The Skinny: Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 3

Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

Isles lead best-of-7 series 3-0

Sometimes 13 is lucky (and good).  Moments after Jakub Vrana (who wears that number for Washington) was stopped on a breakaway, Mathew Barzal converted a pass from Jordan Eberle to give the Isles a 2-1 overtime win over the Washington Capitals and a 3-0 lead in their Round 1 series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Anders Lee scored for the third straight game to give the Isles the lead, but a power play goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov tied the game at the 5:50 mark of the second period. It remained that way for 38:38 of playing time, until Barzal scored his first career playoff OT goal.

The Isles, have now won nine straight Round 1 games (dating back to Game 5 vs. Florida), including four in overtime.  

The Isles will try for the sweep at 8:00pm on Tuesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Anders Lee (3) Adam Pelech (2), Ryan Pulock (5) 14:50 WSH 0,NYI 1

2nd Period

Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) John Carlson (4), Alex Ovechkin (1) 05:50 WSH 1,NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period

No Goals

OT

Mathew Barzal (2) Jordan Eberle (2), Derick Brassard (3) 04:28 WSH 1,NYI 2

The Series (Isles lead 3-0)

Game 1: Isles 4 Washington 2

Game 2: Isles 5 Washington 2

Game 3: Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

Game 4: Tuesday, August 18th, 8pm

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday, August 20th

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday, August 22nd

Game 7 (if needed): Sunday, August 23rd 

The Skinny

The Isles have a 3-0 lead for the second straight playoff year (last year vs. PIT). Prior to Trotz they had not led a series 3-0 since the 1983 Final… Anders Lee scored for the third straight game after tallying only once in 17 prior playoff games. …Adam Pelech played 20:05 at even-strength, including 14:27 when Alex Ovechkin was on the ice for Washington…The Isles were outshot 40 times in 68 games in the regular season, but have yet to be outshot in this year's playoffs… It is the Isles' 10th playoff win under Barry Trotz, matching Jack Capuano for second on the team's all-time list….Anthony Beauvillier's point streak ended at 6 games...The Isles scored first for the first time in their last six Round 1 games…The win is the first for the "home" team in the 11 regular season and playoff meetings between Isles and Caps since Trotz became the Islander coach.  It was also the first of the 11 games to go to overtime… …The Isles have outscored the Caps 6-0 in the third period and overtime; the Isles have allowed only one third period goal in their six wins this post-season…Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal was his 26th of the postseason, breaking a tie with Dale Hunter for fourth on the Caps' all-time list.

Youth "B" Served

Mathew Barzal is only the second Islander in the last 32 years to score a playoff overtime goal before his 24th birthday; Mat is a few months older than Alan Quine was in 2016, when Quine won game 5 vs. Florida in double-overtime. Barzal is the first player in Stanley Cup history to score exactly 4:28 into overtime.

Leading the way

The line of Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle have had a solid series, and the analytic numbers back it up.  Eberle has a +32 Corsi in the series, while Lee is +30 and Barzal is +26.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• The Isles have allowed fewer than 30 shots in 8 straight games for the first time since an 8-game stretch in April-May 1984. 

• The Isles are the first NHL team to win at least nine straight first round games since Detroit won 13 straight between 1998 and 2001.

Strange but True

The Isles have been to the playoffs five times since 2013; each time the first home game of Round 1 has gone to overtime, with the Isles going 4-1:

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 00:08:44

• 04/19/15 Vs John Tavares W Wsh 00:00:15

• 04/17/16 Vs Thomas Hickey W Fla 00:12:31 Brooklyn

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 00:04:39

• 08/16/20 Vs Mathew Barzal W Wsh 00:04:28 Toronto

Happy Birthday

Adam Pelech turned 26.  He is the first Islander with a birthday point in the playoffs since Tomas Jonsson (April 12, 1988) and the first ever to do so in a month other than April.

Familiar Foes

This is the 8th meeting of the Isles and Washington in the playoffs (Isles are 5-2 and have won 24 of 40 games)

• 1983 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-1

• 1984 Patrick Division Finals  Isles won series 4-1

• 1985 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-2

• 1986 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Caps won series 3-0 (Arbour retired thereafter)

• 1987 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-3 (LaFontaine 4 OT)

• 1993 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-2

• 2015 Eastern Conference First Round  Caps won series 4-3

• 2020 Eastern Conference First Round  Isles lead series 3-0

Joining Radar

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Chasing the Architect

Lou Lamoriello has won 27 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Jack Adams and Sam Pollock for third on the all-time list.  Bill Torrey won 28 series, while the all-time leader, Glen Sather, has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-17 (.673) all-time in overtime, including 19-10 (.655) at home. The .673 overall percentage is 2nd to Tampa Bay (17-8 .680) while the .655 home percentages is the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-4 in ten overtime games since 2015.

Overtime is Our Time vs. Washington

The Isles are 7-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Washington:

• 04/13/84 Vs Anders Kallur W Wsh 07:35 

• 04/10/85 @ Alan Haworth L Wsh 02:28 

• 04/11/85 @ Mike Gartner L Wsh 21:23 

• 04/18/87 @ Pat LaFontaine W Wsh 68:47 

• 04/20/93 @ Brian Mullen W Wsh 34:50

• 04/22/93 Vs Ray Ferraro W Wsh 04:46 

• 04/24/93 Vs Ray Ferraro W Wsh 25:40 

• 04/19/15 Vs John Tavares W Wsh 00:15

• 04/21/15 Vs Nicklas Backstrom  L Wsh 11:09

• 08/16/20 Vs Mathew Barzal W Wsh 04:28

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 13:08, Tied: 31:28,  Trailed: 15:24 

Game 2: Led: 34:44, Tied: 3:16, Trailed: 22:00

Game 3: Led 11:00, Tied 53:28, Trailed: 0:00

Series:   Led  58:52, Tied 88:12, Trailed: 37:24

Vs Florida:  Led: 120:01, Tied: 58:56,  Trailed 61:03

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 154-125 in 279 all-time playoff games.  They are 87-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 3-0 in Toronto) and 67-79 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 3-0 when they are the home team and 3-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 128 playoff games (65-63).  His 65 wins are 17th all-time, just one win behind Lindy Ruff and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Trotz is the 2nd coach in Islander playoff history to coach the Isles against a team he formerly coached; Ted Nolan did that in 2007 vs. Buffalo.  Trotz is the first to coach against the Isles and then coach the Isles against that same opponent.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Barry Trotz 10

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 15

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 2 (2-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 2

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 3-0 when scoring first and are 3-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles            14-10-8-2=34

Washington  6-10-4-3=23

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 27, Washington 26

• Game 2: Isles 32, Washington 25 

• Game 3: Isles 34, Washington 23

• Series: Isles 93, Washington 74

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Playoffs: Isles 215, Opponents 177

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves and improves to 6-1 this summer and 19-14 all-time in the playoffs. Varlamov is now 5-4 in playoff overtime games.

