The Skinny: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4 (Pittsburgh leads series, 2-1)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 3

Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Pittsburgh leads Best-of-7 series, 2-1

Brandon Tanev scored the winning goal with 3:36 to play to cap a wild third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Isles 5-4 to take a 2-1 lead in their First Round series before a socially-distant crowd of 6,250 at the Nassau Coliseum. 

The Isles erased leads of 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3 to tie the score on three separate occasions but could never find the lead goal as they dropped the first playoff game played on Coliseum ice in 25 months.

Game 4 will be played at the Coliseum on Saturday; the game will be televised nationally by NBC. 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Kris Letang (1) 02:01 PIT 1,NYI 0

2nd Period

Scott Mayfield (1) Mathew Barzal (1), Jordan Eberle (1) 11:03 PIT 1,NYI 1

Jeff Carter (2) Frederick Gaudreau (1), Marcus Pettersson (1) 13:33 PIT 2,NYI 1

Jason Zucker (1) Evgeni Malkin (2), Kris Letang (1) 18:03 PIT 3,NYI 1

3rd Period

Cal Clutterbuck (1) Casey Cizikas (1), Scott Mayfield (1) 03:46 PIT 3,NYI 2

Anthony Beauvillier (1) Mathew Barzal (2), Noah Dobson (2) 05:54 PIT 3,NYI 3 PPG

Jeff Carter (3) Evgeni Malkin (1) 07:00 PIT 4,NYI 3 PPG

Cal Clutterbuck (2) Scott Mayfield (2) 14:17 PIT 4,NYI 4

Brandon Tanev (1) Kris Letang (2), Zach Aston-Reese (1) 16:24 PIT 5,NYI 4

The Series (Pittsburgh leads, 2-1)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Saturday at Isles (3:00)

Game 5: Monday, May 24 at Pittsburgh (7:00)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (if needed)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 4-3 in game 3's under Barry Trotz… Nick Leddy played his 51st playoff game as an Islander and was finally penalized as part of the 10-player confrontation in the third period. Pierre Turgeon now once again has played the most playoff games for the Isles without ever being penalized: 15…The Isles were credited with 46 hits, giving them 164 hits in the series … Scott Mayfield and Kris Letang each had three points; it was the first time an Islander defenseman has had three points in a playoff game since May 7, 2013 (Mark Streit, also vs. Pittsburgh) while it was the 5th time in his playoff career Letang has done so…Mayfield leads the Islanders with 4 points in the series (1-3-4); he had a 5th point reversed by the NHL on Wednesday… Cal Clutterbuck scored twice in a playoff game for the first time in his career; he matched Anthony Beauvillier's bubble feat of scoring twice in a period – they are the only two to do so for the Isles since Shane Prince did so in 2016 (game 1 vs. Tampa Bay)..The five goals allowed by Semyon Varlamov matches a career playoff-high; he allowed five goals only once in the regular season (1/28 at Washington)…An Islander defenseman had a point on all four goals that they scored tonight (Mayfield 3, Noah Dobson 1); the defense has seven points (1-6-7) on the Isles' nine goals in the series…The Isles scored the first goal of the series, but have not led during actual play since; Pittsburgh scored goals 2:30, 1:06, and 2:07 after Islander goals tonight.….Pittsburgh led for only 4:51 during the Isles' sweep in 2019; the Isles have led for only 3:43 in the first three games of this series.

First Time in a Long Time

• The Isles rallied to tie three times in a playoff game for the first time since April 14, 2016 (game 1) vs. Florida.

• The Isles rallied to tie three times, but lost, for the first time since April 15, 1982 (game 1) vs. the Rangers.

• The Isles scored four goals but lost a playoff game in regulation for the first time since April 26, 1993 (game 5) vs. Washington.

• The Isles lost a playoff game on Coliseum ice for the first time since April 21, 2015 (game 4) vs. Washington.

About Those Coincidental Penalties

Here is the explanation from the NHL as to why Sidney Crosby was released from the penalty box following Anthony Beauvillier's goal:

As all penalties were assessed at the same stoppage, the Coincidental Penalty Rule (19.5) is applied – cancelling as many minors as possible regardless of occurrence. PIT designates the player to serve the remaining minor before penalty starts. In this instance PIT chose Crosby.

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 11

• Anthony Beauvillier 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Islander history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

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, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 37-21 (.638) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 8-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 4-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Game 3: Led  0:00, Tied:   7:44, Trailed: 52:16

Series:    Led: 3:43, Tied: 64:07, Trailed: 128:40

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 162-135 in 2976 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-51 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 72-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 0-1 at home and 1-1 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz   877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville  1,761

3. Barry Trotz         1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 146 playoff games (73-73).  His 146 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 73 wins are 15th all time (3 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 18

• 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 33

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 4 (4-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

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

The Shots

Isles          10-7-13=30    

Pittsburgh     12-6-9=27

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Series:  Isles 109, Pittsburgh 114

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves but falls to 0-2 in the 2021 playoffs and 24-22 in his playoff career. 

 

Tristan Jarry made 26 saves; he is 2-1 in this year's playoffs and 2-2 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play in 6:19 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 1-2 on the power play in 2:37 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 1-4 (6:19, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:37, 3 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-7 (11:47, 7 shots), Pittsburgh 0-5 (12:37, 7 shots)

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs (0-0 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 0-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 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: Ryan Pulock (22:15);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (24:20)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:53 of ice-time 

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

Face-offs

Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)  

Casey Cizikas won 10 of 14 for the Isles; Jeff Carter won 14 of 20 for Pittsburgh.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)

• Series: Isles 87, Pittsburgh 90 (49%)

Hit Count

Isles 46 (Ryan Pulock -8)

Pittsburgh 29 (Brandon Tanev-8)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Series: Isles 166, Pittsburgh 113

Blocked Shots

Isles 17 (Ryan Pulock -3)

Pittsburgh 18 (Six with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Scott Mayfield +8

Pittsburgh: John Marino +7

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11  

5-on-5 Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 2 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

• Series: (All)  Isles 168, Pittsburgh 187;  (5-on-5) Isles 141, Pittsburgh 163

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 2 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 3 (All) Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11; (5-on-5) Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

• Series: (All)  Isles 39, Pittsburgh 30; (5-on-5) Isles 32, Pittsburgh 26

Scratches

(Anders Lee), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 4

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 57

Josh Bailey 55

Casey Cizikas 53

Nick Leddy 51

Brock Nelson 51

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 57

Nick Leddy 51

Brock Nelson 46

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 11

Anthony Beauvillier 11

JG Pageau 9

Jordan Eberle 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 19

Jordan Eberle 15

Brock Nelson 14

Nick Leddy 12

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 38

Brock Nelson 31

Mathew Barzal 26

Jordan Eberle 24

Anthony Beauvillier 18

Nick Leddy 17

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 62

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 1-0 2.35 GAA, .929 save percentage

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd  –PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS 3:00pm

[NBC-Channel 4 in NY, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7]

The Isles will look to even the series when the teams meet in Game 4 of the series on Saturday afternoon.

