The Skinny: Isles 3, Carolina 2 (OT)

"The Skinny" 

By Eric Hornick

Game 48

Isles 3, Carolina 2 (OT)

On a night the Isles lost Ryan Pulock :15 into the game, trailed 2-0 before the first commercial break, and lost goaltender Marcus Hogberg before overtime, they still won. Brock Nelson scored 2:03 into the extra session to complete the comeback, and spoil the Carolina debuts of Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall, for a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena. 

The Isles have won four straight for the first time this season as they overcame two Carolina goals 72 seconds apart; Alex Romanov scored late in the first to get the Isles on the board and Anders Lee tied the game on a rebound in the third to set the stage for Nelson's ninth career overtime goal. 

The Isles improve to 4-2-0 on this homestand and 21-20-7 overall. It is the first time since November 14th  (7-6-4) that the Isles have been over NHL-.500. The final game of the seven-game homestand is Tuesday against Colorado, as the Isles look to go two games over NHL-.500 for the first time this season.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Jack Roslovic (18) Jesperi Kotkaniemi (14), Dmitry Orlov (19) 05:18 CAR 1,NYI 0

Sebastian Aho (16) Jalen Chatfield (7) 06:30 CAR 2,NYI 0

Alexander Romanov (1) Casey Cizikas (2), Adam Pelech (11) 17:53 CAR 2,NYI 1

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Anders Lee (21) Bo Horvat (20), Alexander Romanov (11) 06:26 CAR 2,NYI 2

OT

Brock Nelson (15) Kyle Palmieri (20) 02:03 CAR 2,NYI 3 

The Skinny

The Isles have won four straight and are 7-2-0 in their last nine games…The Isles have outscored their opponents 81-77 in the first two periods but have been outscored 63-47 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 93 goals and allowed 83 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 57-35 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 28 of the last 36 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 48-39 in the second period this season (including 7-1 in the last four games); they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… The Isles have killed 15 of 16 over their last nine games (93.8%) and they have the best PL in the NHL in that span… Over the last eighteen games, the Isles have been outscored 10-3 on the power play…The Isles improve to 3-13-1 when trailing after two periods…Bo Horvat had a point for the fifth straight game while Adam Pelech extended his point streak to four games for the first time in his NHL career... Ryan Pulock, injured in the opening seconds, is the only Islander defenseman to play every game this season… Mathew Barzal's point streak ended at four games… Islander goalies have allowed one goal or fewer six times in the last eight games…The Isles allowed the opening goal for the 31st  time this season, matching San Jose for the most in the NHL….The Isles have been credited with 149 hits (37.3 per game) during their four-game win streak…Alex Romanov scored for the first time since March 7, 2024, in San Jose (54 games)...Bo Horvat dominated the face-off circle, winning 19 of 26, matching his totals on November 30th vs. Buffalo…Sebastian Aho reached the 50-point mark for the eighth straight season; he is the fifth Finnish player to do so….Tony DeAngelo played 25:07 in his Islander debut, including 5:15 on the power play. (most since he played 25:14 on 12/23/22 for Philadelphia against Carolina)…Brock Nelson is 5-5-10 in last eight games.

The Injuries

Ryan Pelech suffered an upper body injury :15 into the game and did not return; Margus Hogberg left the game at the end of regulation with an upper body injury. 

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles are playing seven consecutive home games for the first time since 2021-22 (twice) but that reflected games rescheduled due to COVID. The Isles all played seven straight at home in 2013 (lockout season), but this is the first time since February-March 2007 that seven straight were scheduled at home in an original schedule.

• It is the first time since Jan 21-Feb 18, 2012, that the Isles have beaten Carolina in consecutive home games.

• The Isles have won eight straight Saturday games in a single season for the first time since winning the final eight Saturday games of the 2005-06 season.

• After sixteen consecutive home games ending in regulation, the Isles played overtime at UBS Arena for the first time since November 9th against New Jersey. It is the longest single-season streak of its sort since going 17 games from 1/16-3/14/2015.

• The Isles are back to NHL-.500 at home for the first time since November 23 (3-3-2).

• The Isles have not allowed a goal after the first period in three straight games for the first time since April 27-May 1, 2021.