Braden Holtby made 32 saves but falls to 1-4-1 this summer and 49-45-1 all-time in the playoffs.  (The "1" is a shootout loss in the Round Robin) Holtby is now 14-15-1 in playoff OT games.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-5 on the power play in 10:00 of PP time; Washington was 1-2 on the power play in 2:40 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (5:17; 3 shots), Washington 2-7 (11:05, 12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-5 (8:18, 5 shots), Washington 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 0-5 (10:00, 6 shots), Washington 1-2 (2:40, 1 shot)

• Series: Isles 1-14 (23:35, 14 shots), Washington 3-11 (17:45, 14 shots)

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 4-13 (23:55; 15 shots), Florida 4-14 (16:51, 21 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 5-27 (47:30, 29 shots), Penalty Kill 7-25 (34:36, 35 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 2-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (22:10);  Washington: John Carlson (27:49)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 22:04 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (3-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0), Nick Leddy (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 30, Washington 26 (54%).

Brock Nelson won 13 of 18 and JG Pageau won 9 of 15 for the Isles; Lars Eller won 9 of 15 for Washington.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Washington 20 (64%).  

• Game 2: Isles 36, Washington 30 (55%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Washington 26 (54%)

• Series: Isles 102, Washington 76 (57%)

•

• Vs. Florida  Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)

• Playoffs: Isles 208, Opponents 203 (51%)

Hit Count

Isles 31 (Matt Martin -6)

Washington 36 (Alex Ovechkin -7)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 39, Washington 36

• Game 2: Isles 38, Washington 36

• Game 3: Isles 31, Washington 36

• Series: Isles 108, Washington 108

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Playoffs: Isles 236, Opponents 232

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -1  (Lee -1)

Blocked Shots

Isles 19 (Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock -4)

Washington 19 (Nick Jensen and TJ Oshie -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 69, Washington 55

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 58, Washington 43

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Jordan Eberle +18

Washington: Martin Fehervary and Jakub Vrana +5

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 47, Washington 54;  (5-on-5) Isles 37, Washington 26

• Game 2:(All) Isles 59, Washington 55;  (5-on-5) Isles 45, Washington 43

• Game 3:(All) Isles 69, Washington 55;  (5-on-5) Isles 58, Washington 43

• Series: (All) Isles 175, Washington 164; (5-on-5) Isles 140, Washington 112

•

• Vs Florida (All) Isles 226, Florida 224;  (5-on-5) Isles 174, Florida 168

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 401, Opponent 384; (5-on-5) Isles 314, Opponent 280

Scratches

Johnny Boychuk, Tom Kuhnhackl, Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 3. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 39

Matt Martin 39

Josh Bailey 37

Goals:

Brock Nelson 10 

Josh Bailey 9 

Jordan Eberle 7

Anthony Beauvillier 5

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 15

Mathew Barzal 9

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 8

Ryan Pulock 8

Brock Nelson 7

Jordan Eberle 7

Points:

Josh Bailey 24

Brock Nelson 16 

Jordan Eberle 14

Mathew Barzal 13

Nick Leddy 11

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 46

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Casey Cizikas 38

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 3

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 6-1 1.71 GAA, .932 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 1- GAME 4 – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18th  -  ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON (AT TORONTO)  8:00PM

[MSG+ (pre-game at 7:30PM), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will look to complete a series sweep on Tuesday.

The Isles are 10-0 when they lead a series 3-0 and have recorded seven four-game sweeps.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Skinny: Isles 5, Washington 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 2

Isles 5, Washington 2

Isles lead best-of-7 series 2-0

The Isles and Caps combined for four goals in a 3:58 stretch of the second period, but it was the last goal, an unassisted tally by Brock Nelson just 15 seconds after Alex Ovechkin had tied the game, that turned out to be the game-winner as the Isles took a 2-0 lead in their Round 1 series with a 5-2 win over the Caps at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Isles locked things down late in the game and were rewarded with goals by Cal Clutterbuck and by Anders Lee (into an empty net) to seal the victory.

Ovechkin had both Capital goals, and in a stretch of 18 minutes in the second period had the only five Washington shots.

Game 3 of this series will be at Noon on Sunday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Alex Ovechkin (1) Tom Wilson (2), John Carlson (3) 00:56 NYI 0,WSH 1

2nd Period

Nick Leddy (1) Josh Bailey (6), Anthony Beauvillier (3) 02:56 NYI 1,WSH 1 PPG

Matt Martin (2) Scott Mayfield (1) 05:01 NYI 2,WSH 1

Alex Ovechkin (2) Brenden Dillon (1), Dmitry Orlov (2) 06:39 NYI 2,WSH 2

Brock Nelson (3) 06:54 NYI 3,WSH 2 

3rd Period

Cal Clutterbuck (1) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) 17:14 NYI 4,WSH 2

Anders Lee (2)EN Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2), Adam Pelech (1) 18:21 NYI 5,WSH 2

The Series (Isles lead 2-0)

Game 1: Isles 4 Washington 2

Game 2: Isles 5 Washington 2

Game 3: Sunday Noon

Game 4: Tuesday, August 18th, 8pm

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday, August 20th

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday, August 22nd

Game 7 (if needed): Sunday, August 23rd 

The Skinny

Anthony Beauvillier has a point in all six games this summer after having only two points in eight games in 2019; Brock Nelson extended his point streak to 4 while Josh Bailey extended his assist streak to three games.…The Isles have a 2-0 lead for the second time this summer and the third time in four series under Barry Trotz. (Prior to Trotz they had not led a series 2-0 since the 1983 Final)…Brendan Dillon blocked nine shots – most by any player in a game this summer that did not require five overtimes…JG Pageau assisted on both late goals; they were his 5th and 6th career playoff goals, to go along with 15 goals…Anders Lee scored for the second straight game; two of his three career playoff goals have been empty-netters….This was the first night game the Isles have played since the exhibition game with the Rangers; game four is also scheduled at night… Every Islander but Matt Martin played at least 12 minutes; Martin scored his second goal of the post-season… New dad Lars Eller went -4, as did TJ Oshie…Alex Ovechkin's two goals give him 67 career post-season goals, first tying and then passing both Denis Savard and Joe NIeuwendyk for 20th place all-time…Tom Wilson's 11 hits were the most by any player in any game this summer…Adam Pelech played 17:41 at even-strength, including 10:46 when Alex Ovechkin was on the ice for Washington…The Isles were outshot 40 times in 68 games in the regular season, but have yet to be outshot in this year's playoffs…This is the first time that the Isles have ever held a 2-0 series lead over Washington; the Caps won the first two games in both 1985 and 1986 while the other five series were tied after two games...The Isles have won eight straight Round 1 games (2 vs. Florida, 4 vs. Pittsburgh, 2 vs. Washington).

