The Skinny: Isles 5, Tampa Bay 3

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Final Game 3

Isles 5, Tampa Bay 3

Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series, 2-1

Brock Nelson converted a cross-ice pass from Anthony Beauvillier with 3:25 for the winning goal as the Islander earned a 5-3 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton.  Tampa Bay still leads the series, 2 games to 1.

Adam Pelech gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead in the second period en route to a +4 evening; it was his first career playoff goal.

Game 4 is scheduled for 3:00 Eastern Time Sunday on NBC.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Cal Clutterbuck (2) Ryan Pulock (8), Matt Martin (1) 12:58 TBL 0,NYI 1

Mikhail Sergachev (2) Yanni Gourde (5) 16:31 TBL 1,NYI 1

2nd Period

Adam Pelech (1) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3), Mathew Barzal (10) 11:50 TBL 1,NYI 2

Anthony Beauvillier (9) Brock Nelson (9), Devon Toews (8) 13:50 TBL 1,NYI 3

3rd Period

Ondrej Palat (7) Nikita Kucherov (17), Mikhail Sergachev (5) 02:32 TBL 2,NYI 3 PPG

Tyler Johnson (4) Erik Cernak (3), Carter Verhaeghe (2) 12:04 TBL 3,NYI 3

Brock Nelson (8) Anthony Beauvillier (5), Josh Bailey (16) 16:35 TBL 3,NYI 4

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8)EN Josh Bailey (17) 19:24 TBL 3,NYI 5

The Series (Tampa Bay leads, 2-1)

Game 1: Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

Game 2: Tampa Bay 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Isles 5, Tampa Bay 3

Game 4: Sunday 3pm (NBC)

Game 5: Tuesday, September 15th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 6: (if needed) Thursday, September 17th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 7: (if needed) Saturday, September 19th  7:30pm (NBC)

The Skinny 

Each team scored twice in the third period; the Isles have allowed only four third period goals in their twelve wins this post-season and lead the NHL with 25 third period goals in this year's playoffs…Nick Leddy played his 45th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record … As they did in both games 1-2, the Lightning dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen… Casey Cizikas missed an Islander playoff game for the first time since he joined the team.  Casey and Matt Martin had played in every Isles playoff game since 2013…Martin had two hits to go along with his assist; he leads the playoffs with 90 hits (7 more than Ryan Reaves and Jamie Oleksiak).  Only eight NHLers have recorded 100 hits in a post-season…Brock Nelson recorded his third game-winning goal in this year's playoffs, joining Anthony Beauvillier as the only Islanders to do so since the Dynasty…Five misconduct penalties (3 to Tampa Bay) were assessed after Pageau's goal; in all 64 penalty minutes were assessed in the third period (37 to Tampa Bay)…The Isles' win snaps a 6-game playoff losing streak to Tampa…Adam Pelech is the sixth Islander defenseman to score this year (no other team has goals from more than 4 defensemen); it is the first time in Islander history that six d-men have scored a goal in a single playoff year…The Isles ended Victor Hedman's 4-game goal streak as he fell just one game shy of Paul Coffey's record for a defenseman….Nikita Kucherov recorded his 24th multi-point game, tying Martin St. Louis' club record…The Isles have scored 7 empty-net goals this summer (three more than they scored in  any other playoff year)

First Time in a Long Time (Playoffs)

• Adam Pelech scored his first career playoff goal; he became the first Islander since Casey Cizikas (5-7-2013 vs. Pittsburgh) and the first Islander defenseman since Steve Konroyd (4-16-1987 vs. Washington) to record a +4 rating.

• Matt Martin had his first playoff assist in his last 31 games (4-15-2017 for Toronto vs. Washington)

• Josh Bailey recorded his league-leading 6th multi-assist game; he is the first NHLer to do so since Logan Couture also had six in 2016.

• Semyon Varlamov recorded his 10th win this summer; he is the first Islander not named Billy Smith to do so (Smith did so in each year from 1980 to 1984).

• The Isles won a game in Edmonton for the first time since Game 2 of the 1983 Final (0-3 vs. EDM in 1984 and 0-2 vs Tampa)

• The Lightning allowed 5 goals for the first time since a season-ending 7-3 loss to Columbus (4-16-2019) that included three empty-net goals.

• The Isles are within seven wins of the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993, when they ended seven wins shy of Lord Stanley's trophy.

Late Game Ecstasy

One game after allowing Nikita Kucherov's to score the latest game-winner ever allowed by the Isles in a playoff game in regulation, Brock Nelson scored the latest playoff game-winner for the Isles in 18 years.  Nelson's goal (at 16:35) was the latest game-winner for the Isles since Shawn Bates scored on a penalty shot at 17:30 of the 3rd period on April 24, 2002.

Latest Game-Winning Goals in the Playoffs (Since 1980)

• 4/22/87 @ PHI Mikko Makela 19:57

• 4/14/85 Vs WSH Bryan Trottier 18:52

• 4/24/02 Vs.  TOR Shawn Bates 17:30

• 4/9/87 @ WSH Bryan Trottier 17:20

• 9/11/20 Vs (EDM)TB      Brock Nelson    16:35

A Special Summer

The Isles have won 12 games this summer. It is their most wins in a single post-season since the Dynasty Era:

• 1980 -15

• 1981 -15

• 1982 -15

• 1983 -15

• 1984 -12

• 2020 -12

This was the 19th game the Isles have played this summer, ranking tied-4th on the list of Games Played in a playoff year:

• 1980 – 21

• 1984 – 21

• 1983 – 20

• 2020 - 19

• 1982 – 19

• 1981 – 19

• 1993 - 18 

• 1975 – 17 

Matt Joins the Club

Matt Martin is only the 7th Islander in the last 27 years to score 5 goals in a playoff year.

