest Percentage of Games Won (Post-Cup Era) Allowing First Goal

• .545 (18-13-2) 2014-15

• .500 (15-13-2) 2018-19

• .410 (14-21-4) 1985-86

The Shots

Isles     13-10-8=31

Ottawa 12-17-8=37

The Isles are 12-12-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-2-0 when the shots are even and 27-7-6 when they are outshot. [The 27 wins when outshot are a franchise record; they won 25 in both 1983-84 and 2017-18.]

Home and Road

The Islanders are 39-21-7 overall; 20-10-4 at home (8-4-2 on Long Island and 12-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 19-11-3 on the road.  All their remaining regular season home games are at the Nassau Coliseum.

Ottawa is 23-39-6 overall; 14-16-4 at home and 9-23-2 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 16-6-1 in Division games and 23-15-5 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 24-10-5 against the East and 15-11-1 against the West.  

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 35 saves and is now 19-10-2 on the season and 5-1-0 in his career against Ottawa.  

Anders Nilsson made 27 saves; he is 11-17-1 on the season and 0-4-0 against the Islanders.  

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 2:37 of PP time; Ottawa was 0-2 on the power play in 2:37 of PP time.

The Isles are 22-2-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 17-19-5 when they do not.  The Isles are 13-13-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 268-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 33-2-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-19-5 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 15-4-7 in games decided by a single goal including 6-4 in regulation. They are 5-2 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts.  The Isles are 5-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Tired vs. Rested 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 6-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 5-1-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 24-20-5 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (Season-high 22:25); Ottawa: Cody Ceci (23:07)

Valtteri Filppula led Isles forwards with a season-high 19:28 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (18-10-5), Nick Leddy (14-9-2), Scott Mayfield (6-1-0), Johnny Boychuk (0-1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 24, Ottawa 34 (51%).  

Casey Cizikas won 5 of 10 for the Isles; Chris Tierney won 9 of 11 for Ottawa.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 12/24; 2nd period 7/18; 3rd period 5/16.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 21/52, Power play 1/2, Penalty kill 2/4.

Hit Count

Isles 39 (Johnny Boychuk -6)  

Ottawa 25 (Three with 3)

   

Fights

There were no fights. Season total –14 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Anders Lee- 2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Jordan Eberle).  

 

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 25 shots (Five with 3) 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 64, Ottawa 73

5-on-5 Isles 52, Ottawa 57

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Adam Pelech +12

Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk +12

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 7-3-1 in the front half and 9-1-1 in the back half. The next back-to-back is March 16-17 in Detroit and Minnesota and the final back-to-back of the season is the following week (March 23-24) in Ottawa and vs. Arizona. 

The Isles won the first nine back-ends of back-to-backs this season, establishing a new club record for consecutive wins in back ends, but are 0-1-1 in the last two back-ends. 

Night and Day

The Isles are 33-18-7 in night games and 6-3-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on March 16th in Detroit. The final two matinees are the following weekend (March 23rd in Philly and March 24th vs. Arizona (at the Coliseum). 

Ironmen

Anders Lee 185, Brock Nelson 162, Mathew Barzal 149.  Four other Isles: Nick Leddy, Ryan Pulock, Josh Bailey and Leo Komarov have appeared in every game this season.

Scratches

(Matt Martin – INJ), (Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Robin Lehner -INJ), Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Joshua Ho-Sang

Total games lost: 129

Comeback Kings

The Isles are 6-5-1 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8), OTT (12/28), STL (1/5) and COL (2/9 - OT), while earning a point vs. EDM (2/21 – OTL).

The Isles are 14-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:

1/10- NY Rangers-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)

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.

1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes – Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge

2/5 vs BOS Bruins – Isles goal overturned after successful Bruin challenge.

2/28 vs TOR Maple Leafs – Maple Leaf 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 782

Goals

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

14. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 15. Pierre Turgeon and Anders Lee 147 *** 17. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 18. Kyle Okposo 139 ***19. Josh Bailey 138…

21. Duane Sutter 121 *** 22. Brock Nelson 120

Assists

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

9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Bob Bourne 304 *** 11.  Josh Bailey 289 …

25. David Volek 154 *** 26. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 27. Nick Leddy 149

Points

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

12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 427…

23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24. Jason Blake 258 *** 25. Anders Lee 250

Games Played (Goalies)

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

7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 154

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6.  Thomas Greiss 81

Shutouts (Goalie)

1. Glenn Resch 25 ***2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 16 *** 4. Tommy Salo 14***

5. Jaroslav Halak 12 *** 6.  Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss 9

Season Series Stats

The Isles won the season series three games to none (and 4 points to 1).   

The Isles are 6-1-0 in their last seven games against Ottawa. The Isles have done well in Ottawa in recent years, going 7-1-1.  They have won three consecutive games in regulation in Ottawa for the first time ever.

On the Farm  

The red-hot Sound Tigers, winners of seven straight games, are 11-1-1-0 in their last 13 games (including three OT wins and two shootout wins) and have improved to 35-18-5-2 on the season.  

Bridgeport has earned points in 10 straight games (9-0-1-0); they are six points behind Charlotte for the Division lead.  The Sound Tigers have a 15-point cushion in the race for a playoff spot.

The Sound Tigers will play on Friday in Rochester and on Sunday afternoon at 4pm in Toronto.  Sunday's game will be televised by NHL Network.

Leaders:  Goals: Steve Bernier 20; Assists: Chris Bourque 33; Points: Chris Bourque 46; +/-: Otto Koivula +16.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 17-9-3 (2.85 GAA); Christopher Gibson 18-9-4 (2.89 GAA)

Up Next

SATURDAY, MARCH 9th  – PHILADELPHIA AT ISLANDERS AT NASSSAU COLISEUM 7:00PM 

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

The Isles return home for a key three-game homestand, beginning on Saturday against Philadelphia.  It will be the second meeting of the teams at the Coliseum in a seven-day period and will be highlighted by a celebrating honoring the late Architect of the Isles' Stanley Cup Dynasty, Bill Torrey.  

It will be the third meeting of the teams this season, with the road team winning the first two games.  The season series will conclude on the afternoon of March 23rd in Philadelphia.

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