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• Anthony Beauvillier is the first Islander since Bryan Trottier (all 18 games in 1981 to establish an NHL record) and Mike Bossy (first nine games in 1981) to have a point in the first six playoff games of a season.  

• Brock Nelson's response 15 seconds after Ovechkin's goal was the fastest by an Islander since Pat LaFontaine scored 11 seconds after Mark Howe of the Flyers in 1987

• The Isles have allowed fewer than 30 shots in 7 straight games for the first time since an 8-game stretch in April-May 1984. 

• The Isles have scored three goals in a period in consecutive games for the first time since Games 3 and 4 vs. Toronto in 2002.

Familiar Foes

This is the 8th meeting of the Isles and Washington in the playoffs (Isles are 5-2 and have won 23 of 39 games)

• 1983 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-1

• 1984 Patrick Division Finals  Isles won series 4-1

• 1985 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-2

• 1986 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Caps won series 3-0 (Arbour retired thereafter)

• 1987 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-3 (LaFontaine 4 OT)

• 1993 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-2

• 2015 Eastern Conference First Round  Caps won series 4-3

• 2020 Eastern Conference First Round  Isles lead series 2-0

Joining Radar

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Chasing the Architect

Lou Lamoriello has won 27 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Jack Adams and Sam Pollock for third on the all-time list.  Bill Torrey won 28 series, while the all-time leader, Glen Sather, has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home. The .667 overall percentage is 2nd to Tampa Bay (17-8 .680) while the .643 home percentages is the best in NHL history. The Isles are 0-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 5-4 in nine overtime games since 2015.

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 13:08, Tied: 31:28,  Trailed: 15:24 

Game 2: Led: 34:44, Tied: 3:16, Trailed: 22:00

Vs Florida:  Led: 120:01, Tied: 58:56,  Trailed 61:03

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 153-125 in 278 all-time playoff games.  They are 86-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 2-0 in Toronto) and 67-79 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-0 when they are the home team and 3-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 127 playoff games (64-63).  His 64 wins are 17th all-time, breaking a tie with Fred Shero; he is two wins behind Lindy Ruff and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Trotz is the 2nd coach in Islander playoff history to coach the Isles against a team he formerly coached; Ted Nolan did that in 2007 vs. Buffalo.  Trotz is the first to coach against the Isles and then coach the Isles against that same opponent.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 14

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 2

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 2-0 when scoring first and are 3-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles    12-12-8=32

Washington  6-7-12=25

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 27, Washington 26

• Game 2: Isles 32, Washington 25

• Series: Isles 59, Washington 51

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Playoffs: Isles 181, Opponents 154

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves and improves to 5-1 this summer and 18-14 all-time in the playoffs.

Braden Holtby made 27 saves but falls to 1-3-1 this summer and 49-44-1 all-time in the playoffs.  (The "1" is a shootout loss in the Round Robin)

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-5 on the power play in 8:18 of PP time; Washington was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (5:17; 3 shots), Washington 2-7 (11:05, 12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-5 (8:18, 5 shots), Washington 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Series: Isles 1-9 (13:35, 8 shots), Washington 2-9 (15:05, 13 shots)

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 4-13 (23:55; 15 shots), Florida 4-14 (16:51, 21 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 5-22 (37:30, 23 shots), Penalty Kill 6-23 (31:56, 34 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 1-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:11);  Washington: John Carlson (25:05)

Josh Bailey led Isles forwards with 19:13 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (2-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0), Nick Leddy (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 36, Washington 30 (55%).

JG Pageau won 17 of 23 and Brock Nelson won 9 of 15 for the Isles; Nic Down won 10 of 11 for Washington.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Washington 20 (64%).  

• Game 2: Isles 36, Washington 30 (55%)

• Series: Isles 72, Washington 50 (59%)

•

• Vs. Florida  Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)

• Playoffs: Isles 178, Opponents 177 (50%)

Hit Count

Isles 38 (Three with 5)

Washington 36 (Tom Wilson -11, including 8 in the first period)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 39, Washington 36

• Game 2: Isles 38, Washington 36

• Series: Isles 77, Washington 72

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Playoffs: Isles 205, Opponents 196

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -1 (Lee -1).   

Blocked Shots

Isles 18 (Devon Toews -4)

Washington 17 (Brenden Dillon -9)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Washington 55

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 45, Washington 43

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Anders Lee +8

Washington: Two with +6

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 47, Washington 54;  (5-on-5) Isles 37, Washington 26

• Game 2:(All) Isles 59, Washington 55;  (5-on-5) Isles 45, Washington 43

• Series: (All) Isles 106, Washington 109; (5-on-5) Isles 82, Washington 69

•

• Vs Florida (All) Isles 226, Florida 224;  (5-on-5) Isles 174, Florida 168

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 332, Opponent 333; (5-on-5) Isles 256, Opponent 237

Scratches

Johnny Boychuk, Tom Kuhnhackl, Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 3. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 38

Matt Martin 38

Josh Bailey 36

Goals:

Brock Nelson 10 

Josh Bailey 9 

Jordan Eberle 7

Anthony Beauvillier 5

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 15

Mathew Barzal 9

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 8

Brock Nelson 7

Ryan Pulock 7

Jordan Eberle 6

Points:

Josh Bailey 24

Brock Nelson 16 

Jordan Eberle 13

Mathew Barzal 12

Nick Leddy 11

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 44

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Casey Cizikas 38

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 3

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 5-1 1.83 GAA, .929 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 1- GAME 3 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 16th  -  ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON (AT TORONTO)  12:00PM

[MSG+ (pre-game at 11:30AM), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will look to take a 3-0 lead in the series on Sunday.

The Isles are 12-1 when they lead a series 2-0 and will look to move within a game of advancing with a victory on Adam Pelech's 26th birthday.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Skinny: Isles 4, Washington 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 1

Isles 4, Washington 2

Isles lead best-of-7 series 1-0

Jordan Eberle's goal with 63 seconds to play in the second period got the Isles going, and Anders Lee, Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier scored goals in the first twelve minutes of the third as the Isles rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals game 1 of their Round 1 series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

TJ Oshie had given the Caps the lead with a pair of second period power play goals as the Isles spent over nine minutes of the first two periods shorthanded. However, Josh Bailey scored the game-winning goal with the Isles shorthanded in the third as the Isles held the Caps off the scoreboard at even-strength.

