The Skinny: Isles 3, Ottawa 0

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 61

Isles 3, Ottawa 0

Scott Mayfield broke a scoreless tie midway through the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for his 35th career shutout as the Islanders blanked the Ottawa Senators 3-0 before a crowd of 15,856 at UBS Arena.

Anders Lee and Zach Parise, the latter into an empty net, scored in the final 2:35 to cement the win.  All three Islander goals were assisted by Brock Nelson, who recorded the first three assist period (and second three assist game) of his career. 

The Isles improve to 6-1-1 in their last eight games and 27-25-9 on the season.  They have also won five straight games at home.

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Scott Mayfield (3) Brock Nelson (13), Anders Lee (9) 09:49 OTT 0,NYI 1

Anders Lee (24) Casey Cizikas (5), Brock Nelson (14) 17:25 OTT 0,NYI 2

Zach Parise (9) Brock Nelson (15), Scott Mayfield (15)EN 19:14 OTT 0,NYI 3

The Skinny           

Scott Mayfield's goal was his first since January 21st vs. Arizona; Mayfield went 1-5-6 against Ottawa, registering two points in each game…Anders Lee improved to 10-3-13 in the last nine games.…The Isles have scored the first goal in 13 of the last 17 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Semyon Varlamov has allowed only seven goals in his last four games (3-0-1, 1.72, .944); he is the 7th goaltender in club history to record 10 shutouts.  Varly has shutouts against fourteen different teams (including one against the Isles)…Brock Nelson has had a three goal third period and a three assist third period in the last two home games; each was the first of his career. He is 8-6-14 in the last eleven games…Zach Parise's goal was the 402nd of his career, joining four others in a tie for 100th place all-time…The Isles now have seven shutouts as the team this season, and 30 in the four seasons under Barry Trotz…Ottawa has been outscored 81-44 in the third period; they have now allowed 13 empty-net goals.

First Times in a Long Time

• Scott Mayfield is the first Islander with six points in a season series with Ottawa since Ziggy Palffy also had six (3-3-6) in the 1995-96 season.  Prior to Mayfield, Devon Toews (4 points in 2019-20) was the only Islander defenseman to have more than three points in a season vs. Ottawa.

• Semyon Varlamov is the first Islander to blank Ottawa since Ron Hextall did so on February 18, 1994.

Strong PK

The Isles killed both of their penalties and have now killed 31 of 35 in the last thirteen games (88.7%).  At home they are even better, having killed 24 of 25 since the beginning of February; their 96.0% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Offense from the Defense

The Islander defense has 52 assists in the last 22 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games. The Islander defense has recorded 35.4% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL.  Only Nashville (36.2%) and Detroit (35.8%) have a higher share of points from their defense.

All-Star Break Splits

The Islander offense has improved significantly since the All-Star break.  The Isles scored 92 goals in 39 games before the break (2.4/gm) and have scored 72 in 22 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)

After:   63-75-138 in 22 games  (6.3/gm)

Defense:

Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)

After:     9-52-61 in 22 games (2.8/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 208

3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month, most of any month in franchise history  The Isles are 7-4-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 27-25-9 overall; they are 16-12-4 at home and 11-13-5 on the road.

Ottawa is 22-36-5 overall; they are 12-19-2 at home and 10-17-3 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 32 home games and recorded 25 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 904-661-60-166 in 1,791 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville   970

3. Barry Trotz    904

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,791

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,483 (excluding late game Tuesday)

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,353

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,257 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 22-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    8-7-12=27

Ottawa    13-5-6=24

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 16-18-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 81-54-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves; he is 6-12-2 on the season and 5-5-2 vs. Ottawa.   

Anton Forsberg made 24 saves; he is 14-13-2 on the season and 2-5-0 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Ottawa was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 14-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-18-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-10-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 21-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 23-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-18-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 110-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 7-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-8 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-7-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 26th in Boston and March 27th vs. Tampa Bay (both afternoon games).

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-11-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-2-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Saturday in Boston. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (20:24); Ottawa: Erik Brannstrom (22:56)

Zach Parise led Isles forwards with 18:35 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (10-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-8-3), Ryan Pulock (6-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 31, Ottawa 17 (65%)

Mathew Barzal won 6 of 7 for the Isles; no Senator who took multiple draws won more than he lost. 

Hit Count

Isles 34 (Matt Martin -6)

Ottawa 22 (Nikita Zaitsev -4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Scott Mayfield -4)

Ottawa 17 (Dylan Gambrell -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 52, Ottawa 43

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 46, Ottawa 38

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Andy Greene +10

Ottawa: Alex Formenton +12

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 14, Ottawa 10

5-on-5: Isles 12, Ottawa 9

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), Sebastian Aho, Kieffer Bellows

Games Lost: 127 (78 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 150th consecutive game. Zach Parise is the only other Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 972…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 664  *** 12. Brock Nelson 656 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 644 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 588 *** 22. Anders Lee 575

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 208 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 195 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 204 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson and Brock Nelson 175

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 367 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 353…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Mathew Barzal 292

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +65 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 267

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 142

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 3-0-1-0 in their last four and 24-25-6-4 on the season.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 29 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 8-10-3.