Hogberg's Injury Generates its Own Skinny Section

By leaving the game after regulation, Marcus Hogberg's injury led to several strange facts:

• Hogberg is the 2nd goalie in team history to play at least sixty minutes without getting a decision  (Evgeny Nabokov 64:45 on 10/27/2011 vs. Pittsburgh (SOL)

• Sorokin played the fewest amount of time (2:03) to earn a win in club history; the previous record was 2:24 by Wade Dubielewicz on 1/4/2006 vs. Florida.

• Sorokin is the first goalie in club history to earn a victory making one save (or fewer); the previous record was two saves  by Thomas Greiss (in 9:40 on 3/5/2019 vs. Ottawa).

• ...and technically Sorokin has now allowed one goal or fewer in three straight appearances.

Quite the Numbers

Marcus Hogberg has now played 332 minutes for the Isles, allowing eight goals on 151 shots for a 1.45 GAA and a .947 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 44th goalie to win multiple games for the Isles.

Most Ice-Time in Isles Debut (Real-Time Era)

1. Roman Hamrlik 26:04  10/6/2000

2. Dallas Eakin 25:28       12/18/1999

3. Tony DeAngelo 25:07  1/25/2025

Weekend Warriors

The Islanders have won eight straight Saturday games (six at home and two on the road). The Isles are 14-13-3 in their last 30 games (8-0-0 on Saturday; 6-13-3 on other days). Ten of their last fourteen wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.

Successive Saturday Successes

The Isles have won eight straight Saturday games, matching the longest Saturday win streak (single season) in the Post-Cup era (Also in 2005-06); the last time the Isles had a longer Saturday win streak was December 19, 1981- February 20, 1982 when they won nine straight, with the final five games being games 2, 5, 8, 11, and 15 of the historic 15-game win streak.

Easy as 28-27-29

As pointed out by fellow Union College alum (and Islander season ticketholder) Ed Koval, the three goals scored tonight were scored by players wearing consecutive uniform numbers.

Milestone Men

• Mathew Barzal has 327 assists, just one assist behind Patrick Flatley for 8th place in club history.

• Pyotr Kotchetkov played his 100th NHL game

Third Periods

Goals:  Isles 44, Opponents 57

Tying Goals: Isles 6, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)

Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9

Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 14

The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 31 of their 48 games. In the 17 games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (3-13-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR) 

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have eleven come-from behind wins this season, including three when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including seven times in the third period.

Overtime

The Isles are 3-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 3-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts. 

Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28). 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 14.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 31 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 12 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 5 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  21-20-7 for 49 points in 48 games

• 2023-24  20-17-11 for 51 points in 48 games 

Offense from Defense

• Today:   1-2-3

• Season: 16-70-86

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Mike Liut 293

48. Ed Giacomin 290

49. Semyon Varlamov 289

Oh Canada

The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-3-3 so far (1-1-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going 4-1-3. They went 0-1-0 in January; five of the six remaining games will be at home. 

Going back to last season the Isles are 8-3-3 in the last 14 games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponent will be Winnipeg on February 7th in the Isles' final game in Canada this season. 

Home and Road

The Isles are 21-20-7 overall; they are 11-11-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

Carolina is 30-16-4 overall; they are 19-5-1 at home and 11-11-3 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 14-14-3 against the East (7-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-9-1 vs. Atlantic) and 7-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 3-4-2 vs. Pacific).

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,465

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,465) and Patrick Roy (171) have combined for 1,636 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 9-4-4 when scoring first and are 12-16-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles      10-9-6-1=26

Carolina 9-8-9-1=27

The Isles are 10-12-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 10-7-4 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Marcus Hogberg made 24 saves in regulation. Ilya Sorokin made 1 overtime save; he is 16-14-4 this season and 5-6-1 vs. Carolina. 

Pyotr Kotchetkov made 23 saves; he is 18-9-3 this season and 4-2-2 vs the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-3 (6:00); Carolina was 0-1 (2:00).

The Isles are 9-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-18-6 when they do not. The Isles are 10-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 11-10-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 20-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-16-3 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 9-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 3-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-8 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

Including tonight, the Isles are 4-1-1 on the front end and 3-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be February 1st-2nd when they visit Tampa bay and Florida.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Alex Romanov (season-high 26:41); Carolina: Jaccob Slavin (23:43)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards (season-high 23:19).