Game 2 of this series will be at 8pm on Friday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

T.J. Oshie (2) Evgeny Kuznetsov (1), John Carlson (1) 05:27 NYI 0,WSH 1 PPG

T.J. Oshie (3) Tom Wilson (1), John Carlson (2) 11:18 NYI 0,WSH 2 PPG

Jordan Eberle (3) Mathew Barzal (2) 18:57 NYI 1,WSH 2

3rd Period

Anders Lee (1) Ryan Pulock (4), Brock Nelson (2) 00:51 NYI 2,WSH 2

Josh Bailey (1) Brock Nelson (3) 06:52 NYI 3,WSH 2 SHG

Anthony Beauvillier (4) Josh Bailey (4), Mathew Barzal (3) 11:55 NYI 4,WSH 2

The Series (Isles lead 1-0)

Game 1: Isles 4 Washington 2

Game 2: Friday 8pm

Game 3: Sunday Noon

Game 4: Tuesday, August 18th, 8pm

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday, August 20th

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday, August 22nd

Game 7 (if needed): Sunday, August 23rd 

The Skinny

The Isles erased a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff game for the first time since Game 3 vs. Florida in 2016… 

 …The Isles have allowed only 3 even-strength goals in the first five playoff games (all to Florida, including one that came two seconds after a power play expired)… Anthony Beauvillier has a point in all five games this spring after having only two points in eight games in 2019;; Devon Toews' point streak was stopped at four…. Josh Bailey's shorthanded goal was the first in the playoffs by an Islander since Kyle Okposo in 2013 vs. Pittsburgh…The Isles are 6-1 in their last game 1's, dating back to 2015 vs. Washington…Josh Bailey joined Brock Nelson as the only Isles in the 2000's with goals in four different playoff years.

The Injury

Nicklas Backstrom left the game after the first period and did not return. Anders Lee was assessed a minor penalty on the play.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• Josh Bailey became the first Islander since Kyle Okposo ( May 5, 2013 vs. Pittsburgh) to score a shorthanded goal and the first since Benoit Hogue (May 3, 1993 vs. Pittsburgh to score a game winner while shorthanded. 

• The Isles allowed two power plays goals and won for the first time since April 28, 2002 vs. Toronto.

• The Isles have allowed fewer than 30 shots in 7 straight games for the first time since an 8-game stretch in April-May 1984. 

• TJ Oshie is the first opponent to score 2 power play goals in a period since Tim Kerr for Philadelphia on April 26, 1987.

Killer B's

Anthony Beauvillier, Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey, and Brock Nelson combined for two goals and five assists. They have combined for 15 points in the last two games 

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey is the 4th Islander to score a shorthanded game winning goal in a playoff game.  Lorne Henning did it in 1980 vs. Buffalo, Brent Sutter did it in 1984 vs. Montreal and in  1988 vs. New Jersey (in overtime), and Benoit Hogue did it in 1993 vs. Pittsburgh.

Familiar Foes

This is the 8th meeting of the Isles and Washington in the playoffs (Isles are 5-2 and have won 22 of 38 games)

• 1983 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-1

• 1984 Patrick Division Finals  Isles won series 4-1

• 1985 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-2

• 1986 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Caps won series 3-0 (Arbour retired thereafter)

• 1987 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-3 (LaFontaine 4 OT; only playoff series won by anyone other than Arbour and Trotz)

• 1993 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-2

• 2015 Eastern Conference First Round  Caps won series 4-3

• 2020 Eastern Conference First Round  Isles lead series 1-0

Joining Radar

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Chasing the Architect

Lou Lamoriello has won 27 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Jack Adams and Sam Pollock for third on the all-time list.  Bill Torrey won 28 series, while the all-time leader, Glen Sather, has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home. The .667 overall percentage is 2nd to Tampa Bay (17-8 .680) while the .643 home percentages is the best in NHL history. The Isles are 0-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 5-4 in nine overtime games since 2015.

Lead/Tie/Trail

Game 1:  Led: 13:08, Tied: 31:28,  Trailed: 15:24

Vs Florida:  Led: 120:01, Tied: 58:56,  Trailed 61:03

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 152-125 in 277 all-time playoff games.  They are 86-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 2-0 in Toronto) and 66-79 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-0 when they are the home team and 2-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 126 playoff games (63-63).  His 63 wins are tied-17th all-time, with Fred Shero; he is three wins behind Lindy Ruff and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Trotz is the 2nd coach in Islander playoff history to coach the Isles against a team he formerly coached; Ted Nolan did that in 2007 vs. Buffalo.  Trotz is the first to coach against the Isles and then coach the Isles against that same opponent.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 8

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 13

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 2

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 2-0 when scoring first and are 2-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles       2-11-14=27

Washington  7-9-10=26

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 27, Washington 26

•

• Vs. Florida : Isles 122, Florida 103

• Playoffs: Isles 149, Opponents 129

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves and improves to 4-1 this summer and 17-14 all-time in the playoffs.

Braden Holtby made 33 saves but falls to 1-2-1 this summer and 49-43-1 all-time in the playoffs.  (The "1" is a shootout loss in the Round Robin)

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play in 5:17 of PP time; Washington was 2-7 on the power play in 11:05 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (5:17; 3 shots), Washington 2-7 (11:05, 12 shots)

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 4-13 (23:55; 15 shots), Florida 4-14 (16:51, 21 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 4-17 (29:12, 18 shots), Penalty Kill 6-21 (27:56, 33 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 1-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (24:02);  Washington: Evgeny Kuznetsov (26:37)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:24 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (2-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0), Nick Leddy (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 36, Washington 20 (64%).

Mathew Barzal won 8 of 11 and Brock Nelson won 14 of 20 for the Isles; TJ Oshie won 4 of 5 for Washington. (Nicklas Backstrom, who won 16 of 21 in Game 7 in 2015, won 1 of 2 today)

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Washington 20 (64%).  

•

• Vs. Florida  Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)

• Playoffs: Isles 142, Opponents 147 (48%)

Hit Count

Isles 39 (Leo Komarov-7)

Washington 36 (Alex Ovechkin and Richard Panik -6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 39, Washington 36

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Playoffs: Isles 167, Opponents 160

Fights

Anders Lee fought Tom Wilson in the first period. Playoff total -1.   