The Isles are 4-13 all-time in series after trailing 2-1 (having lost seven straight series since dethroning the Penguins in 1993), while Pittsburgh is 18-7 when leading 2 games to 1. 

The Isles are 5-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 2-1 at the Coliseum.

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: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 1

Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Best-of-7 series tied, 1-1

Bryan Rust and Jeff Carter scored first period goals and Tristan Jarry made 37 saves for his first career playoff win as the Pittsburgh Penguins evened their First Round series with the Islanders with a 2-1 victory over the Islanders before a socially-distant crowd of 9,334 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. 

Josh Bailey scored the Islanders' only goal – it was his 11th career playoff tally.  Semyon Varlamov made 43 saves in defeat.

The series is tied 1 game to 1; game 3 will be played at the Coliseum on Thursday. 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Bryan Rust (1) 03:22 NYI 0,PIT 1

Jeff Carter (1) Jared McCann (1), Kasperi Kapanen (1) 13:07 NYI 0,PIT 2

2nd Period

Josh Bailey (1) Brock Nelson (1), Scott Mayfield (1) 14:44 NYI 1,PIT 2

3rd Period

No Goals 

The Series (Series tied, 1-1)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Thursday at Isles (7:00)

Game 4: Saturday at Isles (3:00)

Game 5: Monday, May 24 at Pittsburgh (TBD)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (if needed)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 3-4 in game 2's under Barry Trotz… Nick Leddy played his 50th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record; Brock Nelson also played his 50th playoff game.…The Isles were credited with 46 hits, giving them 118 hits for the two games in Pittsburgh. …The Isles had won five straight playoff games from Pittsburgh, including three at PPG Paints Arena before losing tonight…Jeff Carter now has 40 career playoff goals, matching five others, including Bob Bourne and John Tonelli, for 97th on the all-time playoff list…Scott Mayfield had seven shots on goal; he had never had more than five in an NHL game (regular season or playoffs)…Roman Hamrlik (4-30-2002 in Toronto) was the last Islander defenseman to have seven shots in a playoff game that ended in regulation time…Tonight's defeat guarantees that the Isles will play on May 24th – the anniversary of the first Stanley Cup.

First Time in a Long Time

• Semyon Varlamov made 43 saves- it is the most by an Islander goalie in a playoff game ending in regulation since Billy Smith stopped 45 on April 15, 1977 in Buffalo.

5:16 – 5/16 – 5:16 Remaining

The Isles' last two playoff overtime goals in Pittsburgh were scored at 5:16 of overtime (David Volek in 1993 -Game 7) and on Sunday, which was May 16.  Josh Bailey's goal tonight was scored with 5:16 remaining in the second period. 516 is of course the Nassau County area code.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 21 goals in 59 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 59 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel and Nathan MacKinnon have scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 47 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 22 goals in 41 games

• JG Pageau 21 goals in 59 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 54 games

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 11

• John Tavares 11

• Anthony Beauvillier 10

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Islander history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

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, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 37-21 (.638) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 8-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 4-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Series:   Led: 3:43, Tied: 56:23, Trailed: 76:24

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 162-134 in 296 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-50 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 72-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 0-0 at home and 1-1 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 145 playoff games (73-72).  His 145 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 73 wins are 15th all time (3 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 18

• 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 32

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 4 (4-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

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

The Shots

Isles      13-15-10=38    

Pittsburgh 19-10-6=45

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Series:  Isles 79, Pittsburgh 87

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 43 saves but falls to 0-1 in the 2021 playoffs and 24-21 in his playoff career. 

 

Tristan Jarry made 37 saves; he is 1-1 in this year's playoffs and 1-2 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play in 1:28 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Series: Isles 0-3 (5:28, 3 shots), Pittsburgh 0-5 (10:00, 4 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs (0-0 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 0-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-0 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: Nick Leddy (22:34);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (26:17)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 17:51 of ice-time 

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

Face-offs

Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)  

Casey Cizikas won 7 of 12 for the Isles; Jeff Carter won 11 of 15 for Pittsburgh.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Series: Isles 57, Pittsburgh 63 (48%)

Hit Count

Isles 46 (Leo Komarov and Adam Pelech -6)

Pittsburgh 37 (Brandon Tanev-6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Series: Isles 118, Pittsburgh 84

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Scott Mayfield -4)

Pittsburgh 7 (Kris Letang -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Cal Clutterbuck +6

Pittsburgh: Brian Dumoulin +16

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8  

5-on-5 Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 1 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Series: (All)  Isles 111, Pittsburgh 135;  (5-on-5) Isles 99, Pittsburgh 122

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 1 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Series: (All)  Isles 22, Pittsburgh 19;  (5-on-5) Isles 20, Pittsburgh 18

Scratches

(Anders Lee), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 3

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 56

Josh Bailey 54

Casey Cizikas 52

Nick Leddy 50

Brock Nelson 50

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 56

Nick Leddy 50

Brock Nelson 45

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 11

Anthony Beauvillier 10

JG Pageau 9

Jordan Eberle 9

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Cal Clutterbuck 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 17

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 14

Nick Leddy 12

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 38

Brock Nelson 29

Mathew Barzal 24

Jordan Eberle 23

Nick Leddy 17

Anthony Beauvillier 17

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 68

Cal Clutterbuck 60

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-8  2.14 GAA, .924 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 1-0 2.35 GAA, .929 save percentage

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, MAY 20th  –ISLANDERS AT PITTSBURGH 7:30pm

[MSG+ [pre-game at 7:00], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7]

The Barn Doors will swing open for a playoff game for the first time in 25 months as the Isles and Penguins play Game 3 of the series on Thursday.

The Isles are 9-10 all-time in series after splitting the first two games, while Pittsburgh is 16-14 after splitting the first two games. 

The Isles are 5-1 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 2-0 at the Coliseum.