Face-offs

Isles 45, Carolina 24 (65%)

Bo Horvat won 19 of 26 for the Isles; No Hurricane won more than he lost. 

Hit Count

Isles 38 (Casey Cizikas -7)

Carolina 19 (Two with 3)

Fights 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau fought Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the first period. Season total: 5 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin-2, Pageau)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Scott Mayfield -3)

Carolina 17 (Jaccob Slavin -4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Carolina 67

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 51, Carolina 57

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Tony DeAngelo +8

Carolina: Shayne Gostisbehere +9

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 8, Carolina 14

5-on-5: Isles 8, Carolina 11

Scratches

(Mike Reilly-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-LTIR), (Hudson Fasching-IR), (Noah Dobson-LTIR),  Matt Martin, Max Tsyplakov, Dennis Cholowski

Games Lost to injury: 167. (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 214 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (164) has also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 11 

2. Brock Nelson 9 

3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6

5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 19

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 42 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 3 failures  (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9, goalie interference – OTT 1/14)

Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (2): CHI 12/12, PHI 1/24

Vs (1): CHI 12/15

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (4): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5, SJ 1/18

Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))

Vs (2):  Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)

Vs (7): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)

OT Winners

For (3): Bo Horvat 10/25 @ NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10), Brock Nelson 1/25 vs CAR (2:03)

Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)

Shootout Winners

For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT

Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 888 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 863 *** 8. Matt Martin 848 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 807 …

26. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 27. Ryan Pulock 534 *** 28.Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 29. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 30. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 31. Adam Pelech 528 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 527 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 ***  34. Scott Mayfield 515

Goals    

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

4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Brock Nelson 290 *** 6. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287  *** 8. Anders Lee 281 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 134…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111

Assists

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

7. John Tonelli 338 *** 8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Mathew Barzal 327…

13. Derek King 288 *** 14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 271…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…

25. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Noah Dobson 169 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157… 

35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Casey Cizikas 140

Points

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

7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 ***  9. Brock Nelson 561 …

13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Anders Lee 490 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 461…

28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***  30. Casey Cizikas 251

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +81 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +62 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ***  24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 51 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 46…

13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Noah Dobson 169 *** 7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 157 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 125… 

17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Noah Dobson 215 *** 7. Jean Potvin 213 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 208…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 151…

18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 226 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***

4. Ilya Sorokin 111 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 10-27-2-2 after a 2-1 loss in Lehigh Valley on Saturday; Chris Terry scored Bridgeport's only goal.

Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 17 goals. Chris Terry's 24 assists and 36 points pace the Baby Isles in both categories.

Bridgeport hosts a rematch with Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. 

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 3). The final meeting will be on March 30th in Carolina.

The home team has won all three games this season, after the road team won all four games last season. 

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28th  –COLORADO AT ISLES 7:30pm

[ESPN+/Hulu, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The Isles will look to extend the winning streak to five games as they welcome the Colorado Avalanche, with newly-acquired Martin Necas and Jack Drury, to UBS Arena for the only time this season. 

The Isles will look to sweep the season series with Colorado for the first time since 2018-19, having won 6-2 in Denver on October 14th. 

The teams have played three wild games at UBS Arena since the building opened, with the Isles losing 5-4, winning 5-4 and losing 7-4 (with two empty nets). It will be the first time Patrick Roy has faced his former team on Long Island.

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 3, Philadelphia 1

"The Skinny" 

By Eric Hornick

Game 47

Isles 3, Philadelphia 1

Anthony Duclair and Bo Horvat scored 55 seconds apart, late in the first period, as the Islanders rallied from a 1-0 deficit for a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena. 

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves, yielding only a first period goal to Tyson Foerster, as the Isles earned their third straight win, all at home. Brock Nelson added some insurance for the Isles in the second period with his 14th goal of the season.

