The Skinny: Isles 3, Rangers 0

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 67

Isles 3, Rangers 0

Semyon Varlamov did it to the Rangers again. Varlamov became the first NHL goaltender in NINETY-SIX years to post four consecutive road shutouts against the same opponent as he blanked the Blueshirts 3-0 before a crowd of 17,325 at Madison Square Garden. 

The Isles scored goals in the first five minutes and that was all the offense they needed for a 3-0 win.  Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist to reach the 300-point mark; it was his third consecutive multi-point game.  

The Isles sweep the back-to-back to improve to 31-27-9 on the season and move into sole possession of 9th place in the Eastern Conference.  It is the first time all season that the Isles have been four games over NHL-.500.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Casey Cizikas (9) Ryan Pulock (13) 02:40 NYI 1,NYR 0

2nd Period

Matt Martin (3) Mathew Barzal (34), Ross Johnston (5) 04:48 NYI 2,NYR 0

3rd Period

Mathew Barzal (14) Oliver Wahlstrom (11) 02:47 NYI 3,NYR 0

The Skinny           

Mathew Barzal matched a career-high with his third consecutive multi-point game…Brock Nelson's point streak ended at 6….Cory Schneider served as the back-up for the 3rd straight game… The Isles have recorded eight shutouts this season (six by Ilya Sorokin and two by Semyon Varlamov)…It is the second time this season (Sorokin October 23-24) that an Islander goalie has recorded a shutout on the back-end of a personal back-to-back…The Rangers are 0-2-0 at home against the Isles and 22-5-3 against the rest of the NHL…Igor Shesterkin drops to 1-6-1 in his career against the Isles; he is 57-20-5 against the rest of the NHL…It was the first time Varlamov won games on consecutive days since February 11-12, 2016 when he did so for Colorado…It's the 4th time this season that the Rangers have been shut out; the Isles ended point streaks for seven different Rangers, including Chris Kreider (6-4-10 in prior 6 games)…All three members of the Isles' fourth line recorded point, including the first goal in 24 games for Matt Martin…The Isles have outscored their opponents 131-126 at 5-on-5; the Rangers have outscored theirs 130-127. ..The Isles improve to 25-0-0 in games that they have had a two-goal lead at any point…Casey Cizikas has only three goals vs. the Rangers but all three are game-winners in game played at MSG (4/7/2016 and 2/8/2021)

VARLY, VARLY

Henrik Lundqvist will always be the King of MSG, but for the last two seasons, Semyon Varlamov has owned the place, recording shutouts in all four games he has played there.

Varlamov is only the second goalie in NHL history to record four consecutive ROAD shutouts against the same opponent:  Alec Connell of the original Ottawa Senators turned the trick at the 3rd iteration of MSG against the New York Americans in 1926. 

Perspective: Connell's streak started before the Rangers were even an NHL team (they played their first game in late 1926).  Even the legendary Stan Fischler was not born when Connell had his streak.

Varlamov's current shutout streak at MSG is 240:00 – it is the longest for any goalie at The Garden (3rd or current 4th iteration) in 90 years.

Varlamov, who also blanked the Rangers at the Coliseum on May 1, 2021, now has recorded five of his 36 career shutouts against the Blueshirts.  Carey Price (7) is the only active goalie with more shutouts against the Rangers.

Casey, Casey

Most Career Game-Winners by an Islander at Madison Square Garden:

• Mike Bossy 3

• Casey Cizikas 3

Nine others have two.

Sidney Crosby is the only active player with four game-winners at The Garden. Five others, including Cizikas, Alex Ovechkin and Zdeno Chara have three.

300 Point Club

Mathew Barzal is the 23rd player in Islander history with 300 points.  He also is the 7th player selected in the 2015 draft to reach that mark:

1. Edmonton Connor McDavid         234-442-678

2. Toronto Mitchell Marner 131-306-437

3. Colorado Mikko Rantanen         163-233-396

4. Carolina Sebastian Aho 176-212-388

5. Buffalo Jack Eichel 148-223-371

6. Winnipeg Kyle Connor 172-161-333

7. Isles Mathew Barzal 90-210-300

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin is 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); the save percentage is the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two home games in that stretch while Carolina's Frederic Andersen's GAA is 0.01 lower.

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-2-0 in his last seven games; he has allowed just eleven goals in those seven games (1.66, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov is 6-1-1 in his last eight decisions with a 2.38 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Since March 10th, no NHL goalie has more wins than Varlamov (6).

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 0-4 on the power play and are 12-42 (28.6%) in their last thirteen games.  

The Isles killed all three of their penalties and have now killed 48 of 54 in the last 19 games (88.9%).  At home they are even better, having killed 33 of 35 since the beginning of February; their 94.3% home PK in that span is second in the NHL to Carolina's 94.4%.

Zach Attack

Zach Parise, the 100th-leading goal scorer in NHL history, has 404 goals, leaving him two behind Rod Gilbert and John LeClair, three behind Marian Gaborik and four behind Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro.

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 94 in 28 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:    82-100-182 in 28 games  (6.5/gm)

Defense:

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

After:    11-59-70 in 28 games (2.5/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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

Home and Road

The Isles are 31-27-9 overall; they are 17-13-4 at home and 13-14-5 on the road.

The Rangers are 44-20-5 overall; they are 22-7-3 at home and 22-13-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 35 home games and recorded 27 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 908-663-60-166 in 1,797 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    908

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,797

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 1,485

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,357

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,265 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 25-8-5 when scoring first and are 6-19-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    5-7-6=18

Rangers    7-12-8=27

The Isles are 12-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 19-20-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 85-56-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves; he is 9-13-2 on the season and 12-7-2 vs Rangers.