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, Pittsburgh 3 (OT). Isles Lead Series 1-0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 1

Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Isles lead best-of-7 series, 1-0

2021 deadline acquisition Kyle Palmieri scored twice, including the winning goal in overtime, and 2020 deadline acquisition Jean-Gabriel Pageau added a goal and two assists as the Isles grabbed the opening game of their First Round Series with a 4-3 OT win over the Penguins before a socially-distant crowd of 4,672 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. 

Palmieri is the first player in Islander history to score twice in his team playoff debut; it is the first multi-goal game of his playoff career.  Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves to earn the win in his first NHL playoff game.

The Isles lead the series 1 game to 0; game 2 will be played in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Kyle Palmieri (1) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1), Noah Dobson (1) 07:58 NYI 1,PIT 0

Frederick Gaudreau (1) Evan Rodrigues (1) 11:10 NYI 1,PIT 1

2nd Period

Sidney Crosby (1) Brian Dumoulin (1), Jake Guentzel (1) 03:47 NYI 1,PIT 2

3rd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) Scott Mayfield (1) 03:33 NYI 2,PIT 2

Brock Nelson (1) Anthony Beauvillier (1), Ryan Pulock (1) 15:50 NYI 3,PIT 2

Kasperi Kapanen (1) Jeff Carter (1), Cody Ceci (1) 16:21 NYI 3,PIT 3

OT

Kyle Palmieri (2) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2), Oliver Wahlstrom (1) 16:30 NYI 4,PIT 3

The Series (Isles lead, 1-0)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Tuesday at Pittsburgh (7:30)

Game 3: Thursday at Isles (7:00)

Game 4: Saturday at Isles (3:00)

Game 5: Monday, May 24 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (if needed)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 5-2 in game 1's under Barry Trotz, having won all four series that they won game 1…Kyle Pamieri is the first player in Islander history to score an OT goal in his first playoff game for the team; it was the first OT goal of his playoff career…Oliver Wahlstrom assisted on the winning goal to earn a point in his playoff debut; Noah Dobson earned his first playoff assist on the opening goal…The Isles improve to 38-20 all-time in overtime (18-9 on the road) while Pittsburgh falls to 30-33 (18-21 at home)…This was the longest game ever between these teams… Nick Leddy played his 49th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record…The Isles were credited with 72 hits; it is the 7th-highest total of any team  in the real-time era (The Isles were credited with 75 and 73 hits in two playoff games last season)…JG Pageau is now 21-9-30 in his playoff career (58 games); his overtime assist was his third overtime point (1-2-3)...The Isles have won five straight playoff games against Pittsburgh, including three at PPG Paints Arena.

Lots of Shots

The Isles are 6-1 in playoff games when both teams have at least 40 shots (all seven games have required overtime).  

• 18-Apr-87 @ Washington  W

• 20-Apr-93 @ Washington  W

• 24-Apr-93 Vs Washington  W

• 18-May-93 @ Montreal        L

• 22-Apr-16 @ Florida W

• 24-Apr-16 Vs Florida W

• 16-May-21 @ Pittsburgh     W

First Times in a Long Time

• JG Pageau is the first Islander with three points in a playoff game since Mark Streit (5/7/2013 vs. Pittsburgh).

• Kyle Palmieri is the first player to score an overtime goal at the 16:30 mark of overtime since Joffrey Lupul for Anaheim (5/9/2006 at Colorado) and the first Islander since John Tavares (4-24-2016 vs. Florida) to complete a multi-goal game with an overtime tally.

First Times in a Long Time – Sorokin Edition

• Sorokin was the first Islander rookie since Chico Resch to start game 1 of a playoff season (Chico did it in both 1975 and 1976) and is the first rookie since Resch (4-8-1975 vs NYR) to win his playoff debut.

• Sorokin tied Kelly Hrudey's rookie club record of 39 saves in a playoff game and broke Hrudey's record for shots faced as a rookie (41)  - both set of April 11, 1985 in an OT loss to Washington.

5:16 – 5/16

The Isles' last two playoff overtime goals in Pittsburgh were scored at 5:16 of overtime (David Volek in 1993 -Game 7) and on 5/16 (today is May 16).  516 is of course the Nassau County area code.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 21 goals in 58 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 58 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel has scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 46 games

• JG Pageau 21 goals in 58 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 53 games

• Jamie Benn 19 goals in 53 games

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

• Anthony Beauvillier 10

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Isles history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris; his goal today broke a tie with JP Parise.  Nelson also has more playoffs goals than any other US-born player for the Isles.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

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, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 37-21 (.638) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 8-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 4-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Series:   Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 162-133 in 295 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-50 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 72-83 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 0-0 at home and 1-0 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 144 playoff games (73-71).  His 144 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 73 wins are 15th all time (3 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 18

• 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 31

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 4 (4-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

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

The Shots

Isles       13-8-13-7=41    

Pittsburgh  18-8-6-10=42

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Series:  Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

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

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves in his playoff debut.

 

Tristan Jarry made 37 saves; he is 0-1 in this year's playoffs and 0-2 in his career, including 0-1 in overtime.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Series: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs (0-0 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-0 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 0-0 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-0 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 (29:18);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (32:26)

JG Pageau led Isles forwards with 21:28 of ice-time 

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

Face-offs

Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)  

JG Pageau won 14 of 18 for the Isles; Teddy Blueger won 6 of 9 for Pittsburgh.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Series: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

Hit Count

Isles 72 (Leo Komarov -14)

Pittsburgh 47 (Brandon Tanev-9)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Series: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Josh Bailey and Scott Mayfield -4)

Pittsburgh 12 (Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  JG Pageau +7

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby +6

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11  

5-on-5 Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Series: (All)  Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Series: (All)  Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

Scratches

(Anders Lee), (Semyon Varlamov), Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 2

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 55

Josh Bailey 53

Casey Cizikas 51

Nick Leddy 49

Brock Nelson 49

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 55

Nick Leddy 49

Brock Nelson 44

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 10

Anthony Beauvillier 10

JG Pageau 9

Jordan Eberle 9

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Cal Clutterbuck 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 17

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 13

Nick Leddy 12

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 37

Brock Nelson 28

Mathew Barzal 24

Jordan Eberle 23

Nick Leddy 17

Anthony Beauvillier 17

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 66

Cal Clutterbuck 60

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-7  2.14 GAA, .921 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 1-0 2.35 GAA, .929 save percentage

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, MAY 18th  –ISLANDERS AT PITTSBURGH 7:30pm

[MSG+ [pre-game at 7:00], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7]

The Isles remain in Pittsburgh for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday.