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Scott Mayfield and Josh Bailey -3)

Washington 13 (TJ Oshie -4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 47, Washington 54

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 37, Washington 26

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Mathew Barzal +13

Washington: Jonas Siegenthaler +11

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 47, Washington 54;  (5-on-5) Isles 37, Washington 26

•

• Vs Florida (All) Isles 226, Florida 224;  (5-on-5) Isles 174, Florida 168

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 273, Opponent 278; (5-on-5) Isles 211, Opponent 194

Scratches

Johnny Boychuk, Tom Kuhnhackl, Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 3. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 37

Matt Martin 37

Josh Bailey 35

Goals:

Brock Nelson 9 

Josh Bailey 9 

Jordan Eberle 7

Anthony Beauvillier 5

Cal Clutterbuck 4

Assists:

Josh Bailey 14

Mathew Barzal 9

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 8

Brock Nelson 7

Ryan Pulock 7

Jordan Eberle 6

Points:

Josh Bailey 22

Brock Nelson 16 

Jordan Eberle 13

Mathew Barzal 12

Nick Leddy 10

Penalty Minutes:

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Matt Martin 42 

Casey Cizikas 38

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 4-1 1.81 GAA, .930 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 1- GAME 2 – FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th  -  ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON (AT TORONTO)  8:00PM

[MSG+ (pre-game at 7:30), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will look to take a 2-0 lead in the series as the teams meet again.

The Isles are now 3-1 in game 1's under Trotz; they have also won game 2 in both the previous series that they won game 1 (2019 Round 1, 2020 Qualifier)

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Skinny: Isles 5, Florida 1. Isles win series, 3 games to 1.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Qualifying Round Game 4

Isles 5, Florida 1

Isles win best-of-5 series 3-1

Anthony Beauvillier scored a pair of goals 3:38 apart in the first period to give the Isles a 2-0 lead and the Florida Panthers could never catch them, as the Isles advanced to Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 5-1 victory over Florida in game 4 of their qualifying round series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Mike Hoffman scored for the third straight game to give Florida some hope but goals from Brock Nelson (on the power play), Mathew Barzal (on a breakaway), and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (into an empty net) burst the Panthers out of the Toronto bubble.

The Isles will face either the Boston Bruins or the Washington Capitals in their first round series, which should begin either Tuesday or Wednesday.  Boston and Washington face each other in the final game of the round-robin on Sunday, and the Isles will face the winner.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Anthony Beauvillier (2) Josh Bailey (3), Brock Nelson (1) 11:32 NYI 1,FLA 0

Anthony Beauvillier (3) Mathew Barzal (2), Ryan Pulock (3) 15:10 NYI 2,FLA 0

Mike Hoffman (3) Jonathan Huberdeau (2), Aleksander Barkov (2) 18:41 NYI 2,FLA 1 PPG

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (2) Josh Bailey (4), Devon Toews (4) 08:01 NYI 3,FLA 1 PPG

3rd Period

Mathew Barzal (1) Jordan Eberle (1) 10:34 NYI 4,FLA 1

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3)EN Leo Komarov (1) 17:17 NYI 5,FLA 1

The Series (Isles win 3-1, outscoring Florida 13-7)

Game 1: Isles 2, Florida 1

Game 2: Isles 4, Florida 2

Game 3: Florida 3, Isles 2

Game 4: Isles 5, Florida 1

The Skinny

The Panthers scored only seven goals in the series after scoring four goals in the regular season against the Isles.  That makes 7 games, 11 goals. 7-11 has a nice ring to it, doesn't it…Florida scored only three even strength goals in the entire series, and one came two seconds after a power play expired on Tuesday… Anthony Beauvillier recorded his first multi-goal playoff game; no Isle has had a playoff hat trick since 1993… J-G Pageau scored his third goal of the series; he now has 15 goals in 39 career playoff games, including 11 in his last 23 post-season affairs…Devon Toews now has nine points (1-8-9) in his first twelve career playoff games; he has recorded an assist in six straight games, dating back to last season…Both Toews and Anthony Beauvillier have points in all four playoff games, with Toews earning an assist in each contest; Ryan Pulock has an assist in three straight games…. Brock Nelson's goal (his 9th in Stanley Cup Play as an Islander, breaking a tie with Josh Bailey for the club lead among current players) was his second goal of the series vs. Sergei Bobrovsky; he has only scored one goal vs. Bobrovsky in regular season play…Aleksander Barkov's assist gave him points in all four games in the series.…The Isles blocked 31 shots, which is a franchise record for a playoff game.  They blocked 33 in two regular season games this year, which is the record in the regular season. (Real-time stats date back to 1997-98.)

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles opened a series by going W-W-L-W for only the second time in their history (1981 vs. Edmonton.  (h/t to long-time Skinny reader Steve Steinsaltz)

• The Isles scored first in a potential clinching game for the first time since Alexei Yashin did in Game 7 vs. Toronto in 2002 and scored first in a series-clincher for the first time Anders Kallur did it in Game 5  (best-of-5) vs. Washington in 1985. It is also the first time since that game in 1985 that the Isles did not trail in a series clincher.

• The Isles won a series clincher by at least three goals for the first time since the 1984 conference finals against Montreal and won by at least four goals for the first time since the 1983 conference finals against Boston.

• The Isles have won playoff series in consecutive years for the first time since 1979-1985.

Killer B's

Anthony Beauvillier, Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey, and Brock Nelson each had two points. 

Youth Beau Served

Anthony Beauvillier is the youngest Islander in the post-Cup era with a multi-goal playoff game.  Brock Nelson and Shane Prince also did it at age 23 but both were older 23-year-olds than Beau.

Joining Radar

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Chasing the Architect

Lou Lamoriello has now won 27 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Jack Adams and Sam Pollock for third on the all-time list.  Bill Torrey won 28 series, while the all-time leader, Glen Sather, has 41 wins.

Thrive in Best-of-5

The Isles are 7-1 all-time in best-of-5 series; their .875 winning percentage is the best among current NHL teams.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home. The .667 overall percentage and .643 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 0-0 in overtime this season; nine of the 27 playoff games the Isles have played since 2015 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-4 record.  

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 48:00 and the game was tied for 12:00

In game 2, the Isles led for 23:33  and trailed for 20:50.  The game was tied for 15:37.

In game 3, the Isles trailed for 40:13 and the game was tied for 19:57.

In game 4, the Isles led for 48:28 and the game was tied for 11:32.