• Anthony Beauvillier 9 (2020) 

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau 8 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 8 (2020)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

• John Tavares 6 (2016)

• Mathew Barzal 5 (2020)

• Matt Martin 5 (2020)

The Isles are the first team in this year's playoffs to have six players with at least five goals.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 20 goals in 54 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 54 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel has scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games

• JG Pageau 20 goals in 54 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 52 games

• Bobby Ryan 19 goals in 50 games

• Mark Stone 17 goals in 52 games

• Jamie Benn 17 goals in 51 games

Pageau's 8 playoff goals this summer are tied-4th highest in a player's first playoff with the Isles:

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 9 (1984)

• JG Pageau 8 (2020)

• JP Parise 8 (1975)

Lucky 13

Scott Mayfield was +2 and improves to +13 while JG Pageau was +2 to reach +12.

No Isle has finished a playoff year higher than +6 (Benoit Hogue in 1993) in the Post-Cup era. Denis Potvin (team-leading +20) was one of five Isles +16 or better in 1983.

Mayfield is one of only three players in NHL +13 or better  while Pageau is one of only six that are +12 or better (Victor Hedman +14, Nathan McKinnon +13, , Cole Makar +12,  Nikita Kucherov +12)

Beau and Friends

Anthony Beauvillier has nine goals this summer, leaving him tied-second in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Anthony Beauvillier 9 (2020) 

• JG Pageau 8 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 8 (2020)

• Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey now has seventeen assists this summer, the most assists by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era (and the most since Bob Bourne had 20 in 1983).

• Josh Bailey 17 (2020) 

• Derek King 11 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 10 (2020)

• Jordan Eberle 9 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 9 (2020)

• Ryan Pulock 8 (2020)

• Devon Toews 8 (2020)

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)

• John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Islander Royalty

Bailey has six multi-assist games this year, joining this list of Islander Royalty:

• Bryan Trottier 7 (1982)

• Denis Potvin 6 (1981)

• Josh Bailey 6 (2020)

Bailey also is the first non-Dynasty Islander with 17 assists in a playoff year:

• Bryan Trottier 23(1982)

• Bob Bourne 20 (1983)

• Mike Bossy 18 (1981)

• Bryan Trottier 18 (1981)

• Josh Bailey 17 (2020)

• Denis Potvin 17 (1981)

• Bryan Trottier 17 (1980)

Hey, Josh Bailey II

Bailey now has 19 points this summer, moving him within one point of Ray Ferraro for the highest total by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 20 (1993)

• Josh Bailey 19 (2020) 

• Brock Nelson 17 (2020) 

• Steve Thomas 17 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 15 (2020)

• Derek King 14 (1993)

Thanks for the Help

Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews each have eight assists this summer, the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ryan Pulock 8 (2020) 

• Devon Toews 8 (2020)

• Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)

• Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)

• Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 15 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 15

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

• Anthony Beauvillier 10

Coming Up Big

Brock Nelson now has five career game-winning goals in the playoffs; the other 9 Isles with at least 5 GWGs combined for 38 Stanley Cup rings.

Final Four!

The Isles have advanced to the conference final for the first time since 1993.  This ends the longest gap between conference final appearances in NHL history.

Longest Playoff Shutout Streaks by a Goalie:

• Semyon Varlamov 138:17 (8/20-8/26/2020)

• Billy Smith  136:59 (4/11-4/16/1980)

• Robin Lehner 123:29 (4/16-4/26/2019)

The Isles' team shutout record in post-season play is 182:50, set in April 1979 (all vs. Chicago).

Facing Tampa

This is the 3rd meeting of the Isles and Tampa Bay in the playoffs; the Lightning have won the two previous series (2004 Conference Quarter-Final and 2016 Round 2), each in five games.  

Barry and Al

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.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello has won 29 playoff series as a General Manager, passing Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list. Glen Sather has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-20 (.636) all-time in overtime, including 19-11 (.633) at home. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-3 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-7 in thirteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Tampa Bay

The Isles are 0-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Tampa Bay:

• 04/16/04 @ Martin St. Louis L TB 00:04:07

• 05/03/16 Vs Brian Boyle L TB 00:02:48 (Brooklyn)

• 05/06/16 Vs Jason Garrison L TB 00:01:34 (Brooklyn)

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 4:53, Trailed: 55:07 

Game 2: Led: 17:01, Tied:42:50, Trailed: 0:09

Game 3:Led 27:12, Tied: 32:48, Trailed: 0:00

Series:    Led: 44:13, Tied:80:31, Trailed: 55:16

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

Vs. Washington  Led  130:12, Tied 120:32, Trailed: 53:44

Vs. Philadelphia:   Led: 180:45, Tied: 190:22,  Trailed: 98:57 

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 160-131 in 291 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-48 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-0 in Edmonton) and 70-83 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 6-2 when they are the home team (5-2 in Toronto and 1-0 in Edmonton) and 6-5 when they are the road team (6-3 in Toronto and 0-2 in Edmonton).

A Winning Summer

With a record of 12-7 in the playoffs, the Isles are guaranteed to win more games than they lost for the first time in the post-Cup era.  It is the most games the Isles have won in the playoffs since 1984, when they also won 12.