The Isles improve to 3-2-0 on this homestand and 20-20-7 overall. It is the first time since December 12th (12-12-7) that the Isles have been at NHL-.500. The sixth game of the seven-game homestand is Saturday against Carolina, when the Isles look to go over NHL-.500 for the first time since November 14th.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Tyson Foerster (13) Travis Konecny (35), Erik Johnson (2) 14:14 PHI 1,NYI 0

Anthony Duclair (4)  Brock Nelson (16), Kyle Palmieri (18) 17:08 PHI 1,NYI 1

Bo Horvat (17) Mathew Barzal (13), Alexander Romanov (10) 18:03 PHI 1,NYI 2

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (14) Kyle Palmieri (19), Adam Pelech (10)  13:56 PHI 1,NYI 3

 

3rd Period

No Goals

 

The Skinny

The Isles have outscored their opponents 80-75 in the first two periods but have been outscored 63-45 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 91 goals and allowed 81 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 57-34 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 27 of the last 35 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 48-39 in the second period this season (including 7-1 in the last three games); they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… The Isles have killed 14 of 15 over their last eight games (93.3%) and they have the best PL in the NHL in that span… Over the last eighteen games, the Isles have been outscored 10-3 on the power play…The Isles improve to 16-2-2 when leading after two periods…Bo Horvat scored for the third time in two games and the seventh time in eight games.... Ryan Pulock is the only Islander defenseman to play every game this season…Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, each extended their point streaks to four games while Adam Pelech matched a career-high with an assist in three straight games…The Isles are 12-2-1 this season when Horvat scores a goal… Islander goalies have allowed one goal or fewer six times in the last seven games…The Isles allowed the opening goal for the 30th time this season, matching Seattle and San Jose for the most in the NHL….The Isles have been credited with 111 hits (37 per game) during their three-game win streak.. The two Islander goals 55 seconds apart were the fastest scored by the team since April 1, 2024, in Philadelphia, when Matt Martin (12:03) and Bo Horvat (12:21) scored eighteen seconds apart in the first period.

The Injury

Cam York left the game after a check from Alexander Romanov in the first period; he returned in the second period. 

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles are playing seven consecutive home games for the first time since 2021-22 (twice) but that reflected games rescheduled due to COVID. The Isles all played seven straight at home in 2013 (lockout season), but this is the first time since February-March 2007 that seven straight were scheduled at home in an original schedule.

• It is the first time since Feb 26- Mar 4, 2023, that the Isles have allowed one goal or fewer in three consecutive games (not including shootout goals).

Quite the Numbers

Marcus Hogberg has now played 272 minutes for the Isles, allowing six goals on 125 shots for a 1.32 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 44th goalie to win multiple games for the Isles.

Weekend Warriors

The Islanders have won seven straight Saturday games (five at home and two on the road). The Isles are 13-13-3 in their last 29 games (7-0-0 on Saturday; 6-13-3 on other days). Nine of their last thirteen wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.

Milestone Men

• Mathew Barzal had an assist to give him 327, just one assist behind Patrick Flatley for 8th place in club history.

• Anthony Duclair recorded his 150th career goal while Adam Pelech added his 150th career point.

Third Periods

Goals:  Isles 43, Opponents 57

Tying Goals: Isles 5, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)

Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9

Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 14

The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 32 of their 47 games. In the 15 games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (2-12-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR) 

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have ten come-from behind wins this season, including two when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including seven times in the third period.

Overtime

The Isles are 2-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 2-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts. 

Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28). 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 14.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 31 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 12 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 5 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  20-20-7 for 47 points in 47 games

• 2023-24  20-16-11 for 51 points in 47 games 

Offense from Defense

• Today:   0-3-3

• Season: 15-68-83

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Mike Liut 293

48. Ed Giacomin 290

49. Semyon Varlamov 289

Oh Canada

The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-3-3 so far (1-1-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going 4-1-3. They went 0-1-0 in January; five of the six remaining games will be at home. 

Going back to last season the Isles are 8-3-3 in the last 14 games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponent will be Winnipeg on February 7th in the Isles' final game in Canada this season. 

Home and Road

The Isles are 20-20-7 overall; they are 10-11-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

Philadelphia is 22-22-6 overall; they are 11-11-1 at home and 11-11-5 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 13-14-3 against the East (6-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-9-1 vs. Atlantic) and 7-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 3-4-2 vs. Pacific).