The Isles are 18-5 all-time when winning game 1, including 9-3 at home; the Penguins are 15-16 all-time when dropping game 1.  

The Isles are 5-0 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 3-0 in Pittsburgh.

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: Boston 3, Isles 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 56

Boston 3, Isles 2 (OT)

Taylor Hall scored a pair of goals, including the winner in overtime, as the Boston Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-2 before a socially-distanced crowd of 4,565 at TD Garden in the final regular season game of the season.

Oliver Wahlstrom and Mathew Barzal scored second period goals for the Islanders to erase a pair of one-goal deficits.  With the score tied late in regulation, the Isles pulled Ilya Sorokin (who had replaced Semyon Varlamov) but could not get the regulation win they needed to have a chance to finish 3rd in the standings.

 

Instead, the Isles remain in 4th place in the East Division and will face Pittsburgh beginning this weekend. Boston will face Washington.

 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Taylor Hall (9) David Krejci (34), Brad Marchand (40) 19:21 NYI 0,BOS 1 PPG

2nd Period

Oliver Wahlstrom (12) Mathew Barzal (28), Nick Leddy (29) 01:38 NYI 1,BOS 1 PPG

Brad Marchand (29) David Krejci (35), David Pastrnak (28) 06:15 NYI 1,BOS 2

Mathew Barzal (17) Ryan Pulock (15), Anthony Beauvillier (13) 08:31 NYI 2,BOS 2

3rd Period

No Goals

OT

Taylor Hall (10) David Krejci (36), Mike Reilly (27) 02:53 NYI 2,BOS 3

The Skinny        

The Isles went 13-11-3 in their final 27 games … The Isles killed 39 of the final 42 opponent power plays…The team that has scored first has won 18 of the last 19 Islander games... Anthony Beauvillier extended his point streak to seven games (5-3-8) …Brock Nelson played in his 301st consecutive game to tie Bobby Nystrom for 2nd place on the club's all-time list…Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Beauvillier and Mathew Barzal all were "even" and ended the season in a 4-way tie for the team lead at +15…Barzal has scored four times in his last six games; he ended the season with consecutive multi-point games (first time all season that he has done that)… Oliver Wahlstrom's goal gave him ten power play points to lead all Islander forwards in that category (Nick Leddy led team with 11 power play points)…Allowed capacity in Boston was increased for this game; as a result it was the highest-attended game of the season for either team…Taylor Hall now has 11 career overtime goals…David Krejci had three assists.

The Injuries:

• Semyon Varlamov did not play in the third period with "a little strain", according to Barry Trotz.

• Ondrej Kase did not play in the third period due to an upper body injury.

The Playoff (Positioning) Chase  (all have clinched berth)

X-Pittsburgh 77 points/ 29 regulation wins (0 to play)

X -Washington 75 points/ 28 regulation wins (1 to play)

X -Boston         73 points/ 25 regulation wins (1 to play)

X-ISLES         71 points/ 24 regulation wins (0 to play)

Remaining Schedule:

• Tuesday – BOS @ WAS

Race for the Jennings (includes shootout losers)

1. Vegas  124 goals allowed in 55 games  2.25 

2. Isles  128 goals allowed in 56 games  2.29

3. Boston  134 goals allowed in 55 games  2.44

4. Colorado 132 goals allowed in 54 games 2.44

Vegas plays in San Jose on Wednesday.

Most Shutouts in a Season

• 11 2018-19 (82-game schedule)

• 10 2020-21 (56-game schedule)

• 10 1975-76 (80-game schedule)

The Isles earned a shutout in 17.9% of their games this season, breaking the previous record (13.4% in 2018-19).

Longest Shutout Streaks in Isles History (Goalie)

1. Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 248:00

2. Glenn Resch 1975-76 178:29

3. Robin Lehner 2018-19 177:43

Longest Shutout Streaks in Isles History (Team)

1. 2020-21 212:35

2. 1997-78 199:14

3. 2014-15 193:48

Career Years (excluding rookies, and others with limited prior NHL experience)

Despite the shortened season, several Isles had career years in 2020-21:

• Josh Bailey was a career-best +12

• Mathew Barzal was a career-best +15

• Anthony Beauvillier was a career-best +15

• Noah Dobson established career highs with 3-11-14 totals

• Semyon Varlamov established career highs with a 2.05 GAA and a .929 save percentage

Leaders:

• Games: 6 with 56 

• Goals: Brock Nelson -18

• Assists: Nick Leddy - 29

• Points: Mathew Barzal- 45 

• Plus/Minus: 4 with +15

• Pen Mins: Mathew Barzal -48

• PP Goals: Brock Nelson -18

• PP Points: Nick Leddy -11

• SH Goals: Jean-Gabriel Pageau -2

• SH Points: Jean-Gabriel Pageau  and Adam Pelech -2

• GW Goals: Anthony Beauvillier -5

• OT Goals: Anthony Beauvillier -2

• Shots: Mathew Barzal -134

• Shooting Percentage: Jean-Gabriel Pageau - 17.3%

• Average ice-time: Ryan Pulock - 22:26

• Face-off Percentages (minimum 250): Jean-Gabriel Pageau – 56.7%

The Goals (Season)

Isles           52-44-52-4=152 (2.7/game)

Opponents  37-48-36-4=125 (2.2/game)

The Shots (season)

Isles     558-521-513-31=1623 (29.0/game)

Opponents  501-579-483-27=1590 (28.4/game)

The Finales

The Isles are 6-1-1 in their last eight road finales and 25-16-7 all-time in road finales.  The Isles are 4-1-4 in their last nine season finales and are 25-14-9 all-time in their final game of the year.

Bruins vs. Legends

Patrice Bergeron has 375 goals, matching Butch Goring; Brad Marchand scored his 319th goal, matching Clark Gillies; Tuukka Rask won his 306th game, passing Billy Smith.

Varly Solid

Semyon Varlamov is 12-7-2 in his last 21 decisions, allowing just 42 goals in that span.  Varly won 19 games this season with a goals against average of 2.05 and save percentage of .929.  Both his GAA and save percentage are 2nd to Carolina's Alex Nedeljkovic (1.90, .932) among goalies who have played at least 15 games. Varlamov has 251 NHL wins (61st all-time) and 34 shutouts (tied-57th all-time), including an NHL-leading seven this season.