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 140 playoff games (71-69).  His 140 games are 13th (3 behind Peter Laviolette) while his 71 wins are 15th all time (4 behind Laviolette).  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 119

• Barry Trotz 16

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 198

• Barry Trotz 27

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• 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 (2-4)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most game 7 wins/game seven record)

• Al Arbour 4 (2-2)

• Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Jack Capuano 1 (0-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 4

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 8-3 when scoring first and are 4-4 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles      16-10-10=36

Tampa Bay   14-11-12=37

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 25, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 21

• Game 3: Isles 36, Tampa Bay 37

• Series:  Isles 89, Tampa Bay 92

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 236, Philadelphia 204

• Playoffs: Isles 583, Opponents 523

The Isles are 7-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2 when the shots are even and 32 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves to improve to 10-5 in this year's playoffs and 23-18 in his career. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves but falls to 12-4 in this year's playoffs and 27-19 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Tampa Bay was 1-1 on the power play in 0:39 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-5 (9:44, 10 shots), Tampa Bay 3-6 (7:07,12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-4 (10:22, 13 shots), Tampa Bay 0-3 (6:00, 4 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Tampa Bay 1-1 (0:39, 1 shot)

• Series: Isles 1-11 (24:06, 25 shots), Tampa Bay 4-10 (13:46,17 shots)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 2-22 (34:26, 29 shots), Washington 4-18 (24:57, 20 shots)

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 4-21 (37:06, 33 shots), Philadelphia 0-13 (24:09, 11 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 11-70 (121:33, 102 shots), Penalty Kill 12-55 (79:43, 69 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 10-3 in the playoffs (109-0 in regulation and 0-3 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-4 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 11-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 3-6 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-3 in regulation and 1-3 in overtime). The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Scott Mayfield (22:05);  Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman (23:23)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:25 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (6-1), Mathew Barzal (2-1), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-3), Scott Mayfield (2-0), Devon Toews (0-1).

Face-offs

Isles 27, Tampa Bay 38 (42%)  

JG Pageau won 11 of 21 for the Isles; Mitchell Stephens won 9 of 11 for Tampa Bay.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%)

• Game 2: Isles 30, Tampa Bay 24 (56%)

• Game 3: Isles 27, Tampa Bay 38 (42%)  

• Series: Isles 85, Tampa Bay 88 (49%)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 156, Washington 122 (56%)

• Vs. Tampa Bay: Isles 198, Philadelphia 216 (48%)

• Playoffs: Isles 543, Opponents 553 (50%)

Hit Count

Isles 44 (Leo Komarov -7)

Tampa Bay 62 (Cedric Paquette and Barclay Goodrow -7)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 53, Tampa Bay 44

• Game 3: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 62

• Series: Isles 141, Tampa Bay 140

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Vs. Washington: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 310, Philadelphia 290

• Playoffs: Isles 773, Opponents 731

Fights

Matt Martin fought Barclay Goodrow in the final minute; several other altercations were not recorded as fights. Playoff total -4  (Lee -1, Pageau -1, Martin 2)

Blocked Shots

Isles 25 (Nick Leddy -4)

Tampa Bay 14 (Cedric Paquette and Barclay Goodrow -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Tampa Bay 77 

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 48, Tampa Bay 69

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  JG Pageau +6

Tampa Bay: Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov +22

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Tampa Bay 49;  (5-on-5) Isles 33, Tampa Bay 38

• Game 3 (All) Isles 58, Tampa Bay 77;  (5-on-5) Isles 48, Tampa Bay 69

• Series: (All) Isles 160, Tampa Bay 173;  (5-on-5) Isles 105, Tampa Bay 135

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

• Vs Washington: (All) Isles 260, Washington 294; (5-on-5) Isles 190, Washington 212

• Series: (All) Isles 453, Philadelphia 454;  (5-on-5) Isles 382, Philadelphia 412

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 1099, Opponent 1143; (5-on-5) Isles 851, Opponent 927

Scratches

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

Playoff games lost: 6. 

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

• Mathew Barzal – Game 3 vs. Washington (8/18/20) – 4:28 of OT

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• Philippe Myers – Game 2 vs. Philadelphia (8/26/20) – 2:41 of OT

• Scott Laughton – Game 5 vs. Philadelphia (9/1/20) – 12:20 of OT

• Ivan Provorov – Game 6 vs. Philadelphia (9/3/20) – 35:03 of OT

• Nikita Kucherov – Game 2 vs Tampa Bay (9/9/20) – 19:51 of 3rd

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 51

Casey Cizikas 50

Josh Bailey 49

Nick Leddy 45

Brock Nelson 45

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 51

Nick Leddy 45

Brock Nelson 40

Goals:

Brock Nelson 15

Josh Bailey 10

Anthony Beauvillier 10

Anders Lee 8

Jordan Eberle 8

JG Pageau 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Cal Clutterbuck 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 26

Mathew Barzal 15

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 13

Devon Toews 12

Nick Leddy 11

Ryan Pulock 11

Points:

Josh Bailey 36

Brock Nelson 26

Jordan Eberle 22

Mathew Barzal 22

Nick Leddy 16

Anthony Beauvillier 16

Anders Lee 14

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 64

Cal Clutterbuck 54

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  7-8  2.41 GAA, .921 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 10-4 2.26 GAA, .914 save percentage

Up Next

CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 4 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th – 3:00pm 

ISLANDERS VS. TAMPA BAY (AT EDMONTON)  

[NBC- channel 4, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-Radio; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Islanders will look to even the series as they play game 4 in Edmonton.

The Lightning are 9-3 all-time when leading a series 2-1; the Isles are 4-12 all-time when dropping two of the first 3 inf a best-of-7.  The last Islander series win when trailing 1-2 was in 1993 vs. Pittsburgh (0-6 since then).  

Doc Emrick is expected to call this game, and all remaining games the Isles play this summer for NBC. Emrick last called an Islander playoff game in 2015.

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: Tampa Bay 2, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Final Game 2

Tampa Bay 2, Isles 1

Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series, 2-0

Nikita Kucherov scored with 8.8 seconds to play to break a 1-1 tie as the Tampa Bay Brayden Lightning took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final with a 2-1 win over the Islanders at Rogers Place in Edmonton.  