The Baby Isles begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday in Utica. 

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 0).   

The Isles are 9-1-0 in the last 10 games vs. the Sens, including five straight home wins.

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, MARCH 24th  – DETROIT AT ISLANDERS 7:30 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles look to avenge a pair of one-goal road losses as they complete the season series with the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings won in overtime on December 4th on an extra time goal by Moritz Seider and then edged the Isles 2-1 ten days later, with both games at Little Caesars Arena. 

The Isles have won four straight home games over the Red Wings.

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: Philadelphia 2, Isles 1

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 60

Philadelphia 2, Isles 1

Kevin Hayes scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers overcame a first period Casey Cizikas goal and defeated the Islanders 2-1 before a crowd of 17,218 at Wells Fargo Center.

The loss broke the Isles' six-game point streak (5-0-1) as the Isles fell to 26-25-9 on the season, including 4-7-1 on the back-end of back-to-backs.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Casey Cizikas (8) 12:50 NYI 1,PHI 0

2nd Period

Kevin Hayes (6) Travis Konecny (27), Joel Farabee (14) 04:22 NYI 1,PHI 1

Kevin Hayes (7) Joel Farabee (15), Travis Konecny (28) 14:55 NYI 1,PHI 2 PPG

3rd Period

No Goals

The Skinny           

Casey Cizikas' goal was his third against the Flyers this season…Anders Lee's point streak ended at seven games (9-2-11), which matched his career high…The Isles have scored the first goal in 12 of the last 15 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Kevin Hayes recorded his 8th career two-goal game, and fourth as a Flyer…Keith Yandle played in his 984th consecutive game, extending his own NHL record…Cal Clutterbuck (maintenance day) did not dress for the first time this season…By allowing only two goals, the Isles lowered their goals against during the Trotz era to 2.50, best in the NHL in that stretch (Boston 2.51)…The loss ended Ilya Sorokin's four-game win streak; he has allowed just 7 goals in the last five games (4-1-0, 1.41, .958).

Strong PK

The Isles killed three of their four penalties and have now killed 29 of 33 in the last twelve games (87.9%).  At home they are even better, having killed 22 of 23 since the beginning of February; their 95.7% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Offense from the Defense

The Islander defense has 51 assists in the last 21 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games. The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL.  Only Nashville (36.9%) and Detroit (35.9%) have a higher share of points from their defense.

All-Star Break Splits

The Islander offense has improved significantly since the All-Star break.  The Isles scored 92 goals in 39 games before the break (2.4/gm) and have scored 69 in 21 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)

After:   61-70-131 in 21 games  (6.2/gm)

Defense:

Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)

After:     8-51-59 in 21 games (2.8/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 207

3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 6-4-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 26-25-9 overall; they are 15-12-4 at home and 11-13-5 on the road.

Philadelphia is 20-31-11 overall; they are 13-15-6 at home and 7-16-5 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 31 home games and recorded 25 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 903-661-60-166 in 1,790 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz  903

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,790

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,482

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,352

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,255 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 21-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    6-13-8=27

Philadelphia    13-13-11=37

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 16-18-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 81-54-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves; he is 21-13-7 on the season and 7-1-1 vs. Philadelphia.   

Carter Hart made 26 saves; he is 13-19-7 on the season and 3-3-3 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play (1:33); Philadelphia was 1-4 on the power play (7:14).

The Isles are 14-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-18-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-10-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 20-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 22-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-18-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 109-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 7-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-8 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

Including today, the Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-7-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 26th in Boston and March 27th vs. Tampa Bay (both afternoon games).

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-11-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

Including today, the Isles are 3-2-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Saturday in Boston. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Noah Dobson (21:41); Philadelphia: Travis Sanheim (23:13)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Isles forwards with 18:32 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-8-3), Ryan Pulock (6-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 28, Philadelphia 27 (51%)

Brock Nelson won 10 of 16 for the Isles; Patrick Brown won 6 of 7 for Philadelphia. 

Hit Count

Isles 19 (Sebastian Aho -3)

Philadelphia 12 (Derick Brassard -4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 17 (Sebastian Aho and Ryan Pulock -3)

Philadelphia 20 (Ivan Provorov -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Philadelphia 65

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 49, Philadelphia 50

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Zach Parise +10

Philadelphia: Travis Sanheim +8

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 8, Philadelphia 13

5-on-5: Isles 8, Philadelphia 9

Scratches

Ross Johnston, Andy Greene, Cal Clutterbuck

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 149th consecutive game. Zach Parise is the only other Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 971…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 663  *** 12. Brock Nelson 655 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 643 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 574

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 207 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 195 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 204 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Brock Nelson 172

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 367 *** 18.  Anders Lee 351…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Mathew Barzal 292

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +64 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 266

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 141

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 3-0-1-0 in their last four and 24-25-6-4 on the season.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 29 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 8-10-3.