Igor Shesterkin made 15 saves; he is 32-10-3 on the season and 1-6-1 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play (8:00); Rangers was 0-3 on the power play (6:00).

The Isles are 16-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 15-19-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 25-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 27-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-19-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 114-17-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 6-8 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 tonight, the Isles are 8-5-1 in the front end and 5-8-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be April 8th in Carolina and April 9th in St. Louis.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 26-12-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-4-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on April 3rd in New Jersey. The Isles will play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (24:34); Rangers: Adam Fox (23:30)

Anthony Beauvillier led Isles forwards with 19:01 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (7-9-3), Ryan Pulock (7-4-1), 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 23, Rangers 25 (48%)

Casey Cizikas won 8 of 14 for the Isles; Greg McKegg won 6 of 8 for the Rangers.

Hit Count

Isles 19 (Ross Johnston -4)

Rangers 19 (Two with 4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 20 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 15 (Ryan Pulock -4)

Rangers 12 (Adam Fox -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 38, Rangers 54

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 26, Rangers 45

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Sebastian Aho +2

Rangers: Artemi Panarin +15

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 9, Rangers 11

5-on-5: Isles 6, Rangers 10

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Kieffer Bellows, (Andy Greene-INJ), (Ilya Sorokin-INJ)

Games Lost: 147 (98 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

 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: 5 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 978…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. Matt Martin 670 *** 11. John Tavares 669  *** 12. Brock Nelson 662 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 6509 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 581

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 200 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 170

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 374…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 210 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Brock Nelson 177

Points

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

7. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 8. Josh Bailey and John Tonelli 544 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 377 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 360…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mathew Barzal 300

+/-

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 273

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 146

On the Farm

Bridgeport has won three straight games and is 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games heading into Saturday's showdown in Wilkes-Barre-Scranton.  Bridgeport is now 27-25-6-4 on the season and now lead Wilkes-Barre Scranton by .0005 in win percentage in the battle for the final playoff spot,

One intricacy in the AHL this season is the teams play different number of games. The Isles have 64 points in 62 games (.5161) while Penguins have 66 points in 64 games (.5156), Bridgeport has only 10 games left, and the Pens have 12.  (Winning percentage will determine the final standings)

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 22 goals and 48 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 31 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 6-1-1 in his last eight games, is 10-10-3.

Bridgeport's next home game is against Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 2).   The teams will meet at UBS Arena on April 21st to conclude the season series.

The Isles are 17-5-0 in their last 22 games at MSG.

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, APRIL 3rd  – ISLANDERS AT NEW JERSEY 4:00 PM 

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

The road trip continues as the Isles head to Newark to face the Devils for the final time this season.

The home team has won the first three games with the Devils blanking the Isles 4-0 on Veterans Day and the Isles earning 4-2 and 3-2 wins at UBS. 

The Isles are 13-4-0 in their last 17 games with the Devils, including 6-2-0 in New Jersey; four of those six wins in Newark have come in OT/SO.

Brendan Burke and Darren Pang will have the call on TNT.

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, Columbus 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 66

Isles 5, Columbus 2

Kyle Palmieri scored the lead goal early in the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves as the Islanders closed out the busiest month in franchise history  with a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena. 

The Isles scored twice in 11 seconds to grab the lead in the first period, but Columbus countered with a pair of second period goals 99 seconds apart.

The Isles sweep the home-and-home to improve to 30-27-9 on the season and tie the Jackets for 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Sebastian Aho (1) Brock Nelson (17) 08:39 CBJ 0,NYI 1

Oliver Wahlstrom (13) Zach Parise (17), Mathew Barzal (33) 08:50 J 0,NYI 2

2nd Period

Emil Bemstrom (4) Eric Robinson (14), Jake Bean (14) 08:47 CBJ 1,NYI 2

Justin Danforth (6) Vladislav Gavrikov (25), Yegor Chinakhov (6) 10:26 CBJ 2,NYI 2

3rd Period

Kyle Palmieri (12) Josh Bailey (25), Adam Pelech (21) 03:16 CBJ 2,NYI 3

Mathew Barzal (13) 09:52  CBJ 2,NYI 4

Ryan Pulock (3) ENG 19:03 CBJ 2, NYI 5 

The Skinny           

Columbus held both Brock Nelson and Anders Lee without a goal but Nelson extended his points streak to six games (5-5-10)…Semyon Varlamov started for the second straight game, ending a streak where the Isles alternated goalies for 16 straight games ... Anders Lee is 11-9-20 in the last fourteen games …Cory Schneider served as the back-up for the 2nd straight game)…Josh Bailey's assist was his 544th  point, tying John Tonelli for 8th place in club history …The Jackets are winless in their last five games (0-3-2)… There was an 8:10 stretch of uninterrupted play leading to Ryan Pulock's empty net goal…It was the first time this season the opposition erased a two-goal deficit…Kyle Palmieri now has 11 goals in the last 24 games…The Isles are now a plus team in the first period, outscoring opponents 54-53…The Isles killed 14 of 15 Columbus power plays this season…Adam Pelech's assists was his 99th NHL point…Mathew Barzal is now two points shy of 300.

Aho, Aho

Sebastian Aho scored his third career goal for the Islanders; Carolina's Sebastian Aho scored seconds later in his game.  It is the second time that both Aho's have scored on the same night.

Whoa, NEL – LEE!