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,464

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,464) and Patrick Roy (170) have combined for 1,634 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 9-4-4 when scoring first and are 11-16-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles            6-13-8=27

Philadelphia 7-7-16=30

The Isles are 10-12-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 9-7-4 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves; he is 15-14-4 this season and 10-3-2 vs. Philadelphia. 

Ivan Fedotov made 24 saves; he is 4-6-3 this season and 0-1-1 vs the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-3 (6:00); Philadelphia was 0-1 (2:00).

The Isles are 9-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 11-18-6 when they do not. The Isles are 10-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 10-10-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-16-3 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-8 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

Including tonight, the Isles are 4-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. This back-to-back concludes on Saturday vs. Carolina. The next back-to-back will be February 1st-2nd when they visit Tampa bay and Florida.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Alex Romanov (23:41); Philadelphia: Travis Sanheim (24:07)

Bo Horvat led Isles forwards (21:34).

Face-offs

Isles 32, Philadelphia 20 (62%)

Bo Horvat won 10 of 11 for the Isles; Morgan Frost won 6 of 9 for Philadelphia. 

Hit Count

Isles 34 (Alex Romanov -7)

Philadelphia 25 (Four with 3)

Fights 

None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin-2)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 19 (Alex Romanov -4)

Philadelphia 11 (Jamie Drysdale -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Philadelphia 65

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 47, Philadelphia 55

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Adam Pelech and Mathew Barzal +14

Philadelphia: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 6, Philadelphia 14

5-on-5: Isles 5, Philadelphia 13.

Scratches

(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Hudson Fasching-IR), (Noah Dobson-IR),  Matt Martin, (Max Tsyplakov-SUSP)

Games Lost to injury: 163. (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 213 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (163) has also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 11 

2. Brock Nelson 8 

3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6

5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 41 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 3 failures  (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9, goalie interference – OTT 1/14)

Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (2): CHI 12/12, PHI 1/24

Vs (1): CHI 12/15

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (4): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5, SJ 1/18

Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))

Vs (2):  Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)

Vs (7): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)

OT Winners

For (2): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10)

Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)

Shootout Winners

For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT

Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 887 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 862 *** 8. Matt Martin 848 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 806 …

26. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 27. Ryan Pulock 533 *** 28.Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 29. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 30. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 31. Adam Pelech 527 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 526 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 ***  34. Dave Lewis and Scott Mayfield 514

Goals    

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

4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Brock Nelson 289 *** 6. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287  *** 8. Anders Lee 280 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 134…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111

Assists

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

7. John Tonelli 338 *** 8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Mathew Barzal 327…

13. Derek King 288 *** 14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 271…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…

25. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Noah Dobson 169 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157… 

35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139

Points

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

7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 ***  9. Brock Nelson 560 …

13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Anders Lee 489 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 461…

28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***  30. Casey Cizikas 250

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +79 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +62 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ***  24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 51 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 46…

13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Noah Dobson 169 *** 7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 157 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 124… 

17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Noah Dobson 215 *** 7. Jean Potvin 213 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 208…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 150…

18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 225 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***

4. Ilya Sorokin 110 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 10-26-2-2 as they rebounded from a 7-1 loss in Utica on Wednesday with a 5-2 win in Syracuse on Friday. Chris Terry scored twice and added an assist in Friday's win, which featured 43 saves from Jakub Skarek. Liam Foudy scored in both games, giving him five goals in the last four games.

Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 17 goals. Chris Terry's 24 assists and 35 points pace the Baby Isles in those categories.

Bridgeport concluded their road trip in Lehigh Valley on Saturday. 

Season Series Stats

The season series is tied, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2). The next meeting will be on Thursday in Philadelphia.

The Isles are 9-1-1 in their last eleven home games against the Flyers.

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25th  –CAROLINA AT ISLES 7:30pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The Isles will look to extend the winning streak to four games as they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes, potentially with newly-acquired Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to UBS Arena for the second time this season. 

The teams have split two meetings with the home team winning both games  The Isles used a four-goal second period to beat Carolina at UBS on December 7th but were blanked in Raleigh ten nights later.

The home win was their first in the last eight regular season home games (1-5-2) against the Canes; the Isles do hold a pair of playoff victories over Carolina at UBS Arena during that span. 