Series:  Led: 120:01, Tied: 58:56,  Trailed 61:03

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 151-125 in 276 all-time playoff games.  They are 86-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 2-0 in Toronto) and 65-79 on the road.   In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-0 when they are the home team and 1-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

The matchup between the Isles and Panthers was led by two coaches who have combined for 1,770 wins and 3,379 games.  No other match-up in NHL history has featured two coaches with as much experience.

The previous mark was in the 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals when Al Arbour bested Scotty Bowman's Penguins.  At the time, Arbour had coached 1,522 regular season games, winning 745, while Bowman had won 834 of his 1,440 games coached.  Trotz and Quenneville combine for 191 more wins and 417 more games.

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 125 playoff games (62-63).  His 62 wins are 18th all-time, breaking a tie  with Jacques Lemaire; he is one win behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 7

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 12

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 2

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 2-0 when scoring first and are 1-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles     16-15-7=38

Florida  8-6-11=25

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 28

• Game 2: Isles 34, Florida 28

• Game 3: Isles 22, Florida 22

• Game 4: Isles 38, Florida 25

• Series: Isles 122, Florida 103

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves and improves to 3-1 this summer and 16-14 all-time in the playoffs.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves but falls to 1-2 this summer and 12-21 all-time in the playoffs. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 4:14 of PP time; Florida was 1-5 on the power play in 6:12 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-3 (4:55; 3 shots), Florida 0-1 (2:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 2-7 (10:02: 5 shots); Florida 1-3 (2:12, 3 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-3 (4:44, 0 shots), Florida 2-5 (6:27, 10 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 1-3 (4:14, 7 shots), Florida 1-5 (6:12, 5 shots)

• Series: Isles 4-13 (23:55; 15 shots), Florida 4-14 (16:51, 21 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 2-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 1-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Mathew Barzal (21:33);  Florida: Aaron Ekblad (24:24)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 21:33 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0), Nick Leddy (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 31, Florida 38 (45%).

Brock Nelson won 11 of 21 for the Isles(including 8 of 10 in the first period); Noel Acciari won 11 of 16 for Florida.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 24 (54%).  

• Game 2: Isles 25, Florida 39 (39%).

• Game 3: Isles 22, Florida 26 (46%)

• Game 4: Isles 31, Florida 38 (45%)

• Series:   Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)

Hit Count

Isles 40 (Matt Martin-6)

Florida 28 (Three with 3)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 30, Florida 32

• Game 2: Isles 30, Florida 43 

• Game 3: Isles 28, Florida 31

• Game 4: Isles 40, Florida 28

• Series:  Isles 128, Florida 124

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.   

Blocked Shots

Isles 31 (Ryan Pulock -6)

Florida 12 (Josh Brown- 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 60, Florida 70

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 46, Florida 54

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Three with +3

Florida: Jonathan Huberdeau +16

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 58, Florida 51;  (5-on-5) Isles 48, Florida 48

• Game 2 (All) Isles 57, Florida 56;  (5-on-5) Isles 39, Florida 40

• Game 3 (All) Isles 51, Florida 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Florida 26

• Game 4 (All) Isles 60, Florida 70;  (5-on-5) Isles 46, Florida 54

• Game 2 (All) Isles 226, Florida 224;  (5-on-5) Isles 174, Florida 168

Scratches

(Johnny Boychuk), Tom Kuhnhackl, Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 3. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 36

Matt Martin 36

Josh Bailey 34

Goals:

Brock Nelson 9 

Josh Bailey 8 

Jordan Eberle 6

Cal Clutterbuck 4

Assists:

Josh Bailey 12

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Jordan Eberle 6

Points:

Josh Bailey 20

Brock Nelson 14 

Nick Leddy 10

Penalty Minutes:

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Matt Martin 38 

Casey Cizikas 36

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 1

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

SH Goals

No current Islander has a playoff SH goal with Isles. (Last to do so was Kyle Okposo on May 5, 2013 vs. Pittsburgh)

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 1 

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 3-1 1.76 GAA, .932 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 1 – DATE TBD  -  ISLANDERS VS BOSTON OR WASHINGTON (AT TORONTO)  

[MSG+, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will have to wait until Sunday to learn their opponent in Round 1.  All remaining series will be best-of-7.

If it is Boston:

It would be the third playoff meeting between the teams, with the Isles owning Dynasty-era wins in 1980 (5 games) and 1983 (6 games) in the 2nd and 15th consecutive series wins.

The Isles were 1-1-1 vs. Boston this season, winning in a shootout in Boston on December 19th, losing in overtime in Brooklyn on January 11th, and losing by shutout on Butch Goring Day at the Coliseum on February 29th.

If it is Washington:

It would be the eighth playoff meeting between the teams, The  Isles own Dynasty era wins in 1983 (3  games to 1) and 1984 (4-1) in the 13th and 18th consecutive series wins; they also won in 1985 (5 games, after trailing 0-2), 1987 (7 games, after trailing 3-1) and 1993 (6 games).   Washington swept a three-game series in 1986 and (temporarily) closed the Barn with a win in seven games in 2015.

The Isles were 2-2-0 vs. Washington this season, with the road team winning in regulation in all four games. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 4-0 in DC, but are 0-4 against the Caps at home.) 

Trotz would become the second Islander coach to face a former team in the playoffs (Ted Nolan faced Buffalo to 2007) and the first to coach the same team both for and against the Isles in the playoffs.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Skinny: Florida 3, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Qualifying Round Game 3

Florida 3, Isles 2

Isles lead best-of-5 series 2-1

Mike Hoffman and Brian Boyle scored in the first three minutes of the third period to break a 1-1 tie as the Florida Panthers defeated the Isles 3-2 in game 3 of their qualifying round series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson (with a sixth attacker) scored the Isles goals as the Panthers cut the Isles' lead to 2 games to 1.