Brock Nelson and Anders Lee reached goal totals this month rarely seen by an Islander in recent years:  

• Nelson finished the month with 13 goals, becoming the first Islander since Zigmund Palffy (13 in March 1996) to score at least 13 goals in any month.

• They were the first Islander teammates since Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner (February 2011) to reach double figures in the same month.

• They were the first Islander teammates since Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier (January 1986) to each score at least 11 goals in a month.

• They were the first Islanders since Lee had eleven goals in December 2017 to score at least 10 goals in a month.

11 Alive!

Sebastian Aho and Oliver Wahlstrom scored 11 seconds apart; it was the fastest two goals for the Isles since Jordan Eberle and Johnny Boychuk scored also scored 11 seconds apart on January 5, 2019, in St. Louis.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin falls to 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four home games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-2-0 in his last seven games; he has allowed just eleven goals in those seven games (1.66, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov is 5-1-1 in his last seven decisions. 

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 0-1 on the power play and are 12-38 (31.6%) in their last thirteen games. Since March 5th, only Colorado (15) and Florida (13) has more power play goals than the Isles.

The Isles killed all three of their penalties and have now killed 45 of 51 in the last 18 games (88.2%).  At home they are even better, having killed 33 of 35 since the beginning of February; their 94.3% home PK in that span is second in the NHL to Carolina's 94.4%.

Zach Attack

Zach Parise, the 100th-leading goal scorer in NHL history, has 404 goals, leaving him two behind Rod Gilbert and John LeClair, three behind Marian Gaborik and four behind Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro.

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 91 in 27 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:   79-97-176 in 27 games  (6.5/gm)

Defense:

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

After:   11-58-69 in 27 games (2.6/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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 played 17 games this month, most of any month in franchise history  The Isles went 10-6-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 30-27-9 overall; they are 17-13-4 at home and 12-14-5 on the road.

Columbus is 32-31-5 overall; they are 18-14-3 at home and 14-19-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 35 home games and recorded 27 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 907-663-60-166 in 1,796 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    907

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,796

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 1,485

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,356

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,263 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 24-8-5 when scoring first and are 6-19-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    14-10-12=36

Columbus    5-14-13=32

The Isles are 12-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 18-20-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 84-56-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves; he is 8-13-2 on the season and 9-5-2 vs Columbus.

Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves; he is 22-17-5 on the season and 1-3-0 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play (2:00); Columbus was 0-3 on the power play (6:00).

The Isles are 16-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 14-19-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 24-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 26-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-19-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 113-17-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 6-8 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 tonight, the Isles are 8-5-1 in the front end and 4-8-1 in the back end. This back-to-back will conclude at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The next back-to-back will be April 8th in Carolina and April 9th in St. Louis.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-12-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-4-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on April 3rd in New Jersey. The Isles will play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:59); Columbus: Jakub Voracek (21:04)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 17:36 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (7-9-3), Ryan Pulock (7-4-1), 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 21, Columbus 28 (43%)

Casey Cizikas won 5 of 6 for the Isles; Jack Roslovic won 15 of 21 for Columbus.

Hit Count

Isles 21 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -5)

Columbus 26 (Sean Kuraly -5)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 20 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 11 (Ryan Pulock -3)

Columbus 10 (Three with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Columbus 53

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 55, Columbus 46

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Adam Pelech +23

Columbus: Emil Bemstrom+12

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 15, Columbus 11

5-on-5: Isles 14, Columbus 10

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Ross Johnston, (Andy Greene-INJ), (Ilya Sorokin-INJ)

Games Lost: 143 (94 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure

 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: 5 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 977…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares and Matt Martin 669  *** 12. Brock Nelson 661 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 649 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 580

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 200 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 170

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 374…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 209 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Brock Nelson 177

Points

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

7. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 8. Josh Bailey and John Tonelli 544 *** 9. *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 377 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 360…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mathew Barzal 298

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +60 *** 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 272

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 145

On the Farm

Bridgeport has won three straight games and is 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games heading into Saturday's showdown in Wilkes-Barre-Scranton.  Bridgeport is now 27-25-6-4 on the season and now trail Wilkes-Barre Scranton by two points (.008 in standings points)

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 22 goals and 48 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 31 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 6-1-1 in his last eight games, is 10-10-3.

Bridgeport's next home game is against Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series, 3 games to 1 (and 7 points to 2).   

The Isles are 8-2-1 in their last eleven games with the Jackets, including 5-1-0 in New York.

UP NEXT

FRIDAY, APRIL 1st  – ISLANDERS AT RANGERS 7:00 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-Game at 6:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Islanders begin a five-game road trip as they head to Madison Square Garden for the 2nd time in just over two weeks.

It's the third meeting of the season between the rivals and the Isles will be looking to sweep the MSG portion of the season series; the Isles are 16-5-0 in their last 21 games on Broadway.

The teams will conclude the season series on April 21st at UBS Arena.

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, Columbus 3

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 65

Isles 4, Columbus 3

Brock Nelson scored for the 4th straight game and later added an assist while Semyon Varlamov made 42 saves as the Islanders built a 4-1 lead and then held on for a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets before a crowd of 15,557 at Nationwide Arena. 

Vladislav Gavrikov scored twice for Columbus, but the Isles scored four goals in between those tallies, with Zach Parise eventually getting credit for the winning goal in the Islanders' eighth comeback win of the season.