The Baby Isles begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday in Utica. 

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series, 3 games to 1 (and 6 points to 2).   

The loss breaks an Islander eight-game winning streak against Philadelphia.  Despite the loss, the Isles are 12-2-2 in the last 15 games vs. the Flyers.

It was the Isles' first regulation loss in Philadelphia since January 4, 2018 (6-0-2).   

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, MARCH 22nd – OTTAWA AT ISLANDERS 2:00 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles look to complete a sweep of the season series as they host the Ottawa Senators in the third and final meeting of the season. The Isles defeated the Sens 5-3 in Kanata in December and then earned a 4-1 win at UBS on February 1st.

The Isles are 8-1-0 in the last 9 games vs. the Sens, including four straight home wins. 

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, Dallas 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 59

Isles 4, Dallas 2

Brock Nelson scored three times in the third period to establish a new career high in goals with 27 and Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves as the Islanders defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 17,255 on Nickelodeon Day at UBS Arena.

Ryan Pulock's 100.8 mph blast gave the Isles the early lead as the Isles scored the first goal for the eleventh time in the last 14 games.  The Isles are 5-0-1 in their last six games as they moved two games over NHL-.500 for the first time since November 11th (5-3-2) with a 26-24-9 record.

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Ryan Pulock (2) Adam Pelech (18), Cal Clutterbuck (9) 03:16 DAL 0,NYI 1

Denis Gurianov (10) Jacob Peterson (4), Ryan Suter (21) 18:46 DAL 1,NYI 1

3rd Period

Brock Nelson (25) Noah Dobson (26), Mathew Barzal (28) 04:17 DAL 1,NYI 2 PPG

Brock Nelson (26) Anthony Beauvillier (19), Anders Lee (8) 05:55 DAL 1,NYI 3

Jacob Peterson (10) Tyler Seguin (16), Denis Gurianov (18) 11:39 DAL 2,NYI 3

Brock Nelson (27)EN 19:40 DAL 2,NYI 4

The Skinny          

Brock Nelson recorded his 20th career multi-goal game, and 4th hat trick to give him 27 goals in 50 games this season; he is now just five goals shy of 200 career goals… Anders Lee extended his point scoring streak to seven games (9-2-11) but saw his goal streak end at 7 (tied for the longest by an Islander in the 2000s)…Kyle Palmieri's point streak ended at six games …The Isles have scored the first goal in 11 of the last 14 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games… Noah Dobson had another assist and remained two behind Mathew Barzal. Dobson is 4-15-19 since the all-star break, leading the team in both assists and points. Dobson is also third in the NHL in defenseman points in that span (Roman Josi 28, Cale Makar 25) …In total, the Islander defense had two more assists; they have 51 assists in the last 20 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games… The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL…The Isles kept Tyler Seguin (299 goals) and Rick Bowness (199 wins) from reaching milestones…Semyon Varlamov is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, allowing just six goals.  It was his 17th career win against the Stars – more than any other opponent…That was the Isles' 7th empty-net goal of the season but the first that was scored with the Isles holding only a one-goal lead…Nelson has three empty-netters this season; he is the first Islander since Casey Cizikas in 2018-19 (also 3) to do so.  He has now scored both a hat-trick goal and a fourth goal into an empty net this season…Denis Gurianov has three goals in four games vs. the Isles…Dallas was the final Western Conference team to visit UBS this season; the Isles went 7-6-3 at home vs. the West, including 7-4-0 in the last eleven matches. Seven of the nine Islander home losses to Western Conference foes were by one goal (0-4-3).

Strong PK

The Isles killed both of their penalties and have now killed 26 of 29 in the last eleven games (89.7%).  At home they are even better, having killed 22 of 23 since the beginning of February; their 95.7% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Offense from the Defense

The Islander defense has 51 assists in the last 20 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games. The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL.  Only Nashville (36.7%) and Detroit (36.3%) have a higher share of points from their defense.

All-Star Break Splits

The Islander offense has improved significantly since the All-Star break.  The Isles scored 92 goals in 39 games before the break (2.4/gm) and have scored 68 in 20 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:

Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)

After:   60-70-130 in 20 games  (6.5/gm)

Defense:

Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)

After:     8-51-59 in 20 games (3.0/gm)

First Times in a Long Time

• Brock Nelson is the first Islander to score three goals in a period since Mathew Barzal had a natural hat trick in the second period in Toronto on December 29, 2018. 

• Nelson is the first Islander with two hat tricks in a season since John Tavares did so (both in October 2017).

• It is the first time since December 2017 that the Isles have had two hat tricks in a month (Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal).

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 207

3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 6-3-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 26-24-9 overall; they are 15-12-4 at home and 11-12-5 on the road.

Dallas is 33-24-3 overall; they are 20-8-1 at home and 13-16-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 31 home games and recorded 25 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 903-660-60-166 in 1,789 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz  903

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,789

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,481(* pending night game)

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,352

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,255 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 21-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    8-7-10=25

Dallas    12-10-17=39

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 16-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 81-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves; he is 5-12-2 on the season and 17-7-2 vs. Dallas.   