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 3, Columbus 1

"The Skinny" 

By Eric Hornick

Game 46

Isles 3, Columbus 1

Bo Horvat scored twice in a 5:14 span early in the second period, sandwiching a shorthanded goal by Simon Holmstrom, as the Islanders rallied from a 1-0 deficit for a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets before a crowd of 14,551 at UBS Arena. 

Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves, yielding only a first period power play goal to Kent Johnson, as the Isles earned their second straight home win for the first time this season while ending Columbus' seven-game point streak (6-0-1).

The Isles improve to 2-2-0 on this homestand and 19-20-7 overall. The fifth game of the seven-game homestand is Friday against Philadelphia.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Kent Johnson (13) Kirill Marchenko (32), Dmitri Voronkov (14) 04:52 CBJ 1,NYI 0 PPG

2nd Period

Bo Horvat (15) Mathew Barzal (11), Adam Pelech (9) 00:43 CBJ 1,NYI 1

Simon Holmstrom (10) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (13) 02:57 CBJ 1,NYI 2 SHG

Bo Horvat (16) Mathew Barzal (12), Noah Dobson (18) 05:47 CBJ 1,NYI 3 PPG

3rd Period

No Goals

 

The Skinny

The Isles have outscored their opponents 77-74 in the first two periods but have been outscored 63-45 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 88 goals and allowed 80 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 57-34 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 26 of the last 34 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 47-39 in the second period this season (including 6-1 in the last two games); they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… The Isles allowed their first power play goal in seven games, but have killed 13 of 14 in that season… Over the last seventeen games, the Isles have been outscored 10-3 on the power play…The Isles improve to 15-2-2 when leading after two periods…Bo Horvat recorded his 34th multi-goal game and sixth as an Islander…Horvat now has six goals in six career games against Elvis Merzlikins…Simon Holmstrom scored his 6th career shorthanded goal; the first five were scored last season, all by December 19th…Six of Holmstrom's 31 career goals have been shorthanded...Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock are the only Islander defensemen to play every game this season…Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and Noah Dobson all extended their point streaks to three games…The Isles are 11-2-1 this season when Horvat scores a goal… Islander goalies have allowed one goal or fewer five times in the last six games…Kirill Marchenko earned an assist on the Johnson goal, making him the second Jacket with 50 points; Anders Lee leads the Isles with 36 points... Columbus is tied for the NHL lead with 107 5-on-5 goals but did not score at 5-on-5 for the second straight game.

The Injury

Noah Dobson left the game after a collision with Cole Sillinger in the third period; he did not return.  

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles are playing seven consecutive home games for the first time since 2021-22 (twice) but that reflected games rescheduled due to COVID. The Isles all played seven straight at home in 2013 (lockout season), but this is the first time since February-March 2007 that seven straight were scheduled at home in an original schedule.

• Marc Gatcomb now has 19 hits in his first three NHL games.  He is the first Islander rookie with consecutive games of at least seven hits since Matt Martin (3/6-3/8/2011).

Quite the Numbers

Marcus Hogberg has now played 272 minutes for the Isles, allowing six goals on 125 shots for a 1.32 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 44th goalie to win multiple games for the Isles.

Weekend Warriors

The Islanders have won seven straight Saturday games (five at home and two on the road). The Isles are 12-13-3 in their last 27 games (7-0-0 on Saturday; 5-13-3 on other days). Nine of their last twelve wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.

Milestone Men

• Mathew Barzal had two assists to give him 326, just two assists behind Patrick Flatley for 8th place in club history.

• Anthony Duclair's next goal will be his 150th career goal.

Third Periods

Goals:  Isles 43, Opponents 57

Tying Goals: Isles 5, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)

Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9

Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 14

The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 31 of their 46 games. In the 15 games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (2-12-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR) 

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have nine come-from behind wins this season, including two when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including seven times in the third period.

Overtime

The Isles are 2-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 2-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts. 

Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28). 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 14.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 31 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 12 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  19-20-7 for 45 points in 46 games

• 2023-24  20-15-11 for 51 points in 46 games (which was the first game coached by Patrick Roy)

Offense from Defense

• Today:   0-2-2

• Season: 15-65-80

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Mike Liut 293

48. Ed Giacomin 290

49. Semyon Varlamov 289

Oh Canada

The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-3-3 so far (1-1-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going 4-1-3. They went 0-1-0 in January; five of the six remaining games will be at home. 