Matt Martin scored 84 seconds into play to give the Isles their first lead in the series, but Victor Hedman tied the game off a face-off win the 18:25 of the first.  The tie lasted nearly 41 ½ minutes before Kucherov scored the winner.

 

Game 3 is scheduled for 8:00 Eastern Time on Friday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Matt Martin (5) Nick Leddy (3) 01:24 NYI 1,TBL 0

Victor Hedman (7) Barclay Goodrow (3) 18:25 NYI 1,TBL 1

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Nikita Kucherov (6) Ryan McDonagh (4) 19:51 NYI 1,TBL 2 

The Series (Tampa Bay leads, 2-0)

Game 1: Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

Game 2: Tampa Bay 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Friday 8pm (USA Network)

Game 4: Sunday 3pm (NBC)

Game 5: (if needed) Tuesday, September 15th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 6: (if needed) Thursday, September 17th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 7: (if needed) Saturday, September 19th  7:30pm (NBC)

The Skinny 

The Lightning had not trailed for 304:46 prior to Matt Martin's goal…The Isles were held to one goal for the first time in the playoffs…The Isles were outscored 1-0 in the third period; the Isles have allowed only two third period goals in their eleven wins this post-season and lead the NHL with 23 third period goals in this year's playoffs…Nick Leddy played his 44th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record …Brayden Point missed most of the second period and all of the third, ending his seven game point streak (4-12-16); Ondrej Palat's five game goal streak often ended. …Andrew Ladd appeared in a game for the first time since March 10th… As they did in game 1, the Lightning dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

The Injuries

Brock Nelson left the game when he was boarded by Alex Killorn in the first period; Killorn was ejected and Nelson returned midway through the second period.

Brayden Point played only two shifts in the second period and did not return for the third.

Late Game Heartbreak

Nikita Kucherov's game-winner was the latest ever allowed by the Isles in a playoff game in regulation; the previous mark of 18:52 was set by Craig Laughlin of Washington on April 12, 1984.

It is also the 2nd-latest playoff winner by the Lightning (Tyler Johnson at 19:58 of the 3rd in 2015 vs. Montreal) and the 3rd-latest in conference final/semifinal play.

It is the 2nd time this summer (Nazem Kadri -19:59 for Colorado vs. St. Louis on August 2nd) and 4th time since 2015 that the winning goal has been scored in the final ten seconds of the third period.

A Special Summer

The Isles have won 11 games this summer. It is their most wins in a single post-season since the Dynasty Era:

• 1980 -15

• 1981 -15

• 1982 -15

• 1983 -15

• 1984 -12

• 2020 -11

This was the 18th game the Isles have played this summer, ranking tied-6th on the list of Games Played in a playoff year:

• 1980 – 21

• 1984 – 21

• 1983 – 20

• 1982 – 19

• 1981 – 19

• 1993 - 18 

• 2020 - 18

• 1975 – 17 

Matt Martin and Friends

Matt Martin is only the 8th Islander in the last 27 years to score 5 goals in a playoff year.

• Anthony Beauvillier 8 (2020)

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau 7 (2020)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

• Brock Nelson    7 (2020)

• John Tavares    6 (2016)

• Mathew Barzal     5 (2020)

• Matt Martin 5 (2020)

The Isles are the first team in this year's playoffs to have six players with at least five goals.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 19 goals in 53 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 53 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel, Nathan MacKinnon and David Pastrnak have scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 52 games

• JG Pageau 19 goals in 53 games

• Bobby Ryan 19 goals in 50 games

• Mark Stone 17 goals in 51 games

• Mark Schiefele 16 goals in 28 games 

• Jamie Benn 16 goals in 50 games

Pageau's 7 playoff goals this summer are the 5th highest in a player's first playoff with the Isles:

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 9 (1984)

• JP Parise 8 (1975)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

11 Alive

Scott Mayfield was even and remains +11.

No Isle has finished a playoff year higher than +6 (Benoit Hogue in 1993) in the Post-Cup era. Denis Potvin (team-leading +20) was one of five Isles +16 or better in 1983.

Mayfield is one of only nine players in NHL +11 or better (Victor Hedman +15, Nathan McKinnon +13, Alec Martinez +12, Cole Makar +12, Ondrej Palat +12, Brayden Point +11,  Mikko Rantanen +11, Nikita Kucherov +11)

The Great 8

Anthony Beauvillier has eight goals this summer, leaving him tied-third in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Anthony Beauvillier 8 (2020)

• Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey now has fifteen assists this summer, the most assists by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era (and the most since Bob Bourne had 20 in 1983).

• Josh Bailey 15 (2020) 

• Derek King 11 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 9 (2020)

• Jordan Eberle 9 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 8 (2020)

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)

• John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Bailey is the only Isle to have five multi-assist games in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era and joins Bryan Trottier (2x), Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Bob Bourne as the only Isles to ever have at least five multi-assist games in one post-season.  (Bryan Trottier had 7 of them in 1982).

Hey, Josh Bailey II

Bailey now has 17 points this summer, matching Steve Thomas for the second-highest total by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 20 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 17 (1993)

• Josh Bailey 17 (2020) 

• Brock Nelson 15 (2020) 

• Mathew Barzal 14 (2020)

• Derek King 14 (1993)

Thanks for the Help

Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock each have seven assists this summer, the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Devon Toews 7 (2020)

• Ryan Pulock 7 (2020)

• Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)

• Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)

• Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 14 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 14 

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

Final Four!

The Isles have advanced to the conference final for the first time since 1993.  This ends the longest gap between conference final appearances in NHL history.

Longest Playoff Shutout Streaks by a Goalie:

• Semyon Varlamov 138:17 (8/20-8/26/2020)

• Billy Smith  136:59 (4/11-4/16/1980)

• Robin Lehner 123:29 (4/16-4/26/2019)

The Isles' team shutout record in post-season play is 182:50, set in April 1979 (all vs. Chicago).