Most Shutouts by an Islander Goalie (one season):

1. Semyon Varlamov 7 (2020-21)

        Chico Resch 7 (1975-76)

Lowest Goals Against by an Islander Goalie (one season) (minimum 1000 minutes):

1. Semyon Varlamov 2.05 (2020-21)

2. Chico Resch 2.08 (1975-76)

3. Robin Lehner 2.13 (2018-19)

4. Ilya Sorokin 2.16 (2020-21)

Highest Save Percentage by an Islander Goalie (one season) (minimum 1000 minutes):

1. Robin Lehner .9297 (2018-19)

2. Semyon Varlamov .9294 (2020-21)

3. Chico Resch .928 (1975-76)

4. Thomas Greiss .927 (2018-191)

Sorokin's Shining

Ilya Sorokin is 13-4-1 in his last eighteen starts. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last nine starts.

Most Wins by an Islander Rookie Goalie (one season):

1. Chico Resch 23 (1975-76)

2. Roland Melanson 22 (1981-82)

3. Kelly Hrudey 19 (1984-85)

4. Ilya Sorokin 13 (2020-21)

Most Shutouts by an Islander Rookie Goalie (one season):

1. Chico Resch 7 (1975-76)

2. Ilya Sorokin 3 (2020-21)

        Chico Resch 3 (1974-75)

(Resch appeared in 25 games in 1974-75 and thus was considered a rookie the following year; Sorokin turns 26 this summer so he will not have rookie status next season) 

Home Sweet Home

The Isles earned points in 24 of their 28 home games (21-4-3); it is their best home record through 28 games in the Post-Cup Era:

Most Points at Home Through 28 Games

• 48 1980-81 (23-3-2)

• 47 1977-78 (21-2-5)

• 47 1978-79 (21-2-5)

• 45 2020-21 (21-4-3)

Historical D

The Isles allowed only 128 goals (including 3 shootout winners) in 56 games; it is the fewest goals that they have allowed through 56 games in their history by a wide margin:

• 128 (2020-21)

• 136 (2018-19)

• 137 (1975-76)

• 139 (1976-77)

• 140 (2003-04)

• 141 (1977-78)

Results vs. Each East Division Opponent

• Boston W-W-W-Wso-Wot-L-L-Lot

• Buffalo W-W-W-W-W-W-L-Lot

• New Jersey W-L-W-W-W-Wso-L-W

• Rangers         W-L-W-L-Wot-W-W-W

• Philadelphia Lot-Lot-L-W-Wot-Wso-Wso-Wot 

• Pittsburgh         W-Lso-L-L-Lot-W-L-L

• Washington L-L-L-W-W-Lso-L-L

Home and Road

The Isles finish 32-17-7 overall; they are 21-4-3 at home and 11-13-4 on the road.

Boston is 33-15-7 overall; they are 18-7-3 at home and 15-8-4 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville    962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville  1,761

3. Barry Trotz          1,730

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile      1,448

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,326

3. Glen Sather     1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,203 wins between them.  They start each game with more than any other pair in NHL history (David Poile and Peter Laviolette had 2,036 after their last game together).   Bill Torrey and Al Arbour had a then-record 1,462 at the end of the 1991-92 season, which was their last season together.  

First Things First

The Isles are 23-2-2 when scoring first and are 9-15-5 when allowing the opening goal. 

• At home, Isles are 15-0-2 scoring first and 6-4-1 trailing first

• On road, Isles are 8-2-0 scoring first and 3-11-4 trailing first

The Isles have won 85.2% of the games that they have scored first, which is the 3rd-highest percentage in the NHL (just behind Edmonton - .885 and Vegas - .882). 

At 15-0-2 at home, they are one of three teams without a loss at home when scoring first (Boston 13-0-2 and Edmonton 11-0-0).

The Shots

Isles    4-9-5-0=18

Boston    18-9-9-2=38

The Isles are 20-6-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-1-0 when the shots are even and 11-11-3 when they are outshot.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 64-36-13 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves before leaving after two periods; Ilya Sorokin made 10 saves to end his rookie season with a record of 13-6-3.  He is 0-1-1 in his career against Boston. 

Tuukka Rask made 16 saves to improve to 15-5-2 on the season and 19-7-1 vs. the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-1 on the power play (0:42); Boston was 1-4 on the power play (4:14). 

The Isles were 27-144 on the power play (18.8%) and 22-135 (83.7%) on the PK this season.  The Isles scored four shorthanded goals and were the only team in the NHL to not allow a shorthanded goal.  They killed 48 of 52 at home this season, recording the 2nd-best percentage in NHL history (92.3%; record kept since 1977-78).

The Isles are 14-5-4 when they score at least one power play goal and 18-12-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 6-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 26-7-4 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 8-13-3 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 89-9-11 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 14-6-7 in games decided by a single goal including 6-6 in regulation. They are 4-4 in games decided in overtime and are 4-3 in shootouts.  The Isles are 0-1 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles played eight back-to-backs this season, going 4-2-2 in the front-half and 4-2-2 in the back-half. 

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 21-4-4 (.793) in back-ends. This is by far the best record of any NHL team in back-ends during this stretch.  Tampa Bay has the next best record: 20-9-3 (.672).

Series

The Isles played the same opponent in consecutive games sixteen times this season (including three-game stretches vs. the Sabres, Devils, Flyers, and Capitals).

  

In two-game series, the Isles are 4-7-2 in the first game and 5-6-2 in the second game:

NYR (W/L), NJ (W/L), WAS (L/L), PHI (Lot/Lot), BUF(W/W), PIT (L/L), PIT (Lot/W), PIT (L/L), NYR (L/Wot), BOS (L/L), NYR (W/W), BUF (L/Lot), NJ (L/W)

In three-game series, the Isles are 2-1-1 in the first game, 3-1-0 in the second game, and 3-1-0 in the third:

BUF (W/W/W), NJ (W/W/W), PHI (L/W/Wot), WAS (Lso/L/L)

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (23:51); Boston: Charlie McAvoy (24:06)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 19:18 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Nick Leddy (9-6-2), Ryan Pulock (17-8-3), Scott Mayfield (1-1-0), Mathew Barzal (1-1-1), Adam Pelech (4-1-1).

Face-offs

Isles 16, Boston 33 (33%)

No Islander won more than he lost; Patrice Bergeron won 15 of 17 for Boston.