Going back to last season the Isles are 8-3-3 in the last 14 games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponent will be Winnipeg on February 7th in the Isles' final game in Canada this season. 

Home and Road

The Isles are 19-20-7 overall; they are 9-11-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

Columbus is 22-18-7 overall; they are 16-5-3 at home and 6-13-4 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 12-14-3 against the East (5-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-9-1 vs. Atlantic) and 7-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 3-4-2 vs. Pacific).

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,463

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,463) and Patrick Roy (169) have combined for 1,632 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 9-4-4 when scoring first and are 10-16-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles         6-12-7=25

Columbus 7-9-10=26

The Isles are 10-12-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 9-7-4 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves; he is 14-14-4 this season and 6-0-2 vs. Columbus. 

Elvis Merzlikins made 22 saves; he is 16-11-3 this season and 2-4-0 vs the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-2 (3:51); Columbus was 1-4 (6:36) but allowed a shorthanded goal.

The Isles are 9-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-18-6 when they do not. The Isles are 10-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-10-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 18-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-16-3 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-8 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles are 3-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 24th-25th when they host division foes Philadelphia and Carolina.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (25:03); Columbus: Zach Werenski (30:38)

Bo Horvat led Isles forwards (21:42).

Face-offs

Isles 34, Columbus 16 (68%)

Bo Horvat and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each won 11 of 14 for the Isles; Sean Kuraly won 4 of 7 for Columbus. 

Hit Count

Isles 40 (Marc Gatcomb -8)

Columbus 27 (Mathieu Olivier -9)

Fights 

None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin-2)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Scott Mayfield -4)

Columbus 25 (Two with 5)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 68, Columbus 52

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 54, Columbus 36

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Adam Pelech and Mathew Barzal +14

Columbus: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 13, Columbus 5

5-on-5: Isles 12, Columbus 2  (matches season low allowed; also 10-22-24 vs Detroit).

Scratches

(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Hudson Fasching-INJ),  Matt Martin, (Max Tsyplakov-SUSP)

Games Lost to injury: 159. (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 212 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (162) has also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 11 

2. Brock Nelson 8 

3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6

5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 41 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 3 failures  (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9, goalie interference – OTT 1/14)

Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (1): CHI 12/12

Vs (1): CHI 12/15

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (4): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5, SJ 1/18

Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))

Vs (2):  Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)

Vs (7): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)

OT Winners

For (2): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10)

Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)

Shootout Winners

For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT

Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 886 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 861 *** 8. Matt Martin 848 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 805 …

26. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 27. Tomas Jonsson and Ryan Pulock 532 *** 29. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 30. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 31. Adam Pelech 526 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 525 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 ***  34. Dave Lewis 514 *** 35. Scott Mayfield 513

Goals    

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

4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Brock Nelson 288 *** 6. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287  *** 8. Anders Lee 280 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 134…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111

Assists

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

8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Mathew Barzal 326…

14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 270…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…

25. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Noah Dobson 169 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157… 

35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139

Points

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

7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 ***  9. Brock Nelson 558 …

13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Anders Lee 489 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 460…

28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***  30. Casey Cizikas 250

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +78 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +61 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ***  24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 51 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 46…

14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Noah Dobson 169 *** 7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 156 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 123… 

17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Noah Dobson 215 *** 7. Jean Potvin 213 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 207…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 149…

18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 224 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***

4. Ilya Sorokin 109 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 9-25-2-2 following a 4-3 win in Springfield on Monday.  Eetu Liukas scored the winning goal midway through the third period as the Islanders rallied from a 3-2 third period deficit.  Liam Foudy also scored twice.

Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 17 goals. Chris Terry's 23 assists and 32 points pace the Baby Isles in those categories.

Bridgeport continues their road trip in Utica on Wednesday. 

Season Series Stats

The season series is tied, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2). The next meeting will be on March 24th at UBS Arena.

The Isles are 12-2-2 in their last sixteen games overall against Columbus and have won all six UBS Arena meetings.