Game 4 of the series will be on Friday at 12:00, with a potential fifth-and-deciding game to be played on Sunday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period 

Erik Haula (1) Evgenii Dadonov (1), Mike Hoffman (1) 04:02 NYI 0,FLA 1 PPG

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2) Anthony Beauvillier (2) 16:26 NYI 1,FLA 1

3rd Period

Mike Hoffman (2) Keith Yandle (1), Aleksander Barkov (1) 00:41 NYI 1,FLA 2 PPG

Brian Boyle (1) 02:48 NYI 1,FLA 3

Brock Nelson (1) Ryan Pulock (2), Devon Toews (3) 18:33 NYI 2,FLA 3

The Series (Isles lead 2-1)

Game 1: Isles 2, Florida 1

Game 2: Isles 4, Florida 2

Game 3: Florida 3, Isles 2

Game 4: Friday (12:00)

Game 5 If needed):  Sunday (TBD)

The Skinny

Florida scored twice on the power play after scoring once on the power play and once two seconds after a power play expired on Tuesday… The Isles did not score a power play goal, stopping a streak of five straight playoff games, dating back to last May; it was the first time the Isles have scored PP goals in five consecutive playoff games since 2002 (5 games vs. Toronto) and 2003 (1 game vs. Ottawa)… J-G Pageau scored his second goal of the series; he now has 14 goals in 38 career playoff games, including 10 in his last 22 post-season affairs…Devon Toews now has eight points (1-7-8) in his first eleven career playoff games; he has recorded an assist in five straight games, dating back to last season…Both Toews and Anthony Beauvillier have points in all three playoff games, with Toews earning an assist in each contest….Florida outshot the Isles 10-0 while on the power play; the Isles held Florida to only 11 shots at even strength…Semyon Varlamov started games on consecutive days for the first time as an Islander... This was the first time that the Isles have played playoff games on consecutive days since April 14-15, 2016, also vs. Florida.  The Isles won game 1 in Sunrise 5-4; the Panthers won game 2, 3-1…Three of the Isles' five penalties were either for delay-of-game or for too many men…Brian Boyle's goal was his first in the playoffs since 2016 (for Tampa, vs. Pittsburgh)…Brock Nelson's goal (his 8th in Stanley Cup Play as an Islander, matching Josh Bailey for the club lead among current players) was only his second career goal vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (regular season/playoffs); he previously scored on him on January 24, 2017 at Barclays Center…Mike Hoffman has recorded consecutive multiple point games for the first time in his playoff career…Erik Haula's goal was his first in 10 games (regular season/playoffs) with Florida.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home. The .667 overall percentage and .643 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 0-0 in overtime this season; nine of the 27 playoff games the Isles have played since 2015 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-4 record.  

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 48:00 and the game was tied for 12:00

In game 2, the Isles led for 23:33,  and trailed for 20:50.  The game was tied for 15:37.

In game 3, the Isles trailed for 40:13 and the game was tied for 19:57.

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 150-125 in 275 all-time playoff games.  They are 85-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 2-0 in Toronto) and 64-79 on the road.   In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-0 when they are the home team and 0-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

The matchup between the Isles and Panthers is led by two coaches who have combined for 1,770 wins and 3,379 games.  No other match-up in NHL history has featured two coaches with as much experience.

The previous mark was in the 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals when Al Arbour bested Scotty Bowman's Penguins.  At the time, Arbour had coached 1,522 regular season games, winning 745, while Bowman had won 834 of his 1,440 games coached.  Trotz and Quenneville combine for 191 more wins and 417 more games.

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 124 playoff games (61-63).  His 61 wins are tied-18th all-time with Jacques Lemaire and two behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 6

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Barry Trotz 11

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 1

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 1-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles     8-4-10=22

Florida  6-11-5=22

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 28

• Game 2: Isles 34, Florida 28

• Game 3: Isles 22, Florida 22

• Series: Isles 84, Florida 78

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves but falls to 2-1 this season and 15-14 all-time in the playoffs.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves and improves to 1-2 this season and 12-20 all-time in the playoffs. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 4:44 of PP time; Florida was 2-5 on the power play in 6:27 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-3 (4:55; 3 shots), Florida 0-1 (2:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 2-7 (10:02: 5 shots); Florida 1-3 (2:12, 3 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-3 (4:44, 0 shots), Florida 2-5 (6:27, 10 shots)

• Series: Isles 3-10 (19:41; 8 shots), Florida 3-9 (10:39, 16 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 1-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (21:12);  Florida: Mackenzie Weegar (26:04)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 19:14 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0), Nick Leddy (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 22, Florida 26 (46%).

Derick Brassard won 3 of 4 for the Isles; Noel Acciari won 5 of 6 for Florida.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 24 (54%).  

• Game 2: Isles 25, Florida 39 (39%).

• Game 3: Isles 22, Florida 26 (46%)

• Series:   Isles 75, Florida 89 (46%)

Hit Count

Isles 28 (Adam Pelech-4)

Florida 31 (Riley Stillman -5)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 30, Florida 32

• Game 2: Isles 30, Florida 43 

• Game 3: Isles 28, Florida 31

• Series:   Isles 88, Florida 106

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.   

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Scott Mayfield -5)

Florida 14 (Two with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 51, Florida 47

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 41, Florida 26

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Nick Leddy +18

Florida: Two with +3

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 58, Florida 51;  (5-on-5) Isles 48, Florida 48

• Game 2 (All) Isles 57, Florida 56;  (5-on-5) Isles 39, Florida 40

• Game 3 (All) Isles 51, Florida 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Florida 26

• Game 2 (All) Isles 166, Florida 154;  (5-on-5) Isles 128, Florida 114

Scratches

(Johnny Boychuk), Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Leo Komarov, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 2. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 35

Matt Martin 35

Josh Bailey 33

Goals:

Josh Bailey 8 

Brock Nelson 8 

Jordan Eberle 6

Cal Clutterbuck 4

Assists:

Josh Bailey 10

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 7

Mathew Barzal 6

Casey Cizikas 5

Jordan Eberle 5

Thomas Hickey 5

Points:

Josh Bailey 18

Brock Nelson 12 

Nick Leddy 10

Penalty Minutes:

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Matt Martin 38 

Casey Cizikas 34

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 1 

Ryan Pulock 1

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

SH Goals

No current Islander has a playoff SH goal with Isles. (Last to do so was Kyle Okposo on May 5, 2013 vs. Pittsburgh)

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 1 

Thomas Hickey 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 2-1 2.03 GAA, .923 save percentage

Up Next

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7th  -  ISLANDERS VS FLORIDA (AT TORONTO) –12:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 11:30AM), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will once again look to close out the series as they face Florida. It will be the fourth straight afternoon game in this series, including three straight at 12 noon.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Skinny: Isles 4, Florida 2. (Isles lead series 2-0)

(With apologies for the poor formatting in today's edition:)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Qualifying Round Game 2

Isles 4, Florida 2

Isles lead best-of-5 series 2-0

Jordan Eberle scored the game's final two goals to break a 2-2 tie as the Isles took a 2-0 lead in their qualifying round series with a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Matt Martin (his first playoff goal since 2013) and Ryan Pulock each erased one goal deficits as the Isles rallied for the victory; Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the win. 