The Isles are 20-10-3 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-4-1 when they are tied, and 12-5-3 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 41 (Cal Clutterbuck -7)

Boston 25 (Charlie McAvoy -5)

Fights 

There were no fights.  Season total: 5 (Martin -2, Cizikas -1, Wahlstrom -1, Johnston-1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Noah Dobson -3)

Boston 9 (Charlie McAvoy -4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 33, Boston 67
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 28, Boston 51

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal +11

Boston: Damon Severson +7

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 5, Boston 11

5-on-5: Isles 3, Boston 7

Scratches

(Anders Lee-LTIR), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Matt Martin, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Games Lost: 62

COVID Games Lost -6

Iron Man Club

Brock Nelson has played in 301 consecutive games and Ryan Pulock in 251; both have appeared in every game since Barry Trotz became the Isles' coach.  

Iron Man

Brock Nelson has tied Bobby Nystrom for the 2nd-longest streak while Ryan Pulock is 8th:

1. Billy Harris 10/7/1972 -11/30/1979 576 (*)

2. Bobby Nystrom 1/7/1975 - 11/25/1978 301

    Brock Nelson 3/16/2017 – CURRENT 301

4. Anders Lee 1/26/2017 – 3/13/2021 295

5. Mathew Barzal 10/6/2017- 5/3/2021 284

    Matt Moulson 10/3/2009 - 4/4/2013 284

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

8. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 251

9.  John Tavares 10/16/2010 - 12/23/2013 246

10. J.P. Parise 1/7/1975 – 1/7/1978 240 (**)

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Pulock's streak is the 2nd-longest by an Islander defenseman, trailing only Denis Potvin's 262-game streak.

Challenges

Isles: 1 successful, 0 failures 

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-0-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(offsides 2/16 @BUF)

Opponents: 2 successful, 1 failure (goalie interference 1/14 @ NYR, no goalie interference 3/11 vs NJ, goalie interference 5/3 @ BUF)

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 1-1-0 in games that go the opponents' way.

Last Minute Heroes:

The Isles have scored one goal and allowed four goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 1 [Anders Lee, 2/6/21 vs PIT (17:14) -winning goal]

Vs:  4 [Justin Schultz, 1/26/21 @ WSH (19:33)-winning goal; Evgeni Malkin, 2/11/21 vs PIT (19:42) – tying goal/PIT won in OT; Oskar Lindblom, 3/18/21 vs PHI (17:38)-winning goal; Anders Bjork, 3/25/21 vs BOS (17:54) – tying goal/Isles won in OT]

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 919…

13. Stefan Persson 622 *** 14. Matt Martin 614 *** 15. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 16. Brock Nelson 604 *** 17. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 18. Garry Howatt 596 *** 19. John Tonelli 594 *** 20. Casey Cizikas 590 … 

27. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 28. Cal Clutterbuck 528 *** 29.  Anders Lee 520 *** 30. Nick Leddy 518

Goals

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Billy Harris and Anders Lee 184 *** 14. Ziggy Palffy and Brock Nelson 168 *** 16. Josh Bailey 162

Assists

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

4. Clark Gillies 359 *** 5. Josh Bailey and John Tavares 349  …

17.  Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen 230 *** 19.Nick Leddy 198

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…

9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 11. Josh Bailey 511…

20. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 21. Brock Nelson 327 ***  22. Anders Lee 320

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 206

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 115

On the Farm

Bridgeport went 5-1-1-0 in their last seven games to finish their season with a record of 8-14-2-0 (4-7-1-0 vs. Hartford and 4-7-1-0 vs. Providence).  Earlier today, the team changed their logo and announced that they will now be known as the Bridgeport Islanders.

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series 5 games to 3 (and 11 points to 5). 

The Isles were 5-2-1 while Boston was 2-5-1.

The Isles were 4-0-0 at the Coliseum vs. the Bruins and 1-2-1 on the road.  

UP NEXT

THE PLAYOFFS

The Isles will open the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Games 1 and 2 will be at PPG Paints Arena before the series moves to the Coliseum for Games 3 and 4.

This will be the 6th all-time playoff meeting between the teams.

• 1975- Quarter-Finals.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals.  Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- Conference First Round.  Isles won series 4 games to 0.

• 2021 -Division Semi-Finals (First Round)

And Finally…

Another regular season is in the books. See you in the playoffs for the third straight season!

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, New Jersey 1

"The Skinny"     

By Eric Hornick

Game 55

Isles 5, New Jersey 1

Brock Nelson scored a pair of goals in a 3:40 span to break a 1-1 tie and the Isles then scored on their first two shots of the third period to defeat the Devils 5-1 before a socially-distanced crowd of 1,400 in the final regular season game at the Nassau Coliseum.

Kyle Palmieri (his second goal as an Islander) and Mathew Barzal combined for a pair of goals 37 seconds apart in the third period for the final margin.

The Isles remain in 4th place in the East Division and will need a regulation win in Boston on Monday for a chance to finish 3rd.  If the Isles do win in regulation on Monday, the Bruins would need to beat Caps on Tuesday to regain third.  Pittsburgh has clinched first place and Washington has clinched second place. 

 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Jordan Eberle (16) Mathew Barzal (27), Leo Komarov (6) 18:01 NJD 0,NYI 1

2nd Period

Andreas Johnsson (5) Matt Tennyson (2), Michael McLeod (6) 04:58 NJD 1,NYI 1

Brock Nelson (17) Oliver Wahlstrom (8), Nick Leddy (28) 09:00 NJD 1,NYI 2 PPG 

Brock Nelson (18) Josh Bailey (27), Anthony Beauvillier (12) 12:40 NJD 1,NYI 3

3rd Period

Kyle Palmieri (10) Oliver Wahlstrom (9), Adam Pelech (10) 03:32 NJD 1,NYI 4

Mathew Barzal (16) Leo Komarov (7) 04:09 NJD 1,NYI 5

The Skinny        

The Isles are 13-11-2 since the end of their 9-game win streak (and 12-game point streak) … The Isles have killed 36 of the last 38 opponent power plays; they killed 48 of 52 at home this season (92.3%, 2nd all-time to Boston's 92.4% in 1998-99)…The team that has scored first has won 17 of the last 18 Islander games... The Isles have six regulation wins in the last 23 games (and this was their first against anyone other than the Rangers since April 6th)… Anthony Beauvillier extended his point streak to six games (5-2-7); Josh Bailey's assist tied him with John Tavares for 5th place on the all-time club list (349)…The Isles are 2-2-1 in their last five home games after going 19-2-2 to open the season…Brock Nelson played in his 300th consecutive game; he will tie Bobby Nystrom for 2nd place on the club's all-time list if he plays in the season final Monday…Nelson scored twice in 3:40 after scoring only once in 14 games; he now has 168 goals as an Islander to tie Ziggy Palffy for 14th place…Ryan Pulock played his 250th consecutive game; Pulock and Pelech both went +3, creating a 4-way tie (with Beauvillier and Mathew Barzal) for the team lead at +15…Barzal has scored three times in his last five games…Matt Martin celebrated his 32nd birthday…. The Isles went 46-19-8 at the Coliseum after returning home in December 2018….Oliver Wahlstrom matched career highs with five hits and five shots; he also had the second 2-assist game of his career...The Isles went 877-629-232 all-time in 1,738 games on Coliseum ice in regular season play; they will look to build on their 82-41 all-time playoff record when they return home for game 3 of the First Round.