The win ends an Islander two-game losing streak as they improve to 29-27-9 on the season.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Vladislav Gavrikov (4) Patrik Laine (25), Andrew Peeke (13) 07:20 NYI 0,CBJ 1

Brock Nelson (32)  Anders Lee (14), Mathew Barzal (31) 11:47  NYI 1,CBJ 1 PPG

Josh Bailey (8) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (19) 15:09 NYI 2,CBJ 1

2nd Period

Anthony Beauvillier (11) Brock Nelson (16), Anders Lee (15) 03:47 NYI 3,CBJ 1

Zach Parise (11) Noah Dobson (28), Mathew Barzal (32) 09:10 NYI 4,CBJ 1

Vladislav Gavrikov (5) Jakub Voracek (44), Patrik Laine (26) 13:32 NYI 4,CBJ 2

3rd Period

Oliver Bjorkstrand (24) 4:30 NYI 4, CBJ 3

The Skinny           

Brock Nelson is 13-7-20 in March (15 games); Nelson remains tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the most goals this month.  Nelson, who now has 200 career goals, has scored 17 goals in 22 games since February 17th – tied with Auston Mathews for the most goals in the NHL in that span...Nelson also extended his points streak to five games (5-4-9)…The Isles alternated goalies for the 16th straight game ... Anders Lee is 11-9-20 in the last thirteen games…This was the 800th NHL game for Matt Martin; his next appearance will tie John Tavares (669) for 10th place in club history…Cory Schneider served as the back-up as Ilya Sorokin was left back in New York…Zach Parise recorded his 79th career game-winning goal; among actives only Alex Ovechkin (121) and Jeff Carter have more (86)…Jodh Bailey's goal was his 543rd point, passing Bob Bourne for 9th place in club history and leaving him one point behind John Tonelli…Jakub Voracek extended his point streak to six games; 44 of his 49 points this season are assists…The Jackets are winless in their last four games (0-2-2)… Vladislav Gavrikov joins Cale Makar and Shea Theodore as defensemen to score twice in a game against the Isles.

Whoa, NEL – LEE!

Brock Nelson and Anders Lee are reaching goal totals this month rarely seen by an Islander in recent years:  

• Nelson scored his 13th goal tonight, becoming the first Islander since Zigmund Palffy (13 in March 1996) to score at least 13 goals in any month.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner (February 2011) to reach double figures in the same month.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier (January 1986) to each score at least 11 goals in a month.

• They are the first Islanders since Lee had eleven goals in December 2017 to score at least 10 goals in a month.

The 200 Club

Brock Nelson is the 13th player in club history to reach 200 goals (Anders Lee did it earlier this month).

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin falls to 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four home games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-2-0 in his last seven games; he has allowed just eleven goals in those seven games (1.66, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov is 4-1-1 in his last six decisions. 

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 1-4 on the power play and are 12-37 (32.43%) in their last thirteen games. Since March 5th, only Colorado (13) has more power play goals than the Isles.

The Isles killed all three of their penalties and have now killed 42 of 48 in the last 17 games (87.5%).  At home they are even better, having killed 30 of 32 since the beginning of February; their 93.8% home PK in that span is second in the NHL to Carolina's 94.4%.

Zach Attack

Zach Parise, the 100th-leading goal scorer in NHL history, now had 404 goals, leaving him two behind Rod Gilbert and John LeClair, three behind Marian Gaborik and four behind Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro.

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 86 in 26 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:   76-93-169 in 26 games  (6.5/gm)

Defense:

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

After:     9-57-66 in 26 games (2.5/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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 9-6-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 29-27-9 overall; they are 17-13-4 at home and 12-14-5 on the road.

Columbus is 32-30-5 overall; they are 18-14-3 at home and 14-18-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 34 home games and recorded 26 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 906-663-60-166 in 1,795 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    906

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,795

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 1,484  (pending late game)

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,355

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,261 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 23-8-5 when scoring first and are 6-19-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    12-14-3=29

Columbus    17-12-16=45

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 18-20-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 83-56-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 42 saves; he is 7-13-2 on the season and 8-5-2 vs Columbus.

Elvis Mezilinkins made 25 saves; he is 22-16-5 on the season and 1-2-0 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (4:39); Columbus was 0-3 on the power play (6:00).

The Isles are 16-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 23-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 25-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-19-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 112-17-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 6-8 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 7-5-1 in the front end and 4-8-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 31st vs. Columbus and April 1st at the Rangers.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-12-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-4-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on April 3rd in New Jersey. The Isles will play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (23:50); Columbus: Vladislav Gavrikov (25:24)

Zach Parise Lee led Isles forwards with 19;23 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (7-9-3), 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 23, Columbus 30 (43%)

Brock Nelson won 11 of 17 for the Isles; Brendan Gaunce won 5 of 7 for Columbus.

Hit Count

Isles 17 (Two with 3)

Columbus 20 (Two with 4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 20 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Ryan Pulock -4)

Columbus 5 (Vladislav Gavrikov - 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 45, Columbus 70

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Columbus 61

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Anders Lee +4

Columbus: Jake Beau +19

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 7, Columbus 12

5-on-5: Isles 6, Columbus 10

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Ross Johnston, (Sebastian Aho-INJ), (Ilya Sorokin-INJ)

Games Lost: 138 (89 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only 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: 5 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 976…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 668  *** 12. Brock Nelson 660 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 648 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 579

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 200 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 170

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 206 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Brock Nelson 176

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Josh Bailey 543 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 373 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 360…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Mathew Barzal 295

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +58 *** 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 271

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 144

On the Farm

Bridgeport has won three straight games and is 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games heading into Saturday's showdown in Wilkes-Barre-Scranton.  Bridgeport is now 27-25-6-4 on the season and has moved into a playoff spot over the baby Penguins based on tie-breakers.  