Facing Tampa

This is the 3rd meeting of the Isles and Tampa Bay in the playoffs; the Lightning have won the two previous series (2004 Conference Quarter-Final and 2016 Round 2), each in five games.  

Barry and Al

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.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello has won 29 playoff series as a General Manager, passing Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list. Glen Sather has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-20 (.636) all-time in overtime, including 19-11 (.633) at home. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-3 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-7 in thirteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Tampa Bay

The Isles are 0-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Tampa Bay:

• 04/16/04 @ Martin St. Louis L TB 00:04:07

• 05/03/16 Vs Brian Boyle L TB 00:02:48 (Brooklyn)

• 05/06/16 Vs Jason Garrison L TB 00:01:34 (Brooklyn)

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 4:53, Trailed: 55:07 

Game 2: Led: 17:01, Tied:42:50, Trailed: 0:09

Series:    Led: 17:01, Tied:47:43, Trailed: 55:16

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

Vs. Washington  Led  130:12, Tied 120:32, Trailed: 53:44

Vs. Philadelphia:   Led: 180:45, Tied: 190:22,  Trailed: 98:57 

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 159-131 in 290 all-time playoff games.  They are 89-48 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 0-0 in Edmonton) and 70-83 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 5-2 when they are the home team (5-2 in Toronto and 0-0 in Edmonton) and 6-5 when they are the road team (6-3 in Toronto and 0-2 in Edmonton).

A Winning Summer

With a record of 11-7 in the playoffs, the Isles are guaranteed to win more games than they lost for the first time in the post-Cup era.  It is the most games the Isles have won in the playoffs since 1984, when they won 12.

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 139 playoff games (70-69).  His 139 games are 13th (4 behind Peter Laviolette) while his 70 wins are 15th all time (5 behind Laviolette).  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 119

• Barry Trotz 15

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 198

• Barry Trotz 26

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• 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 (2-4)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most game 7 wins/game seven record)

• Al Arbour 4 (2-2)

• Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Jack Capuano 1 (0-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 4

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 7-3 when scoring first and are 4-4 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles         13-7-8=28

Tampa Bay   4-6-11=21

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 25, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 21

• Series:  Isles 53, Tampa Bay 55

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 236, Philadelphia 204

• Playoffs: Isles 547, Opponents 486

The Isles are 7-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2 when the shots are even and 2-2 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves but falls to 9-5 in this year's playoffs and 22-18 in his career. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves to improve to 12-3 in this year's playoffs and 27-18 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play in 10:22 of PP time (including a 5-minute major and a 38 second 5-on-3; Tampa Bay was 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-5 (9:44, 10 shots), Tampa Bay 3-6 (7:07,12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-4 (10:22, 13 shots), Tampa Bay 0-3 (6:00, 4 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-9 (20:06, 23 shots), Tampa Bay 3-9 (13:07,16 shots)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 2-22 (34:26, 29 shots), Washington 4-18 (24:57, 20 shots)

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 4-21 (37:06, 33 shots), Philadelphia 0-13 (24:09, 11 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 11-68 (117:33, 100 shots), Penalty Kill 11-54 (79:04, 68 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 9-3 in the playoffs (9-0 in regulation and 0-3 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-4 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 11-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 3-6 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-3 in regulation and 1-3 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: Ryan Pulock (23:15);  Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman (26:05)

Jordan Eberle led Isles forwards with 20:51 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (6-1), Mathew Barzal (2-1), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-3), Scott Mayfield (1-0), Devon Toews (0-1).

Face-offs

Isles 30, Tampa Bay 24 (56%), including 14-2 in the Isles' favor in the third period.  

Brock Nelson won 9 of 11 for the Isles; Cedric Paquette won 6 of 9 for Tampa Bay.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%)

• Game 2: Isles 30, Tampa Bay 24 (56%)

• Series: Isles 58, Tampa Bay 50 (54%)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 156, Washington 122 (56%)

• Vs. Tampa Bay: Isles 198, Philadelphia 216 (48%)

• Playoffs: Isles 516, Opponents 515 (50%)

Hit Count

Isles 53 (Matt Martin -7)

Tampa Bay 44 (Cedric Paquette -8)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 53, Tampa Bay 44

• Series: Isles 97, Tampa Bay 78

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Vs. Washington: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 310, Philadelphia 290

• Playoffs: Isles 729, Opponents 669

Fights

Matt Martin fought Luke Schenn in the 2nd period. Playoff total -3  (Lee -1, Pageau -1, Martin 1)

Blocked Shots

Isles 15 (Pulock -5)

Tampa Bay 24 (Three with 4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Tampa Bay 49 

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 33, Tampa Bay 38

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Scott Mayfield +5

Tampa Bay: Three with +8

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Tampa Bay 49;  (5-on-5) Isles 33, Tampa Bay 38

• Series: (All) Isles 102, Tampa Bay 96;  (5-on-5) Isles 57, Tampa Bay 66

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

• Vs Washington: (All) Isles 260, Washington 294; (5-on-5) Isles 190, Washington 212

• Series: (All) Isles 453, Philadelphia 454;  (5-on-5) Isles 382, Philadelphia 412

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 1041, Opponent 1066; (5-on-5) Isles 803, Opponent 858

Scratches

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

Playoff games lost: 5. 