The Playoff (Positioning) Chase  (all have clinched berth)

X-Pittsburgh 77 points/ 29 regulation wins (0 to play)

X -Washington 75 points/ 28 regulation wins (1 to play)

X -Boston         71 points/ 25 regulation wins (2 to play)

X-ISLES         70 points/ 24 regulation wins (1 to play)

Remaining Schedule:

• Sunday – Happy Mother's Day (no games)

• Monday – Isles @ BOS, NJ @ PHI

• Tuesday – BOS @ WAS

Race for the Jennings (includes shootout losers)

1. Vegas  122 goals allowed in 54 games  2.26

2. Isles  125 goals allowed in 55 games  2.27

3. Carolina 131 goals allowed in 55 games 2.38

4. Boston  132 goals allowed in 54 games  2.44

5. Colorado 131 goals allowed in 53 games 2.47

Most Shutouts in a Season

• 11 2018-19 (82-game schedule)

• 10 2020-21 (56-game schedule)

• 10 1975-76 (80-game schedule)

The Isles will earn a shutout in at least 17.9% of their games this season, breaking the previous record (13.4% in 2018-19).

Longest Shutout Streaks in Isles History (Goalie)

1. Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 248:00

2. Glenn Resch 1975-76 178:29

3. Robin Lehner 2018-19 177:43

Longest Shutout Streaks in Isles History (Team)

1. 2020-21 212:35

2. 1997-78 199:14

3. 2014-15 193:48

Varly Solid

Semyon Varlamov is 12-7-2 in his last 21 decisions, allowing just 42 goals in that span.  Varly has won 19 games this season (Tied-8th in NHL) with a goals against average of 2.02 and save percentage of .930. Both his GAA and save percentage are 2nd to Carolina's Alex Nedeljkovic (1.90, .932) among goalies who have played at least 15 games.  Varlamov has 251 NHL wins (61st all-time) and 34 shutouts (tied-57th all-time), including an NHL-leading seven this season.

Most Shutouts by an Islander Goalie (one season):

1. Semyon Varlamov 7 (2020-21)

        Chico Resch 7 (1975-76)

Lowest Goals Against by an Islander Goalie (one season) (minimum 1000 minutes):

1. Semyon Varlamov 2.02 (2020-21)

2. Chico Resch 2.08 (1975-76)

3. Robin Lehner 2.13 (2018-19)

4. Ilya Sorokin 2.16 (2020-21)

Highest Save Percentage by an Islander Goalie (one season) (minimum 1000 minutes):

1. Robin Lehner .9297 (2018-19)

2. Semyon Varlamov .9295 (2020-21)

3. Chico Resch .928 (1975-76)

4. Thomas Greiss .927 (2018-191)

Sorokin's Shining

Ilya Sorokin is 13-4-1 in his last eighteen starts. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last nine appearances.

Most Wins by an Islander Rookie Goalie (one season):

1. Chico Resch 23 (1975-76)

2. Roland Melanson 22 (1981-82)

3. Kelly Hrudey 19 (1984-85)

4. Ilya Sorokin 13 (2020-21)

Most Shutouts by an Islander Rookie Goalie (one season):

1. Chico Resch 7 (1975-76)

2. Ilya Sorokin 3 (2020-21)

        Chico Resch 3 (1974-75)

(Resch appeared in 25 games in 1974-75 and thus was considered a rookie the following year; Sorokin turns 26 this summer so he will not have rookie status next season) 

Home Sweet Home

The Isles earned points in 24 of their 28 home games (21-4-3); it is their best home record through 28 games in the Post-Cup Era:

Most Points at Home Through 28 Games

• 48 1980-81 (23-3-2)

• 47 1977-78 (21-2-5)

• 47 1978-79 (21-2-5)

• 45 2020-21 (21-4-3)

Historical D

The Isles have allowed only 125 goals (including 3 shootout winners) in 55 games; it is the fewest goals that they have allowed through 55 games in their history by a wide margin:

• 125 (2020-21)

• 133 (2018-19)

• 136 (1975-76)

• 136 (2003-04)

• 137 (1977-78)

• 138 (1976-77)

Results vs. Each East Division Opponent

• Boston W-W-W-Wso-Wot-L-L Remaining games: 1  (0 home, 1 away)

• Buffalo W-W-W-W-W-W-L-Lot Remaining games: 0

• New Jersey W-L-W-W-W-Wso-L-W Remaining games: 0

• Rangers         W-L-W-L-Wot-W-W-W Remaining games: 0

• Philadelphia Lot-Lot-L-W-Wot-Wso-Wso-Wot Remaining games: 0

• Pittsburgh     W-Lso-L-L-Lot-W-L-L Remaining games: 0

• Washington L-L-L-W-W-Lso-L-L Remaining games: 0

Home and Road

The Isles are 32-17-6 overall; they are 21-4-3 at home and 11-13-3 on the road.

New Jersey is 19-29-7 overall; they are 7-18-3 at home and 12-11-4 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 877-635-60-157 in 1,729 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville    961

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville  1,760

3. Barry Trotz         1,729

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile 1,445

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,326

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,203 wins between them.  They start each game with more than any other pair in NHL history (David Poile and Peter Laviolette had 2,036 after their last game together).   Bill Torrey and Al Arbour had a then-record 1,462 at the end of the 1991-92 season, which was their last season together.  

First Things First

The Isles are 23-2-2 when scoring first and are 9-15-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

• At home, Isles are 15-0-2 scoring first and 6-4-1 trailing first

• On road, Isles are 8-2-0 scoring first and 3-11-3 trailing first

The Isles have won 85.2% of the games that they have scored first, which is the 3rd-highest percentage in the NHL (just behind Edmonton - .885 and Vegas - .882). 

At 15-0-2 at home, they are one of three teams without a loss at home when scoring first (Boston 12-0-2 and Edmonton 11-0-0).