One intricacy in the AHL this season is the teams play different number of games, so while the Isles and Penguins each have 64 points in 62 games, Bridgeport has only 10 games left, and the Pens have 14.  (Winning percentage will determine the final standings)

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 22 goals and 48 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 31 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 6-1-1 in his last eight games, is 10-10-3.

Bridgeport's next home game is against Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 5 points to 2).   The Jackets will visit UBS Arena on Thursday to complete the season series.

The Isles are 7-2-1 in their last ten games with the Jackets, including 3-1-1 in Columbus.

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, MARCH 31st  –COLUMBUS AT ISLANDERS 7:00 PM 

[ESPN+/HULU, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Islanders will close out the busiest month in their history and the home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

This game will be streamed on ESPN+/HULU with Bob Wischusen and Brian Boucher providing the call.  Note the 7:00 starting time!

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

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

The Skinny: Tampa Bay 4, Isles 1

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 64

Tampa Bay 4, Isles 1

Alex Killorn broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second period and the Tampa Bay Lightning went on to defeat the Isles 4-1 before a sell-out crowd of 17,565 at UBS Arena. 

Brock Nelson scored for the third straight game to give the Isles a 1-0 lead in the first period, but that was the only goal that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy that counted; Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal reversed late in the second period on an offside challenge.  Ilya Sorokin left the game after two periods with an upper-body injury.

The loss ends the Islander six-game home winning streak as they fall to 28-27-9 on the season with their second straight loss.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Brock Nelson (31) Adam Pelech (20) 18:14 TBL 0,NYI 1

2nd Period

Victor Hedman (18) Brayden Point (25), Andrei Vasilevskiy (1) 01:10 TBL 1,NYI 1 PPG

Alex Killorn (20) Anthony Cirelli (21) 09:47 TBL 2,NYI 1

3rd Period

Ross Colton (12) Mikhail Sergachev (27) 09:10 TBL 3,NYI 1

Mikhail Sergachev (6) Steven Stamkos (41), Nikita Kucherov (24) 16:56 TBL 4,NYI 1 

The Skinny           

Brock Nelson is 12-6-18 in March (14 games); Nelson is tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the most goals this month.  Nelson, who now has 199 career goals, has scored  16 goals in 21 games since February 17th – tied with Auston Mathews for the most goals in the NHL in that span…The Isles scored the first goal for only the 15th time in the last 20 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…The Isles alternated goalies for the 15th straight game .. Anders Lee is 11-7-18 in the last twelve games…Alex Killorn reached 20 goals for the second time in his career and now has a career-high 50 points; Steven Stamkos reached the 70-point mark…Adam Pelech reached 20 assists for the first time....This was the final game of a stretch where the Lightning played 10 out of 11 on the road.

Whoa, NEL – LEE!

Brock Nelson and Anders Lee are reaching goal totals this month rarely seen by an Islander in recent years:  

• Nelson scored his 12th goal today, becoming the first Islander since Zigmund Palffy (13 in March 1996) to score at least 12 goals in any month.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner (February 2011) to reach double figures in the same month.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier (January 1986) to each score at least 11 goals in a month.

• They are the first Islanders since Lee had eleven goals in December 2017 to score at least 10 goals in a month.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin falls to 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four home games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-2-0 in his last seven games; he has allowed just eleven goals in those seven games (1.66, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov had allowed only seven goals in his last four games (3-0-1, 1.72, .944) before allowing eight goals in four periods this weekend.

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 0-3 on the power play and are 11-33 (33.3%) in their last twelve games. Since March 5th, only Colorado (13) and Florida (12) have more power play goals than the Isles.

The Isles killed three of four penalties and have now killed 39 of 45 in the last 16 games (86.7%).  At home they are even better, having killed 30 of 32 since the beginning of February; their 93.8% home PK in that span is second in the NHL to Carolina's 94.4%.

Strong at Home

The loss ended the Islander six-game home winning streak; it is only the 20th home winning streak of at least six games in club history.  

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 82 in 25 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:   72-87-159 in 25 games  (6.4/gm)

Defense:

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

After:     9-56-65 in 25 games (2.6/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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 8-6-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 28-27-9 overall; they are 17-13-4 at home and 11-14-5 on the road.

Tampa Bay is 41-18-6 overall; they are 19-6-4 at home and 22-12-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 34 home games and recorded 26 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 905-663-60-166 in 1,794 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    905

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,794

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 1,484  

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,354

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,259 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 23-8-5 when scoring first and are 5-19-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    11-7-6=24

Tampa Bay    9-11-14=34

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 17-20-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 82-56-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves over two periods but falls to 22-14-7 on the season and 0-1-0 vs Tampa Bay; Semyon Varlamov made 12 saves in the third period.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves; he is 33-14-4 on the season and 9-4-0 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play (5:10); Tampa Bay was 1-4 on the power play (7:05).

The Isles are 15-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 22-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-19-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 111-17-15 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 7-5-1 in the front end and 4-8-1 in the back end. This back-to-back concludes Sunday vs. Tampa Bay. The next back-to-back will be March 31st vs. Columbus and April 1st at the Rangers.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-12-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-4-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on April 3rd in New Jersey. The Isles will play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (20:58); Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman (24:34)

Anders Lee led Isles forwards with 18:50 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (11-5-4), Noah Dobson (7-9-3), 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 33, Tampa Bay 28 (49%)

Mathew Barzal won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Anthony Cirelli won 10 of 17 for Tampa Bay.