Jake Oettinger made 21 saves; he is 20-10-1 on the season and 0-1-0 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-2 on the power play (2:48); Dallas was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 14-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 20-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 22-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 109-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 7-7-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

Including today, the Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. This back-to-back concludes on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The next back-to-back will be March 26th in Boston and March 27th vs. Tampa Bay (both afternoon games).

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

Including today, the Isles are 3-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:48); Dallas: Ryan Suter (23:32)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Isles forwards with 19:47 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-7-3, Ryan Pulock (6-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 32, Dallas 25 (56%)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 11 of 15 for the Isles; Ryan Strome won 7 of 12 for Dallas. 

Hit Count

Isles 31 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -6)

Dallas 30 (Three with 4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 15 (Noah Dobson -3)

Dallas 12 (Esa Lindell -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 40, Dallas 64

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 33, Dallas 53

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Noah Dobson +7

Dallas: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 8, Dallas 15

5-on-5: Isles 7, Dallas 15

Scratches

Brian Bellows, Ross Johnston, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 148th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 970…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 662  *** 12. Brock Nelson 654 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 642 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 573

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 207 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 195 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 204 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Brock Nelson 172

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 367 *** 18.  Anders Lee 351…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Mathew Barzal 292

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +63 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 265

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 141

On the Farm

Bridgeport improved to 24-25-6-4 on the season with a 7-4 win over Syracuse on Saturday. Richard Panik scored twice and Austin Czarnik added four assists as the Isles extended their point streak to four games.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 29 helpers.

The Baby Isles begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday in Utica. 

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0).  The teams will meet again in Dallas on April 5th.

The Isles are 6-2-0 in their last eight home games vs. Dallas and have won three of four overall from the Stars. 

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, MARCH 20th - ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA 2:00 PM 

[TNT, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles look to complete a sweep of the season series and win their ninth straight game from the Flyers as they visit Philadelphia.  The Isles are 12-1-2 in the last 15 games vs. the Flyers and their current win streak is the longest in the 50-year rivalry.

The Isles beat the Flyers three times in nine days in January, including a nine-round shootout where Oliver Wahlstrom scored the only goal.

Five of the eight games have gone to extra time, including all three in the streak that have been played in Philadelphia, a place that the Isles have not lost in regulation since January 4, 2018 (6-0-2).  The Isles will be looking to match their longest-ever win streak in Philly, done twice before (1987 and 2006-07).

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 2, Rangers 1

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 58

Isles 2, Rangers 1

Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri both went to Notre Dame and the Luck (and Skill) of the Irish were on their side as they had the goals in a 2-1 St. Patrick's Day win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 

However, it was a save that Ilya Sorokin made on Artemi Panarin in the first period that will be most remembered by the sellout crowd of 18,006.

Sorokin's save was part of his fourth straight win as he allowed only a power play goal to Chris Kreider.  

The Isles are 4-0-1 in their last five games as they moved over NHL-.500 for the first time in over seven weeks with a 25-24-9 record.

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period 

Anders Lee (23) Mathew Barzal (27), Noah Dobson (25) 00:49 NYI 1,NYR 0 PPG

Chris Kreider (40) Alexis Lafrenière (6), Jacob Trouba (21) 13:38 NYI 1,NYR 1 PPG

3rd Period

Kyle Palmieri (11) Ryan Pulock (12), Adam Pelech (17) 17:16 NYI 2,NYR 1

OT

No Goals

The Skinny          

Anders Lee extended his goal scoring streak to six games (9 goals), and now had 207 career goals – passing John Tonelli for 11th place on the club's all-time list… Lee now had 350 career points, becoming the 18th player to reach that mark…Kyle Palmieri extended his point streak to six games (matching a career high) and goal streak to three games with the winning goal; he is also 6-4-10 in his last 10 games. …The Isles have scored the first goal in ten of the last 13 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…  Noah Dobson had another assist, tying Josh Bailey for second place on the team and remaining two behind Mathew Barzal. Dobson is 4-14-18 since the all-star break, leading the team in both assists and points. Dobson is also third in the NHL in defenseman points in that span …In total, the Islander defense had three more assists; they have 49 assists in the last 20 games after having 47 helpers in the first 37 games… The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL…Chris Kreider has 21 power play goals and 40 goals total; he is three power play goals and 14 overall goals shy of Jaromir Jagr's club records….Kreider is the first NHL player with 21 power play goals in a season since Alex Ovechkin had 25 in 2014-15….There was a moment of silence acknowledging Jean Potvin's passing before the game.

Strong PK

The Isles killed two of three penalties and have now killed 24 of 27 in the last eleven games (88.9%).  

First Time in a Long Time

Anders Lee is the first Islander to score in six straight games since Michael Grabner did so in 2011.  He joins Grabner as the only Islanders with a 6-game goal streak in the 2000's. Ziggy Palffy was the last Islander to score in seven straight games (1996); Lee will try to match that on Saturday. 