The Shots

Isles    12-11-4=27

New Jersey    4-7-13=24

The Isles are 20-6-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-1-0 when the shots are even and 11-10-3 when they are outshot.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 64-35-13 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves to improve to 13-6-2 on the season and 3-1-0 in his career against New Jersey. 

Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves but falls to 14-17-4 on the season and 2-4-1 vs. the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play (2:21); New Jersey was 0-2 on the power play (2:00). 

The Isles are 14-5-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 18-12-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 6-10-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 26-7-4 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 8-13-2 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 89-9-11 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 14-6-6 in games decided by a single goal including 6-6 in regulation. They are 4-3 in games decided in overtime and are 4-3 in shootouts.  The Isles are 0-1 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles played eight back-to-backs this season, going 4-2-2 in the front-half and 4-2-2 in the back-half. 

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 21-4-4 (.793) in back-ends. This is by far the best record of any NHL team in back-ends during this stretch.  Tampa Bay has the next best record: 20-9-3 (.672).

Series

The Isles are playing the same opponent in consecutive games sixteen times this season (including three-game stretches vs. the Sabres, Devils, Flyers, and Capitals).

  

In two-game series, the Isles are 4-7-2 in the first game and 5-6-2 in the second game:

NYR (W/L), NJ (W/L), WAS (L/L), PHI (Lot/Lot), BUF(W/W), PIT (L/L), PIT (Lot/W), PIT (L/L), NYR (L/Wot), BOS (L/L), NYR (W/W), BUF (L/Lot), NJ (L/W)

In three-game series, the Isles are 2-1-1 in the first game, 3-1-0 in the second game, and 3-1-0 in the third:

BUF (W/W/W), NJ (W/W/W), PHI (L/W/Wot), WAS (Lso/L/L)

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:33); New Jersey: Damon Severson (25:14)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 16:46 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Nick Leddy (9-6-1), Ryan Pulock (17-8-3), Scott Mayfield (1-1-0), Mathew Barzal (1-1-1), Adam Pelech (4-1-1).

Face-offs

Isles 30, New Jersey 25 (55%)

Brock Nelson won 11 of 15 for the Isles; Nico Hischier won 12 of 21 for New Jersey.

The Isles are 20-10-3 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-4-1 when they are tied, and 12-5-2 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 25 (Matt Martin and Oliver Wahlstrom -5)

New Jersey 23 (Kevin Bahl -7)

Fights 

There were no fights.  Season total: 5 (Martin -2, Cizikas -1, Wahlstrom -1, Johnston-1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Ryan Pulock -5)

New Jersey 22 (Will Butcher -6)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 55, New Jersey 47

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 51, New Jersey 44

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal +11

New Jersey: Damon Severson +7

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 12, New Jersey 7

5-on-5: Isles 10, New Jersey 7

Scratches

(Anders Lee-LTIR), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn,  Brian Bellows, Cal Clutterbuck, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Games Lost: 61

COVID Games Lost -6

Iron Man Club

Brock Nelson has played in 300 consecutive games and Ryan Pulock in 250; both have appeared in every game since Barry Trotz became the Isles' coach.  

Iron Man

Brock Nelson has the longest active streak (and the 3rd -longest in club history) while Ryan Pulock is 8th:

1. Billy Harris 10/7/1972 -11/30/1979 576 (*)

2. Bobby Nystrom 1/7/1975 - 11/25/1978 301

3. Brock Nelson 3/16/2017 – CURRENT 300

4. Anders Lee 1/26/2017 – 3/13/2021 295

5. Mathew Barzal 10/6/2017- 5/3/2021 284

    Matt Moulson 10/3/2009 - 4/4/2013 284

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

8. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 250

9.  John Tavares 10/16/2010 - 12/23/2013 246

10. J.P. Parise 1/7/1975 – 1/7/1978 240 (**)

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Pulock's streak is the 2nd-longest by an Islander defenseman, trailing only Denis Potvin's 262-game streak.

Challenges

Isles: 1 successful, 0 failures 

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-0-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(offsides 2/16 @BUF)

Opponents: 2 successful, 1 failure (goalie interference 1/14 @ NYR, no goalie interference 3/11 vs NJ, goalie interference 5/3 @ BUF)

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 1-1-0 in games that go the opponents' way.

Last Minute Heroes:

The Isles have scored one goal and allowed four goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 1 [Anders Lee, 2/6/21 vs PIT (17:14) -winning goal]

Vs:  4 [Justin Schultz, 1/26/21 @ WSH (19:33)-winning goal; Evgeni Malkin, 2/11/21 vs PIT (19:42) – tying goal/PIT won in OT; Oskar Lindblom, 3/18/21 vs PHI (17:38)-winning goal; Anders Bjork, 3/25/21 vs BOS (17:54) – tying goal/Isles won in OT]

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 918…

13. Stefan Persson 622 *** 14. Matt Martin 614 *** 15. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 16. Brock Nelson 603 *** 17. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 18. Garry Howatt 596 *** 19. John Tonelli 594 *** 20. Casey Cizikas 589 … 

27. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 28. Cal Clutterbuck 527 *** 29.  Anders Lee 520 *** 30. Nick Leddy 517

Goals

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Billy Harris and Anders Lee 184 *** 14. Ziggy Palffy and Brock Nelson 168 *** 16. Josh Bailey 162

Assists

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

4. Clark Gillies 359 *** 5. Josh Bailey  and John Tavares 349  …

17.  Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen 230 *** 19.Nick Leddy 197

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…

9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 11. Josh Bailey 511…

20. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 21. Brock Nelson 327 ***  22. Anders Lee 320

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 205

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 115

On the Farm

Bridgeport went 5-1-1-0 in their last seven games to finish their season with a record of 8-14-2-0 (4-7-1-0 vs. Hartford and 4-7-1-0 vs. Providence). 

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series 6 games to 2 (and 12 points to 4). 

The Isles were 6-2-0 while New Jersey was 2-5-1.

The Isles were 3-1-0 at the Coliseum vs. the Devils and 3-1-0 on the road.  

UP NEXT

MONDAY, MAY 10th  –ISLANDERS AT BOSTON 7:00pm

[MSG+ [pre-game at 6:30], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, WNYM 970]

The Isles conclude the regular season game as they face the Bruins in Boston.

After winning the first five games of the season series (including all four at home), the Isles dropped a back-to-back in Boston on April 15th-16th. 

And Finally…

Happy Mother's Day!

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