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

• Mathew Barzal – Game 3 vs. Washington (8/18/20) – 4:28 of OT

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• Philippe Myers – Game 2 vs. Philadelphia (8/26/20) – 2:41 of OT

• Scott Laughton – Game 5 vs. Philadelphia (9/1/20) – 12:20 of OT

• Ivan Provorov – Game 6 vs. Philadelphia (9/3/20) – 35:03 of OT

• Nikita Kucherov – Game 2 vs Tampa Bay (9/9/20) – 19:51 of 3rd

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 50

Matt Martin 50

Josh Bailey 48

Nick Leddy 44

Brock Nelson 44

Goals:

Brock Nelson 14

Josh Bailey 10

Anthony Beauvillier 9

Anders Lee 8

Jordan Eberle 8

JG Pageau 7

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 24

Mathew Barzal 14

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 12

Devon Toews 11

Nick Leddy 11

Ryan Pulock 10

Points:

Josh Bailey 34

Brock Nelson 26

Jordan Eberle 22

Mathew Barzal 21

Nick Leddy 16

Anthony Beauvillier 14

Anders Lee 14

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 59

Cal Clutterbuck 44

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 4

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  7-8  2.41 GAA, .921 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 9-4 2.21 GAA, .913 save percentage

Up Next

CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 3 – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th – 8:00pm 

ISLANDERS VS. TAMPA BAY (AT EDMONTON)  

[USA NETWORK, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-Radio; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Islanders will look to get back in the series as they play game 3 in Edmonton.

The Lightning are 5-0 all-time when winning games 1 and 2; the Isles are 3-9 all-time when dropping the first 2 of a best-of-7.  The last Islander series win when falling behind 0-2 was in 1984 vs. Montreal (0-6 since then).  That Isles win is one of only two in the NHL by a team trailing 2-0 in the Conference Finals since the Conference setup was established in 1982.

It will be the 19th game of the summer for the Isles, which represents the most for any Islander team outside the Dynasty (1980-1984).

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

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

The Skinny on Rebounding From Game 1

The Isles 8-2 loss in Game 1 set or tied a bunch of records for both teams.   For example, it was only the third time in club history they had allowed eight goals in a playoff game:

• On April 10, 1975, the Rangers beat the Isles 8-3 at the Coliseum; 24 hours later JP Parise changed the course of NY hockey history forever.
• On May 15, 1980, Paul Holmgren's hat trick led the Flyers to an 8-3 win to even the Final; nine days later Bob Nystrom beat Pete Peeters to win the Stanley Cup.

What about losing a game by six goals?  

You only have to look back to last season.   Remember after the Isles swept the Penguins, it looked certain that the Isles would face Washington after the reigning Champs beat Carolina 6-0 in Game 5; it didn't happen as the Canes took games 6 and 7.

In 2017, Edmonton lost 7-0 to San Jose in the first round in game 4 but won the series in 6.  Two weeks later Edmonton beat Anaheim 7-1, in game 6 (at Rogers Place) but lost that series three days later.

Losing a game by six or more goals and winning the series is actually not all that uncommon.  It last happened in a Game 1 in 2003; ask Doug Weight about it.  Weight had a goal and an assist in a 6-0 game 1 win over Vancouver as Chris Osgood posted a shutout. Twelve nights later, Weight set up Martin Rucinsky just 60 seconds into play but Vancouver emerged with a 4-1 win in Game 7.

Then there is the case of the 1997 Detroit Red Wings, who lost Game 5 of their rivalry series to the reigning champion Colorado Avalanche 6-0; two nights later they won the series in six games and they did not lose again, sweeping the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup.

And finally, how about the 1947 Toronto Maple Leafs, who lost game 2 of their semi-final series 9-1 to Detroit (at home!) and lost game 1 of the Final 6-0 in Montreal.  They lost only one other game as they also won the first of three consecutive Stanley Cups.

Could it happen again?  As a wise man once told me:  "That's Why They Play the Games".

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: Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Final Game 1

Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series, 1-0

Brayden Point scored two goals and added three assists while Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and added four assists as Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final with an 8-2 win over the Islanders at Rogers Place in Edmonton.  

After allowing the opening goal just 74 seconds into play, Jordan Eberle knotted the scored with a power play tally at the 4:33 mark.  However, the Lightning scored two goals in the next 6:13 to chase Thomas Greiss and added two more goals in the second period to make the game a one-sided affair.

 

Game 2 is scheduled for 8:00 Eastern Time on Wednesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Brayden Point (7) Blake Coleman (5), Luke Schenn (1) 01:14 NYI 0,TBL 1

Jordan Eberle (4) Anders Lee (1), Mathew Barzal (9) 04:33 NYI 1,TBL 1 PPG

Victor Hedman (6) Brayden Point (13), Nikita Kucherov (13) 08:12 NYI 1,TBL 2 PPG

Ryan McDonagh (1) Nikita Kucherov (14), Mikhail Sergachev (4) 10:46 NYI 1,TBL 3

2nd Period

Yanni Gourde (4) Pat Maroon (3), Kevin Shattenkirk (6) 04:03 NYI 1,TBL 4

Brayden Point (8) Victor Hedman (5), Nikita Kucherov (15) 13:18 NYI 1,TBL 5 PPG

3rd Period

Nikita Kucherov (5) Brayden Point (14), Kevin Shattenkirk (7) 05:51 NYI 1,TBL 6

Nick Leddy (3)  Anders Lee (2), Jordan Eberle (9) 08:46 NYI 2,TBL 6

Ondrej Palat (6) Brayden Point (15), Nikita Kucherov (16) 09:31 NYI 2,TBL 7

Yanni Gourde (5) Kevin Shattenkirk (8), Victor Hedman (6) 13:15 NYI 2,TBL 8 PPG

The Series (Tampa Bay leads, 1-0)

Game 1: Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

Game 2: Wednesday 8pm (NBCSN)

Game 3: Friday 8pm (USA Network)

Game 4: Sunday 3pm (NBC)

Game 5: (if needed) Tuesday, September 15th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 6: (if needed) Thursday, September 17th  8pm (NBCSN)