Hit Count

Isles 13 (Oliver Wahlstrom -3)

Tampa Bay 17 (Cal Foote -4)

Fights 

Ross Johnston fought Pat Maroon in the first period. Season total: 20 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Three with 3)

Tampa Bay 15 (Two with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 54, Tampa Bay 64

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Tampa Bay 55

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Kyle Palmieri Johnston  +5

Tampa Bay: Corey Perry +14

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 17, Tampa Bay 18

5-on-5: Isles 11, Tampa Bay 16

Scratches

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

Games Lost: 134 (85 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only 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: 5 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 975…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 667  *** 12. Brock Nelson 659 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 647 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 578

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 199 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 169

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 206 ***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 and Josh Bailey 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 371 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 358…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Mathew Barzal 294

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +60 *** 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 270

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 143

On the Farm

What a road trip it has been for the Isles. Bridgeport has won three straight and is 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games following wins in Toronto on Saturday and Rochester in overtime on Sunday.  Bridgeport is now 27-25-6-4 on the season and has moved into a playoff spot base on tie-breakers.

Chris Terry, who had the overtime winner on Sunday,  continues to lead the team with 22 goals and 48 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 31 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 6-1-1 in his last eight games, is 10-10-3.

The Isles are off until Saturday when they visit Wilkes-Barre Scranton; they will return home to face Lehigh Valley next Sunday afternoon.

Season Series Stats

Tampa Bay leads the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0).   The Lightning will return to UBS Arena for the regular season finale on April 29th.

In regular season play, the Isles are 2-1-1 in the last four home games against Tampa Bay and are 3-3-1 in their last seven games overall against the Bolts.

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, MARCH 29th  –ISLANDERS AT COLUMBUS 7:00 PM 

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

The Islanders will close out March with a home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Each team has a home victory in the series this season, with the Jackets winning in overtime in October and the Isles responding for a 6-0 win earlier this month behind an Anders Lee hat trick.

The Isles are 6-2-1 in their last nine games with the Jackets, including 2-1-1 in Columbus.

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

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

The Skinny: Boston 6, Isles 3

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 63

Boston 6, Isles 3

Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall each scored a goal and added two assists as the Boston Bruins earned a 6-3 win over the Isles before the customary sell-out crowd of 17,850 at TD Garden in Boston. 

Brock Nelson reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career while Anders Lee hit 25 goals for the fifth time; among left wings only Clark Gillies (7) has had more 25-goal seasons for the Isles. 

The Isles fell to 7-2-1 in their last ten games and 28-26-9 on the season. 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Craig Smith (15) Brandon Carlo (8), Charlie Coyle (24) 04:03 NYI 0,BOS 1

Taylor Hall (14) Charlie McAvoy (33), Brad Marchand (36) 19:26 NYI 0,BOS 2 PPG

Brock Nelson (30) Zdeno Chara (10), Anders Lee (13) 19:48 NYI 1,BOS 2

2nd Period

David Pastrnak (37) Erik Haula (23), Taylor Hall (34) 02:13 NYI 1,BOS 3 

Brad Marchand (28) Patrice Bergeron (29) 03:56  NYI 1,BOS 4

Anders Lee (25) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (18), Noah Dobson (27) 05:12 NYI 2,BOS 4 PPG

Erik Haula (9) David Pastrnak (29), Taylor Hall (35) 14:33 NYI 2,BOS 5

Jake DeBrusk (16) Brad Marchand (37), Charlie McAvoy (34) 18:18 NYI 2,BOS 6

3rd Period

Zach Parise (10) Anthony Beauvillier (21), Kyle Palmieri (12) 14:43 NYI 3,BOS 6 PPG

 

The Skinny           

Anders Lee improved to 11-7-18 in the last eleven games… Brock Nelson is 11-6-17 in the last thirteen games and has 15 goals in 20 games since February 17th – the most goals in the NHL in that span (not including later games on Saturday); he now has 198 career goals.… The Isles allowed the first goal for only the fifth time in the last 19 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…The Isles alternated goalies for the fourteenth straight game… Patrice Bergeron became the 119th NHL player to appear in 1,200 games…Kyle Palmieri assisted on the late Parise goal; he also had his third apparent goal of the season disallowed by video review. He has 196 career goals…Anthony Beauvillier took only his second penalty of the season…Isles allowed six goals, matching the most allowed under Barry Trotz and allowed 44 shots (most in any home game this season)…The Bruins are 14-2-1 in their last seventeen games…The Isles allowed 80 shot attempts for the first time since a 4-3 win at Washington on December 31, 2019.

Whoa, NEL – LEE!

Brock Nelson and Anders Lee are reaching goal totals this month rarely seen by an Islander in recent years:  

• Both players scored their 11th goals of March today.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner (February 2011) to reach double figures in the same month.

• They are the first Islander teammates since Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier (January 1986) to each score at least 11 goals in a month.

• They are the first Islanders since Lee had eleven goals in December 2017 to score at least 10 goals in a month.

• If either player can score in the final three games of March, they would become the first Islander since Zigmund Palffy (13 in March 1996) to score at least 12 goals in any month.

Zach-ack-ack-ack

Zach Parise scored his tenth goal of the season and 403rd of his career. It was his 121st career power play goal but first in two seasons. Parise broke a tie with four others, including Corey Perry, to move into sole possession of 100th place on the all-time goal list. Seven of his 10 goals this season have come since the All-Star break.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin improved to 12-3-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.82 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-0-1 in seven home starts (1.41 GAA, .954 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least four home games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-1-0 in his last six games; he has allowed just nine goals in those six games (5-1-0, 1.51, .956).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least three games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov had allowed only seven goals in his last four games (3-0-1, 1.72, .944) before allowing six goals for the first time as an Islander today.