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 207

3. John Tonelli 206

St. Patrick's Day

This was the fourth St. Patrick's Day game between the teams, with the Islanders improving to 3-1-0.  

The Isles won at the Coliseum in both 1979 (5-2) and 1990 (6-3); Brian Leetch scored the only goal in 2003 at the Garden. The Isles are 4-7-1 in the last 12 St. Patrick's games, all played on the road. Their last home game on St. Patrick's Day was the 1990 win over the Rangers.

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 5-3-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 25-24-9 overall; they are 14-12-4 at home and 11-12-5 on the road.

The Rangers are 38-18-5 overall; they are 20-6-3 at home and 18-12-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 30 home games and recorded 24 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 902-660-60-166 in 1,788 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    902

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,788

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,481

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,351

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,253 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 20-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    7-11-10=28

Rangers    12-10-8=30

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 15-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 80-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves; he is 21-12-7 on the season and 2-1-0 vs. the Rangers.   

Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves; he is 29-8-3 on the season and 1-5-1 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play (5:26); the Rangers were 1-3 on the power play (5:12).

The Isles are 13-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-15-5 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 21-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 108-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 7-7-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 6-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 19th vs. Dallas and March 20th in Philadelphia.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 2-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on March 19th against Dallas. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (20:47); Rangers: Adam Fox (24:03)

Anders Lee led Isles forwards with 18:37 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-7-3, Ryan Pulock (5-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 16, Rangers 22 (42%)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 8 of 12 for the Isles; Ryan Strome won 7 of 9 for the Rangers. 

Hit Count

Isles 21 (Matt Martin-5)

Rangers 27 (Ryan Reaves -7)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Scott Mayfield -6)

Rangers 9 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 48, Rangers 53

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 33, Rangers 36

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Noah Dobson +7

Rangers: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 14, Rangers 9

5-on-5: Isles 11, Rangers 8

Scratches

Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 147th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 969…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 661  *** 12. Brock Nelson 653 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 641 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 586 *** 22. Anders Lee 572

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 207 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 192 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 203 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Brock Nelson 172

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 364 *** 18.  Anders Lee 350…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Mathew Barzal 291

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +62 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 264

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 140

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 23-25-6-4 on the season following a 3-2 overtime loss in Springfield on Wednesday.  Chris Terry scored his team-leading 21st goal with 60 seconds to play to force the extra session and move the Islanders within two points of a playoff spot.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 27 helpers.

The Baby Isles return home to host Syracuse on Saturday.

Season Series Stats

The season series is even, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2).  The teams will next play on April 1st at The Garden before concluding the season series on Long Island on April 21st.

The Isles are 5-1-0 in their last six games at The Garden. 

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, MARCH 19th- DALLAS AT ISLANDERS 2:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 1:30PM), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles have faced every team in the NHL except the Dallas Stars, and that will change on Saturday when the Stars become the final Western Conference team to visit UBS Arena.

This will be the first meeting of the teams since February 4, 2020, when Anthony Beauvillier's overtime goal gave the Isles a victory at Barclays Center.

Dallas never played a game at the Coliseum after the Isles returned there so this will be their first game on Long Island since October 25, 2014, when Frans Nielsen completed his only hat trick into an empty net.

It will be a reunion of sorts for Zdeno Chara. Chara, who turned 45 on Friday, made his NHL debut in 1997 for now-Dallas coach Rick Bowness.

The teams will meet again in Dallas on April 5th.

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: Washington 4, Isles 3 (SO)

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 57

Washington 4, Isles 3 (SO)

On the night Alexander Ovechkin passed Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time NHL goal list, it was Anthony Mantha who scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout as the Washington Capitals defeated the Isles 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,573 at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin's goal, the 767th of his Hall-of-Fame-bound career, had given the Capitals a 3-2 lead with 4:58 to play but Anders Lee evened the game 2:59 later to set the stage for overtime.  The Caps had seven of the eight shots in the extra session but then needed eight shootout rounds to emerge with the victory.  

Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Isles, who are 3-0-1 in their last four games as they remain at NHL-.500 with a 24-24-9 record.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Anthony Mantha (4) Evgeny Kuznetsov (39), Conor Sheary (15) 12:21NYI 0,WSH 1

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (24) Zdeno Chara (9), Noah Dobson (23) 04:55 NYI 1,WSH 1

Kyle Palmieri (10) Josh Bailey (24), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (16) 17:02 NYI 2,WSH 1

3rd Period

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (1) Dmitry Orlov (18) 10:13 NYI 2,WSH 2

Alex Ovechkin (37) Evgeny Kuznetsov (40) 15:02 NYI 2,WSH 3

Anders Lee (22) Noah Dobson (24), Brock Nelson (12) 18:01 NYI 3,WSH 3 

OT

No Goals

The Shootout

Evgeny Kuznetsov  (NG)/ Anthony Beauvillier  (NG)

Nicklas Backstrom  (NG)/ Oliver Wahlstrom  (NG)