Game 7: (if needed) Saturday, September 19th  7:30pm (NBC)

The Skinny 

The five points by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point established club records both for the Lightning and against the Isles; Kucherov's four assists tied similar club records for both teams … Point and Kucherov are the first teammates to have five-point games in the conference finals since Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri did so for Edmonton in 1985 against Chicago…The eight goals matched the Lightning playoff record for goals scored and the Isles record for goals allowed…The Isles were outscored 3-1 in the third period; the Isles have allowed only two third period goals in their eleven wins this post-season and lead the NHL with 23 third period goals in this year's playoffs… The Isles extended their streak of scoring at least two goals in every game in The Bubble…Nick Leddy played his 43rd playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record; he became the first Islander defenseman since Vladimir Malakhov (1993) to score three goals in a playoff year…The Lightning scored three power play goals, snapping the Isles club-record (playoffs) 8-game streak of not allowing a power play goal…Brayden Point has a point in seven straight games (4-12-16); Ondrej Palat scored for the fifth straight game…Barry Trotz coached his 25th playoff game for the Isles, passing Jack Capuano for 2nd place on the team list; the Isles allowed 8 goals for only the second time under Trotz (12/17/2019 vs. Nashville)…Tampa Bay had 12 shots on the PP; that's one more than the Isles allowed Philadelphia in their seven-game series…The Lightning missed the net on only one of their 47 attempts (Cedric Paquette at 18:53 of the third)…Anders Lee recorded his first two playoff assists while Jordan Eberle extended his point streak to four games with his first goal since game 1 vs. Washington…This is the first time the Isles have trailed in a series in 2020.

The Injury

Cal Clutterbuck suffered an injury in the second period blocking a shot; he returned to the bench briefly in the third period but left the bench without returning to the game.

A Special Summer

The Isles have won 11 games this summer. It is their most wins in a single post-season since the Dynasty Era:

• 1980 -15

• 1981 -15

• 1982 -15

• 1983 -15

• 1984 -12

• 2020 -11

This was the 17th game the Isles have played this summer, ranking tied-7th on the list of Games Played in a playoff year:

• 1980 – 21

• 1984 – 21

• 1983 – 20

• 1982 – 19

• 1981 – 19

• 1993 - 18 

• 2020 - 17

• 1975 – 17 

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 19 goals in 52 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 52 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel, Nathan MacKinnon and David Pastrnak have scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 52 games

• JG Pageau 19 goals in 52 games

• Bobby Ryan 19 goals in 50 games

• Mark Stone 17 goals in 50 games

• Mark Schiefele 16 goals in 28 games 

• Jamie Benn 16 goals in 49 games

Pageau's 7 playoff goals this summer are the 5th highest in a player's first playoff with the Isles:

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 9 (1984)

• JP Parise 8 (1975)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

11 Alive

JG Pageau was even and remains +11; Scott Mayfield was even and is now +11.

No Isle has finished a playoff year higher than +6 (Benoit Hogue in 1993) in the Post-Cup era. Denis Potvin (team-leading +20) was one of five Isles +16 or better in 1983.

Pageau and Mayfield are two of only eight players in NHL +11 or better (Victor Hedman +14, Nathan McKinnon +13, Alec Martinez +12, Cole Makar +12, Mikko Rantanen +11, Ondrej Palat +11)

The Great 8

Anthony Beauvillier has eight goals this summer, leaving him tied-third in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Anthony Beauvillier 8 (2020)

• Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey now has fifteen assists this summer, the most assists by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era (and the most since Bob Bourne had 20 in 1983).

• Josh Bailey 15 (2020) 

• Derek King 11 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 9 (2020)

• Jordan Eberle 9 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 8 (2020)

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)

• John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Bailey is the only Isle to have five multi-assist games in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era and joins Bryan Trottier (2x), Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Bob Bourne as the only Isles to ever have at least five multi-assist games in one post-season.  (Bryan Trottier had 7 of them in 1982).

Hey, Josh Bailey II

Bailey now has 17 points this summer, matching Steve Thomas for the second-highest total by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 20 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 17 (1993)

• Josh Bailey 17 (2020) 

• Brock Nelson 15 (2020) 

• Mathew Barzal 14 (2020)

• Derek King 14 (1993)

Thanks for the Help

Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock each have seven assists this summer, the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Devon Toews 7 (2020)

• Ryan Pulock 7 (2020)

• Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)

• Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)

• Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 14 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 14 

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

Final Four!

The Isles have advanced to the conference final for the first time since 1993.  This ends the longest gap between conference final appearances in NHL history.

Longest Playoff Shutout Streaks by a Goalie:

• Semyon Varlamov 138:17 (8/20-8/26/2020)

• Billy Smith  136:59 (4/11-4/16/1980)

• Robin Lehner 123:29 (4/16-4/26/2019)

The Isles' team shutout record in post-season play is 182:50, set in April 1979 (all vs. Chicago).

Facing Tampa

This is the 3rd meeting of the Isles and Tampa Bay in the playoffs; the Lightning have won the two previous series (2004 Conference Quarter-Final and 2016 Round 2), each in five games.  

Barry and Al

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.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello has won 29 playoff series as a General Manager, passing Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list. Glen Sather has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-20 (.636) all-time in overtime, including 19-11 (.633) at home. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-3 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-7 in thirteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Tampa Bay

The Isles are 0-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Tampa Bay:

• 04/16/04 @ Martin St. Louis L TB 00:04:07

• 05/03/16 Vs Brian Boyle L TB 00:02:48 (Brooklyn)

• 05/06/16 Vs Jason Garrison L TB 00:01:34 (Brooklyn)

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 55:07, Trailed: 4:53 

Series:   Led: 0:00, Tied: 55:07, Trailed: 4:53

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

Vs. Washington  Led  130:12, Tied 120:32, Trailed: 53:44

Vs. Philadelphia:   Led: 180:45, Tied: 190:22,  Trailed: 98:57 

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 159-130 in 289 all-time playoff games.  They are 89-48 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 0-0 in Edmonton) and 70-82 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 5-2 when they are the home team (5-2 in Toronto and 0-0 in Edmonton) and 6-4 when they are the road team (6-3 in Toronto and 0-1 in Edmonton).