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 2-4 on the power play and are 11-30 (36.7%) in their last eleven games. Since March 5th, only Colorado (12) has more power play goals than the Isles; Florida also has 11.

The Isles killed two of three penalties and have now killed 36 of 41 in the last fifteen games (87.8%).  At home they are even better, having killed 27 of 28 since the beginning of February; their 96.4% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Strong at Home

The Isles have won six straight games at UBS Arena for the first time; it is only the 20th home winning  and streak of at least six games in club history. The Isles last won six straight home games between 2/28 and 3/11/2021; they will be looking to match their longest home winning streak in 32 years on Sunday.

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 80 in 24 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:   71-87-158 in 24 games  (6.6/gm)

Defense:

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

After:     9-55-64 in 24 games (2.7/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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 8-5-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 28-26-9 overall; they are 17-12-4 at home and 11-14-5 on the road.

Boston is 41-19-5 overall; they are 20-10-2 at home and 21-9-3 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 33 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 905-662-60-166 in 1,793 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    905

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,793

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 

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,354

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,259 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 23-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-19-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    13-9-5=27

Boston    19-17-8=44

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 17-19-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 82-55-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves; he is 6-13-2 on the season and 12-7-3 vs. Boston.   

Linus Ullmark made 24 saves; he is 20-9-2 on the season and 4-5-1 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 2-4 on the power play (6:04); Boston was 1-3 on the power play (4:07).

The Isles are 15-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-18-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-11-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 22-15-5 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-8-4 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 111-17-15 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 7-5-1 in the front end and 4-7-1 in the back end. This back-to-back concludes Sunday vs. Tampa Bay. The next back-to-back will be March 31st vs. Columbus and April 1st at the Rangers.

 

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

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-3-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Sunday vs. Tampa Bay. The Isles will play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Noah Dobson (22:40); Boston: Derek Forbort (21:22)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Isles forwards with 18:16 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (11-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-9-3), 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 27, Boston 28 (49%)

Casey Cizikas won 11 of 16 for the Isles; Patrick Bergeron won 11 of 19 for Boston.

Hit Count

Isles 26 (Three with 4)

Boston 22 (Curtis Lazar-4)

Fights 

Matt Martin fought Nick Foligno (for the second time this season) in the third period. Season total: 20 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 17 (Three with 3)

Boston 5 (Five with 1)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 38, Boston 80

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 29, Boston 69

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Ross Johnston  -1

Boston: Craig Smith +19

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 14, Boston 15

5-on-5: Isles 10, Boston 12

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Kieffer Bellows

Games Lost: 131 (82 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only 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 974…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 666  *** 12. Brock Nelson 658 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 646 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 589 *** 22. Anders Lee 577

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 198 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 169

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 206 ***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 and Josh Bailey 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 370 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 358…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Mathew Barzal 294

+/-

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 269

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 143

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 4-0-1-0 in their last four and 25-25-6-4 on the season heading into their game with Toronto late Saturday afternoon. The Baby Isles are at AHL-.500 for the first time since November 10th (5-5-0-2).

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 46 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 30 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 9-10-3.

The Isles will play Sunday afternoon in Rochester and next Saturday in Wilkes-Barre Scranton before returning home to face Lehigh Valley next Sunday afternoon.

Season Series Stats

The Isles win the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 2).   

Despite today's loss, the Isles have won the season series in consecutive seasons from Boston for the first time since going 7-0-1 in 2005-06 and 2006-07 against the Bs.

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, MARCH 27th  –TAMPA BAY AT ISLANDERS 2:00 PM 

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

The last time the Lightning were on Long Island Anthony Beauvillier was scoring the overtime goal in game six of the Stanley Cup Semi-finals.

The teams have played only once this season – a 4-1 Lightning win in the penultimate game of the Isles' 13-game road trip to open the season.

In regular season play, the Isles are 2-0-1 in the last three home games against Tampa Bay and are 3-2-1 in their last six overall against the Bolts.

The Isles have won six straight games at home and will be looking to match their longest home winning streak in 32 years.

TNT will carry this game nationally; Brendan Burke and Darren Pang will be on the call.

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, Detroit 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 62

Isles 5, Detroit 2

Anthony Beauvillier scored nine seconds into play and the Red Wings never caught them as the Isles defeated Detroit 5-2 before a crowd of 16,429 at UBS Arena.

Brock Nelson added two goals and Anders Lee added assists as the Isles held a 4-0 lead by the first 79 seconds of the third period.