T.J. Oshie (G)/ Kyle Palmieri (G)

Daniel Sprong (NG) / Mathew Barzal  (NG)

Alex Ovechkin (NG) / Josh Bailey (NG)

John Carlson (NG) / Noah Dobson (NG)

Trevor van Riemsdyk (NG) / Brock Nelson (NG)

Anthony Mantha (G/GDG) / Anders Lee (NG)

This was the third-longest shootout of the season in the NHL.  The Isles beat Philly on January 18th and the Rangers beat Boston on February 15th (both in nine rounds)…The Islanders remain the NHL's all-time winningest shootout team (87) but are 1-6 this season…The six losses matches the club record for shootout losses, done four other times, but in three of the other four seasons the Isles had a winning record in the shootout…The Isles are now 3/30 (10%) in shootout attempts; they have connected on at least 20% of their attempts in every previous season…The Isles are 2-9 in games beyond 60 minutes.

The Skinny          

Anders Lee extended his goal scoring streak to five games (8 goals), and now had 206 career goals – tying John Tonelli for 11th place on the club's all-time list…Josh Bailey had an assist to extend his point streak to four games; Bailey is the 8th player to post 9 consecutive 30-point seasons for the Isles;  5 of the others have banners hanging (5-9-19-22-23); Brent Sutter and John Tavares are the others...Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also extended their streaks to five games…The Isles allowed the first goal for only the third time in the last 12 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games… Kyle Palmieri is 5-4-9 in his last nine games…. Noah Dobson has assists on Brock Nelson's last three goals and four of his last five tallies…The Isles are 21-2-2 when leading after 2;  Washington improves to 3-14-5 when trailing after 2…Barry Trotz and staff won another offsides challenge; he is 11-0 when challenging offsides as an Islander coach…The Islander defense had three assists; they have 46 assists in the last 19 games after having 47 helpers in the first 37 games…Brock Nelson is now within two goals of his career high; his second period goal was the Isles' first in 151:50 against the Caps…The Isles are now +16 in the second period (55-39) and -15 in the first/third periods combined…Evgeny Kuznetsov had a pair of assists to extend his point streak to six games…The Caps are 5-0-1 in March.

Staying Out of the Box

The Isles were not shorthanded for the second time in three games – they have killed 22 of 24 in the last ten games (91.7%).  It is the fourth time this season that the Isles were not shorthanded, but the first time on the road that the Isles did not have to kill a penalty since February 13, 2020, in Nashville.

The Great 8

Alex Ovechkin passed Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time NHL goal list, despite having played 477 fewer games than Jagr.  Ovechkin has tallied 42 times in 64 games against the Isles. Only Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801) have scored more goals than Ovechkin (767).

The milestone goal was Ovechkin's 1,392nd point, breaking a tie for 23rd with Brett Hull.

First Time in a Long Time

Anders Lee is the first Islander to score in five straight games since Derick Brassard did so October 24 - November 2, 2019 (Lee assisted on an empty-net goal in that streak).  It is also the longest streak of Lee's career. . Michael Grabner (2011) is the only Islander to score in six straight games in the last 26 years; Lee will try to match that on Thursday. 

First Time Forever

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby scored his first goal in his 14th NHL game. He is the 91st player to score his first NHL goal this season. Cole Sillinger and Quinton Byfield are the others with first NHL goals against the Isles this season.

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 4-3-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 24-24-9 overall; they are 14-12-4 at home and 10-12-5 on the road.

Washington is 33-18-10 overall; they are 15-11-5 at home and 18-7-5 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 30 home games and recorded 24 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 901-660-60-166 in 1,787 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    901

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,787

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,481

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,350

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,251 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 19-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    11-10-10-1=32

Washington    9-7-9-7=32

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 14-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 79-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves; he is 4-12-2 on the season and 6-10-3 vs. Washington.  Varlamov is 34-21 in shootouts.

Vitek Vanecek made 29 saves; he is 15-7-5 on the season and 5-1-0 vs. the Isles. Vanecek is 4-2 in shootouts.

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play (2:00); Washington did not have a power play.

The Isles are 12-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-4 when they do not. The Isles are 5-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-15-5 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 21-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 108-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 6-7-9 in games decided by a single goal including 4-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 6-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 19th vs. Dallas and March 20th in Philadelphia.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 2-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on March 19th against Dallas. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Noah Dobson (24:57); Washington: John Carlson (23:05)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:03 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (4-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0), Noah Dobson (7-7-3).

Face-offs

Isles 23, Washington 31 (43%)

No Islander won more than he lost; Evgeny Kuznetsov won 10 of 17 for Washington. 