A Winning Summer

With a record of 11-6 in the playoffs, the Isles are guaranteed to win more games than they lost for the first time in the post-Cup era.  It is the most games the Isles have won in the playoffs since 1984, when they won 12.

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 138 playoff games (70-68).  His 138 games are 13th (5 behind Peter Laviolette) while his 70 wins are 15th all time (5 behind Laviolette).  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 119

• Barry Trotz 15

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 198

• Barry Trotz 25

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• 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 (2-4)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most game 7 wins/game seven record)

• Al Arbour 4 (2-2)

• Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Jack Capuano 1 (0-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 4

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 7-2 when scoring first and are 4-4 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles         6-11-8=25

Tampa Bay 10-8-16=34

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 25, Tampa Bay 34

• Series:  Isles 25, Tampa Bay 34

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 236, Philadelphia 204

• Playoffs: Isles 519, Opponents 465

The Isles are 7-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2 when the shots are even and 2-2 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made six saves before being replaced after Tampa Bay's third goal.  He falls to 2-2 in this year's playoffs and 7-8 in his career.  Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves in relief.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves to improve to 11-3 in this year's playoffs and 26-18 in his career.

Power Plays

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

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-5 (9:44, 10 shots), Tampa Bay 3-6 (7:07,12 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-5 (9:44, 10 shots), Tampa Bay 3-6 (7:07,12 shots)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 2-22 (34:26, 29 shots), Washington 4-18 (24:57, 20 shots)

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 4-21 (37:06, 33 shots), Philadelphia 0-13 (24:09, 11 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 11-64 (107:11, 87 shots), Penalty Kill 11-51 (73:04, 64 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 9-3 in the playoffs (9-0 in regulation and 0-3 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-2 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 11-0 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  (The Isles won 25 straight, and 39 out of 40 games in the Dynasty era allowing two or fewer goals in a playoff game)

One Goal Games

The Isles are 3-5 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-2 in regulation and 1-3 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: Ryan Pulock (21:32);  Tampa Bay: Ryan McDonagh (22:21)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 20:07 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (6-1), Mathew Barzal (2-1), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-2), Scott Mayfield (1-0),  Devon Toews (0-1).

Face-offs

Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%).

JG Pageau won 8 of 13 for the Isles; Brayden Point won 8 of 14 for Tampa Bay.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%)

• Series: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 156, Washington 122 (56%)

• Vs. Tampa Bay: Isles 198, Philadelphia 216 (48%)

• Playoffs: Isles 486, Opponents 491 (50%)

Hit Count

Isles 44 (Matt Martin -6)

Tampa Bay 34 (Ondrej Palat -6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 34

• Series: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 34

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Vs. Washington: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 310, Philadelphia 290

• Playoffs: Isles 676, Opponents 625

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -2  (Lee -1, Pageau -1)

Blocked Shots

Isles 12 (Three with 2)

Tampa Bay 13 (Two with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47 

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Ross Johnston +5

Tampa Bay: Ryan McDonagh +6

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

• Series: (All) Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

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

• Vs Washington: (All) Isles 260, Washington 294; (5-on-5) Isles 190, Washington 212

• Series: (All) Isles 453, Philadelphia 454;  (5-on-5) Isles 382, Philadelphia 412

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 982, Opponent 1017; (5-on-5) Isles 770, Opponent 820

Scratches

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

Playoff games lost: 5. 

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

• Mathew Barzal – Game 3 vs. Washington (8/18/20) – 4:28 of OT

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• Philippe Myers – Game 2 vs. Philadelphia (8/26/20) – 2:41 of OT

• Scott Laughton – Game 5 vs. Philadelphia (9/1/20) – 12:20 of OT

• Ivan Provorov – Game 6 vs. Philadelphia (9/3/20) – 35:03 of OT

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 49

Matt Martin 49

Josh Bailey 47

Nick Leddy 43

Brock Nelson 43

Goals:

Brock Nelson 14

Josh Bailey 10

Anthony Beauvillier 9

Anders Lee 8

Jordan Eberle 8

JG Pageau 7

Mathew Barzal 7

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Matt Martin 5

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 24

Mathew Barzal 14

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 12

Devon Toews 11

Ryan Pulock 10

Nick Leddy 10

Points:

Josh Bailey 34

Brock Nelson 26

Jordan Eberle 22

Mathew Barzal 21

Nick Leddy 15 

Anthony Beauvillier 14

Anders Lee 14

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 52

Cal Clutterbuck 44

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 4

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  7-8  2.41 GAA, .921 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 9-4 2.22 GAA, .913 save percentage

Up Next

CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 2 – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th – 8:00pm 

ISLANDERS VS.  TAMPA BAY (AT EDMONTON)  

[NBC, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-Radio; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Islanders will look to even the series as they play game 2 in Edmonton.

Tonight is only the third time in club history that the Isles allowed eight goals in a playoff game; the Isles responded with a win in the following game each of the first two times  (Games 2-3 vs. NYR (1975); Games 2-3 vs Philadelphia (1980)).

The Lightning are 8-2 all-time when winning game 1; the Isles are 7-15 all-time when dropping game 1.  The last Islander series win when dropping game 1 was in 1993 vs. Washington (0-7 since then).

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