The Isles improve to 7-1-1 in their last nine games and 28-25-9 on the season. The Isles are three games over NHL-.500 for the first time since early November (5-2-2).  They have also won six straight games at home and will look to match their longest home winning streak in 32 years on Sunday. 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Anthony Beauvillier (10) Anders Lee (10) 00:09 DET 0,NYI 1

Oliver Wahlstrom (12) Mathew Barzal (29), Adam Pelech (19) 16:07  DET 0,NYI 2

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (28) Anders Lee (11), Mathew Barzal (30) 11:39 DET 0,NYI 3 PPG

3rd Period

Josh Bailey (7) Kyle Palmieri (11), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (17) 01:19 DET 0,NYI 4

Pius Suter (13) Filip Hronek (27), Tyler Bertuzzi (28) 13:25 DET 1,NYI 4

Brock Nelson (29) Anthony Beauvillier (20), Anders Lee (12) 14:07 DET 1,NYI 5

Sam Gagner (8) Jakub Vrana (1) 15:18 DET 2,NYI 5

The Skinny           

Anders Lee improved to 10-6-16 in the last ten games-- it is the third time in his career he has managed at least three assists…The Isles have scored the first goal in 14 of the last 18 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Brock Nelson is 10-6-16 in the last twelve games and has 14 goals since February 17th – tied with Auston Mathews the most in the NHL in that span; the Isles have scored 65 goals since February 17th and their 1.16 average goal differential is second only to Florida (1.30).… The Isles alternated goalies for the thirteenth straight game…Josh Bailey passed Ziggy Palffy for 15th place on the club's goal list with his 169th tally; it was also his 542nd point, matching Bob Bourne for 9th place in club history…Chase Pearson made his NHL debut for Detroit; his father Scott played the final two of his 292 NHL games for the Islanders in December 1999…The Isles have scored eight third period goals in their last three home games, outscoring their opponents 8-3 in those third periods…The Isles welcomed back Thomas Greiss with a video in the first TV timeout. Greiss, who won 101 regular season games and seven playoff games for the Isles, was removed after the second period following a late period collision with Oliver Wahlstrom.

What a Start!

Anthony Beauvillier goal was the earliest in any Islander home game, breaking the record of :11 set by John Tavares on February 16, 2015, vs. the Rangers.  It was the second-earliest goal in club history, behind the NHL record-tying goal by Bryan Trottier five seconds into play on March 22, 1984, in Boston, and passed a Duane Sutter goal on November 15, 1986, in Minnesota (:10) for the second-fastest.

Beau's goal was the earliest in any NHL game this season and only the 74th time in NHL history that a goal was scored in the first nine seconds.

The Isles led for the final 59:51 – most of any game in their history.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin improved to 12-3-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.82 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-0-1 in seven home starts (1.41 GAA, .954 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least three full games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• 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.

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-1-0 in his last six games; he has allowed just nine goals in those six games (5-1-0, 1.51, .956).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least three games in that stretch.

Strong PK

The Isles killed all three of their penalties and have now killed 34 of 38 in the last fourteen games (89.5%).  At home they are even better, having killed 27 of 28 since the beginning of February; their 96.4% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Strong at Home

The Isles have won six straight games at UBS Arena for the first time; it is only the 20th home winning streak of at least six games in club history.  The Isles last won six straight home games between 2/28

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 77 in 23 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:   68-83-151 in 23 games  (6.6/gm)

Defense:

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

After:     9-53-62 in 23 games (2.7/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 8-4-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 28-25-9 overall; they are 17-12-4 at home and 11-13-5 on the road.

Detroit is 26-31-7 overall; they are 17-12-4 at home and 9-19-3 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 33 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 905-661-60-166 in 1,792 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    905

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,792

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 Thursday)

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,354

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,259 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 23-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    5-11-10=26

Detroit    13-13-13=39

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 17-18-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 82-54-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves; he is 22-13-7 on the season and 1-1-1 vs. Detroit.   

Thomas Griess made 13 saves in two periods but falls to 8-11-1 on the season and 1-2--0 vs. the Isles.  Alex Nedeljkovic made eight saves in the third period.

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-1 on the power play (1:00); Detroit was 0-3 on the power play (4:20, including a 1:40 5-on-3).

The Isles are 15-7-5 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 22-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-7-4 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 111-16-15 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 (22:22); Detroit: Dylan Larkin (25:32)

Zach Parise led Isles forwards with 17:47 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (11-4-4), 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, Detroit 24 (54%)

Casey Cizikas won 5 of 7 for the Isles; Pius Suter won 11 of 20 for Detroit.

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock -4)

Detroit 21 (Three with 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 20 (Adam Pelech -4)

Detroit 6 (Six with 1)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 44, Detroit 70

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Detroit 52

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Brock Nelson +1

Detroit: Two with +12

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 8, Detroit 14

5-on-5: Isles 8, Detroit 11

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Ross Johnston

Games Lost: 129 (80 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Lone Survivor

With Scott Mayfield's consecutive game streak ending at 150 games, Zach Parise is the only 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 973…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 665  *** 12. Brock Nelson 657 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 645 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 588 *** 22. Anders Lee 576

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 196 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 169

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 206 ***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 and Josh Bailey 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 369 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 356…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Mathew Barzal 294

+/-

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 268

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 143

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 4-0-1-0 in their last four and 25-25-6-4 on the season following a 4-1 win over the Utica Comets in the first game of a four-game road trip.  All four goals were scored by defensemen, including two for Paul LaDue.  The Baby Isles are at AHL-.500 for the first time since November 10th (5-5-0-2).

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 46 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 30 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 9-10-3.

The Isles continue their road trip on Saturday in Toronto. 

Season Series Stats

Detroit wins the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 3).   

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

UP NEXT

SAURDAY, MARCH 26th  –ISLANDERS AT BOSTON 12:30 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-game at 12:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

Two of the hottest teams in the NHL meet in a matinee as the Isles return to Boston for the first time since winning the pivotal fifth game of their East Division Final series last June 7th as they look to sweep the regular season series from the Bs.

The Isles went 1-2-1 last regular season in Boston before winning two of three playoff games in Beantown last spring. 

The Bruins moved into third place in the Atlantic on Thursday by beating Tampa Bay and are 13-2-1 in their last sixteen games.

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

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