Hit Count

Isles 23 (Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck -5)

Washington 30 (Alex Ovechkin -6)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 10 (Noah Dobson -3)

Washington 13 (Martin Fehervary -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Washington 56

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 51, Washington 46

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Kyle Palmieri +12

Washington: Josh Morrissey +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 5, Washington 13

5-on-5: Isles 4, Washington 10

Scratches

Brian Bellows, Ross Johnston, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 146th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 3  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 968…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 660  *** 12. Brock Nelson 652 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 640 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 585 *** 22. Anders Lee 571

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 11. John Tonelli and Anders Lee 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 192 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 202 ***20. Nick Leddy 198*** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Brock Nelson 172

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 541 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 364 *** 18. Frans Nielsen and Anders Lee 349…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Alexei Yashin and Mathew Barzal 290

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +61 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 263

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 139

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 23-25-5-4 on the season and just three points out of a playoff spot heading into Wednesday evening's game in Springfield.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 20 goals and 44 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 26 helpers.

The Baby Isles return home to host Syracuse on Saturday.

Season Series Stats

Washington leads the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 1).  The teams will play a home-and-home series over the last week of the regular season to conclude their matches for the year. 

The Isles are 0-3-2 in their last five games with Washington and 0-4-1 in their last five trips to DC.

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, MARCH 17th- ISLANDERS AT RANGERS 7:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 6:30PM), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles have 25 games to play and three of them will be against the rival Rangers, beginning with a St. Patrick's Day matchup at Madison Square Garden.

This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Igor Shesterkin beat the Isles 4-1 on Thanksgiving Eve as Kevin Rooney and Chris Kreider each scored twice; the Isles played that game despite missing seven regulars due to COVID and three others due to injury. Andy Andreoff scored the only goal for the Isles.

This will be the 4th St. Patrick's Day game between the teams.  The Isles won at the Coliseum in both 1979 (5-2) and 1990 (6-3); Brian Leetch scored the only goal in 2003 at the Garden.

The Isles took three of four at MSG last season, losing only in Ilya Sorokin's unplanned NHL debut last January 16th.

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

Remembering Jean Potvin

Eight years ago I had a chance to tell this story on the occasion of Jean's 65th birthday.  He passed away today, just ten days shy of his 73rd birthday.

His memory will always be for a blessing.  May he Rest in Peace.

My parade ride

I don't get to tell this story all that often, so here goes...

I went to the Islanders Cup parades in 1980 and 1981 as a spectator, but by 1982 this high school senior was working on Islander telecasts.  So on the day of the parade I was able to get into the assembly area at the Coliseum to say hello to some friends and take some pictures close to the guys who had just won their third straight Cup.

As the parade was ready to get started, a man grabbed my arm and pulled me into one of the pickups that was being used for the parade so as an 18-year-old I rode down Hempstead Turnpike, waving to the crowd, and into Carltun on the Park for the ceremony.

The man who grabbed me was Cup Winner turned radio announcer Jean Potvin, and he turns 65 today.  Happy birthday Jean!

The Skinny: Isles 4, Anaheim 3

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 56

Isles 4, Anaheim 3

Kyle Palmieri and Anders each scored in the final half-minute of the first period to break a 1-1 tie and Palmieri's second period goal would turn out to be the game-winner as the Isles extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.

Zach Parise got the Isles off to a good start with an early goal and Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves, several of the spectacular variety, to improve to 11-1-2 in his last 14 games at home.

The Isles finish their homestand 4-2-0 as they improve to 24-24-8 on the season.  It is the first time since a win over Vancouver on February 9th that the Isles end the night at NHL-.500.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Zach Parise (8) Mathew Barzal (26) 02:18 ANA 0,NYI 1 

Josh Manson (4) Buddy Robinson (4) 09:48 ANA 1,NYI 1

Kyle Palmieri (8) Josh Bailey (22), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (15) 19:31 ANA 1,NYI 2

Anders Lee (21) Ryan Pulock (11), Anthony Beauvillier (18) 19:56 ANA 1,NYI 3

2nd Period

Isac Lundestrom (14) Hampus Lindholm (17), Jamie Drysdale (22) 14:23 ANA 2,NYI 3

Kyle Palmieri (9) Scott Mayfield (14), Josh Bailey (23) 17:25 ANA 2,NYI 4

3rd Period

Adam Henrique (14) Troy Terry (22), Trevor Zegras (28) 18:16 ANA 3,NYI 4

The Skinny          

Anders Lee extended his goal scoring streak to four games (7 goals), and now had 205 career goals – just one behind John Tonelli for 11th place on the club's all-time list… Brock Nelson's goal-scoring streak and Noah Dobson's assist streak both ended at four… Josh Bailey had a pair of assists in his 3rd consecutive multiple-point game…The Isles have scored first in nine of the last 11 games and allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…John Gibson allowed at least four goals for the eighth time in his last 11 games.…Adam Pelech is now +21 on the season; no Islander has finished a season better than +25 since Adrian Aucoin went +29 in 2003-04…The Isles have scored 19 goals in a four-game span for the first time since scoring 21 goals between October 28-November 5, 2017..The Isles are two games over .500 at home for the first time in UBS history…Adam Henrique played in his 750th NHL game; he has 22 two-goal games (and no hat tricks) in regular season play – most of any active player…Kyle Palmieri recorded his second two-goal game of the season; he is 4-4-8 in his last eight games….Jean-Gabriel Pageau earned an assist, extending his point streak to four games…Massapequa's Sonny Milano played his first NHL game on Long Island; he had faced the Isles twice at Barclays…The Isles have won three straight games in regulation for the first time since a five-game streak February 28 - March 7, 2021.