The Isles will look to complete the sweep on Wednesday at 12:00., 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Mike Hoffman (1) Jonathan Huberdeau (1), Keith Yandle (1)

11:16 FLA 1,NYI 0

2nd Period

Matt Martin (1) Tom Kuhnhackl (1), Andy Greene (1)

06:12 FLA 1,NYI 1

Aleksander Barkov (1) Keith Yandle (2), Mike Hoffman (1)

07:54 FLA 2,NYI 1 PPG

Ryan Pulock (1) Devon Toews (2), Derick Brassard (2)

13:48 FLA 2,NYI 2 PPG

Jordan Eberle (1) Ryan Pulock (1), Mathew Barzal (1)

16:27 FLA 2,NYI 3

3rd Period

Jordan Eberle (2) Anthony Beauvillier (1), Josh Bailey (1)

10:29 FLA 2,NYI 4 PPG

The Series (Isles lead 2-0)

Game 1: Isles 2, Florida 1

Game 2: Isles 4, Florida 2

Game 3: Wednesday 12:00

Game 4 (if needed): Friday (TBD)

Game 5 If needed):  Sunday (TBD)

The Skinny

Jordan Eberle is the first Isle to score twice in a playoff game since Shane Prince (Game 1 vs. Tampa Bay, 2016)… The Isles have scored a power play goal in five straight playoff games, dating back to last May, and scored twice in a game for the first time since that same game against Tampa; it's the first time the Isles have scored PP goals in five consecutive playoff games since 2002 (5 games vs. Toronto) and 2003 (1 game vs. Ottawa)…The Isles improve to 3-5 in game 2's of best-of-5s, with the others all contested from 1980-1986… …Devon Toews now has seven points (1-6-7) in his first ten career playoff games… Andy Greene replaced Johnny Boychuk in the lineup and contributed an assist; it was his first Isles playoff appearance.

The Injury

Brock Nelson suffered a cut on a high stick by Mike Matheson but remained in the game.  Matheson was fined $2,500 by the NHL.

Déjà vu All Over Again (Thanks Yogi)

Eight Islanders who dressed today also faced Florida in 2016 (Greiss, Leddy, Pulock, Bailey, Clutterbuck, Martin, Nelson, Cizikas); Thomas Hickey had an overtime goal in that series while Johnny Boychuk also played. Only four Panthers (Ekblad, Huberdeau, Barkov and Matheson) played in that series.

Join the Club 

Jordan Eberle is the fifth Islander to score at least six goals in his first ten playoff games.  Ray Ferraro had 11 goals (vs. Washington and Pittsburgh in 1993) while Mike Bossy, Patrick Flatley and Pierre Turgeon each had six.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home. The .667 overall percentage and .643 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 0-0 in overtime this season; nine of the 27 playoff games the Isles have played since 2015 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-4 record.  

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 48:00 and the game was tied for 12:00

In game 2, the Isles led for 23:33,  and trailed for 20:50.  The game was tied for 15:37.

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 150-124 in 274 all-time playoff games.  They are 85-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 2-0 in Toronto) and 64-78 on the road.  

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

The matchup between the Isles and Panthers is led by two coaches who have combined for 1,770 wins and 3,379 games.  No other match-up in NHL history has featured two coaches with as much experience.

The previous mark was in the 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals when Al Arbour bested Scotty Bowman's Penguins.  At the time, Arbour had coached 1,522 regular season games, winning 745, while Bowman had won 834 of his 1,440 games coached.  Trotz and Quenneville combine for 191 more wins and 417 more games.

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 123 playoff games (61-62).  His 60 wins are tied-18th all-time with Jacques Lemaire and two behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 6

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Barry Trotz 10

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 1

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 1-0 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles     13-10-11=34

Florida  8-11-9=28

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 28

• Game 2: Isles 34, Florida 28

• Series: Isles 62, Florida 56

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves to improve to 2-0 this season and 15-13 all-time in the playoffs.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves but falls to 0-2 this season and 11-20 all-time in the playoffs. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-7 on the power play in 10:02 of PP time; Florida was 1-3 on the power play in 2:12 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-3 (4:55; 3 shots), Florida 0-1 (2:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 2-7 (10:02: 5 shots); Florida 1-3 (2:12, 3 shots)

• Series: Isles 3-10 (14:57; 8shots), Florida 1-4 (4:12, 6 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 1-0 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-0 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (20:50);  Florida: Aaron Ekblad (25:39)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18;43 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (1-0)

Face-offs

Isles 25, Florida 39 (39%).

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 8 of 15 for the Isles; Aleksander Barkov won 15 of 24 for Florida.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Florida 24 (54%).  

• Game 2: Isles 25, Florida 39 (39%).

Hit Count

Isles 30 (Anders Lee -5)

Florida 43 (Mark Pysyk -8)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 30, Florida 32

• Game 2: Isles 30, Florida 43 

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.   

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Nick Leddy -3)

Florida 13 (Four with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Florida 56

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 39, Florida 40

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Ryan Pulock +7

Florida: Three with +7

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 58, Florida 51;  (5-on-5) Isles 48, Florida 48

• Game 2 (All) Isles 57, Florida 56;  (5-on-5) Isles 39, Florida 40

Scratches

(Johnny Boychuk), Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Leo Komarov, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 1. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 34

Matt Martin 34

Josh Bailey 32

Goals:

Josh Bailey 8 

Brock Nelson 7 

Jordan Eberle 6

Cal Clutterbuck 4

Assists:

Josh Bailey 10

Nick Leddy 8 

Mathew Barzal 6

Casey Cizikas 5

Jordan Eberle 5

Thomas Hickey 5

Points:

Josh Bailey 18

Brock Nelson 11 

Nick Leddy 10

Penalty Minutes:

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Matt Martin 38 

Casey Cizikas 34

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 1 

Ryan Pulock 1

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

SH Goals

No current Islander has a playoff SH goal with Isles. (Last to do so was Kyle Okposo on May 5, 2013 vs. Pittsburgh)

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 1 

Thomas Hickey 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 2-0 1.50 GAA, .955 save percentage

Up Next

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5th  -  ISLANDERS VS FLORIDA (AT TORONTO) –12:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 11:30AM), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles look to sweep the series as they face Florida. The Isles have swept a best-of-5 series only once, in 1981.

This will be the first time that the Isles have played playoff games on consecutive days since April 14-15, 2016, also vs. Florida.  The Isles won game 1 in Sunrise 5-4; the Panthers won game 2, 3-1.

AND FINALLY

My apologies for the relative brevity of this edition of The Skinny.  Like many Long Islanders, I was affected … but not stopped… by the storm that battered our Island today.  The Skinny streak is extended to 662 consecutive 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