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 0-2 on the power play, and are 6-16 in the last five games (37.5%); the Isles killed both Duck power plays – they have killed 22 of 24 in the last nine games (91.7%)

First Time in a Long Time

The Isles scored twice against a goaltender in the final 30 seconds of a period for only the second time in club history and the first time since they did so in the 2nd period of a game in Toronto on March 3, 1984.  Perspective: the Isles have played over 2,900 games since that last happened. 

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

Busy Home Stand

This was the final game of a six-game homestand, all of which were played in a span of eleven days.

• 3/3 vs Vancouver L 3-4

• 3/5 vs St. Louis W 2-1

• 3/7 vs. Colorado L 4-5

• 3/10 vs. Columbus W 6-0

• 3/11 vs. Winnipeg W 5-2

• 3/13 vs. Anaheim W 4-3

March Madness

The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 4-3-0 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 24-24-8 overall; they are 14-12-4 at home and 10-12-4 on the road.

Anaheim is 27-25-10 overall; they are 16-11-4 at home and 11-14-6 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 30 home games and sold out 24 of them. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. 

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 901-660-60-165 in 1,786 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    901

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,786

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,480

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,350

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,251 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 19-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    13-9-8=30

Anaheim    12-14-16=42

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 14-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 79-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves; he is 20-12-7 on the season and 2-0-0 vs. Anaheim.   

John Gibson made 26 saves; he is 17-18-8 on the season and 4-1-1 vs. the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Anaheim was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 12-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-3 when they do not. The Isles are 5-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-15-4 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 21-7-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 108-16-14 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 6-7-8 in games decided by a single goal including 4-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 6-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 19th vs. Dallas and March 20th in Philadelphia.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 2-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on March 19th against Dallas. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (22:29); Anaheim: Cam Fowler (27:34)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:38 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (4-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0), Noah Dobson (7-7-2).

Face-offs

Isles 31, Anaheim 25 (55%)

Brock Nelson won 13 of 18 for the Isles; Vinni Letteri won 4 of 7 for Anaheim. 

Hit Count

Isles 25 (Three with 5)

Anaheim 14 (Nicolas Deslauriers -3)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 18 (Ryan Pulock -4)

Anaheim 13 (Derek Grant -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 49, Anaheim 68

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Anaheim 57

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Kyle Palmieri +12

Anaheim: Josh Morrissey +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 11, Anaheim 18

5-on-5: Isles 8, Anaheim 15

Scratches

Brian Bellows, Matt Martin, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 145th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 2 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-0-0 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 0 failures  

The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-0 in games where challenges go the Isles' way.

Last Minute Heroes:

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

For: 2  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG), (Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 966…

10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 659  *** 12. Brock Nelson 651 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 639 … 

20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 584 *** 22. Anders Lee 570

Goals    

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 205 *** 13. Brock Nelson 191 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 372…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 202 ***20. Nick Leddy 198*** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Duane Sutter, Alexei Yashin and Brock Nelson 171

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 540 …

15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 362 *** 18. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 19. Anders Lee 348…

24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Alexei Yashin and Mathew Barzal 290

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +63 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 262

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 139

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 23-25-5-4 on the season after sweeping a pair of games this weekend in Providence, 7-4 and 3-0.  The Islanders are now just three points out of a playoff spot. 

They next play Wednesday morning in Springfield.

Season Series Stats

The Isles sweep the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0) 

This was Anaheim's first trip to Long Island since December 21, 2019. The Isles are 4-0-2 in their last six home games against the Ducks and are 7-3-2 in the last 12 meetings overall.

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, MARCH 15th- ISLANDERS AT WASHINGTON 7:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 6:30PM), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles have played fewer games against the own division than they have against any other but that is about to change as the Isles begin a two-game road trip in Washington against the Caps.  Three of the Isles' four games next week are against Metro opponents (Washington, Rangers, Philadelphia) and all three of those games are on the road.

This will be the second meeting between the teams this season.  Vitek Vanacek blanked the Isles for the second straight game (over two seasons) 2-0 on January 15th, dropping the Isles to 0-3-1 in their last four games with Washington.  

The Isles won their first four games in Washington over Barry Trotz, but the Caps swept four games in DC last season.

Alex Ovechkin will look to pass Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time NHL goal list; both have 766 goals although Ovechkin has played 478 fewer games than Jagr.   Jagr scored 61 goals in 112 games against the Isles while Ovechkin has tallied 41 times in 63 games; they are all-time leader and active leader in goals against the Isles, respectively.

Of their remaining 26 games, the Isles will play only three games against the West (2 vs. Dallas and 1 vs. St. Louis) and nine games against the Atlantic.  The other twelve games will be against the Metropolitan Division.

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