UP NEXT

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24th  –PHILADELPHIA AT ISLES 7:30pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The Isles will face the Flyers for the second time in this homestand on Friday in the front-end of the only back-to-back home games on the schedule this season. 

The Flyers defeated the Isles 5-3 on Thursday for their second straight win at UBS Arena, but their first regulation win on Long Island in their last ten visits. 

The Isles will look to get back to NHL-.500 for the first time since they were 12-12-7 after beating Chicago on December 12th.  They have had four opportunities to do so but are 0-4-0 in those 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

The Skinny: Isles 4, San Jose 1

"The Skinny" 

By Eric Hornick

Game 45

Isles 4, San Jose 1

On the night the Isles welcomed Brent Sutter into their Hall of Fames, a pair of long-term Islanders helped lead the way to a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena. 

Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal each had a goal and an assist, as they passed Sutter on the goals and assists lists, respectively, and Marcus Hogberg made 19 saves for the victory. The Isles had a pair of two-goal outbursts (1:55 and 1:30 apart) as they also got goals from Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock. 

The Isles improve to 1-2-0 on this homestand and 18-20-7 overall. The middle game of the seven-game homestand is Monday against Columbus.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Mathew Barzal (6) 08:47 SJS 0,NYI 1

Barclay Goodrow (3) Jan Rutta (6) 10:02 SJS 1,NYI 1

Brock Nelson (13) Kyle Palmieri (17), Adam Pelech (8) 10:42 SJS 1,NYI 2

Noah Dobson (6) Mathew Barzal (10), Bo Horvat (19) 19:33 SJS 1,NYI 3

3rd Period

Ryan Pulock (3) Anthony Duclair (4), Brock Nelson (15) 01:03 SJS 1,NYI 4

The Skinny

The Isles have scored the opening goal in consecutive games for the first time since November 29-30… The Isles have outscored their opponents 74-73 in the first two periods but have been outscored 63-45 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 87 goals and allowed 80 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 56-32 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 25 of the last 33 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 44-39 in the second period this season; they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… The Isles killed the only Shark power play, improving to a perfect 10-for-10 in the last six games; it is the first time since October 13-28, 2022 (8 games), that they have been perfect in six straight games on the PK in a single season… Over the last sixteen games, the Isles have been outscored 9-2 on the power play…After scoring four goals in the first 26 games, Islander defensemen had scored 11 times in the last 19 games...Casey Cizikas had a career-high nine hits- most by any Islander since Matt Martin had 10 in Toronto on January 23, 2023…Carl Grundstrom had 11 hits, tying the real-time record for an Islander opponent that was set by Michael Del Zotto (3/20/17 for Philadelphia) and equaled by Jeff Petry (3/9/23 for Pittsburgh); it was the most hits ever for an opponent in an Islander home game…The Isles improve to 14-2-2 when leading after two periods...Anthony Duclair earned his first point in nine games with an assist on the final goal.

Look at Me, I'm Anders Lee

Lee is 7-2-9 in ten games since Christmas. At 20-16-36, Lee is on pace to set career highs in assists (23 - twice) and points (62 in 2017-18). Lee is the last Islander to score 40 goals (2017-18) and only Brock Nelson (3x), Bo Horvat (2023-24) and Kyle Palmieri (2023-24) have reached 30 goals in the interim. 

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles are playing seven consecutive home games for the first time since 2021-22 (twice) but that reflected games rescheduled due to COVID. The Isles all played seven straight at home in 2013 (lockout season), but this is the first time since February-March 2007 that seven straight were scheduled at home in an original schedule.

• Brent Sutter is no longer tied-5th on the Isles' all-time goal list, a position he had held since his trade to Chicago in October 1991.

• Marcus Hogberg is the first Islander goalie to allow one goal or fewer in three consecutive games since Ilya Sorokin did so December 22-29, 2022.

• The Isles have won seven straight Saturday games in one season for the first time since opening the 2017-18 season with seven straight Saturday wins.

Quite the Numbers

Marcus Hogberg has now played 272 minutes for the Isles, allowing six goals on 125 shots for a 1.32 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 44th goalie to win multiple games for the Isles.

Weekend Warriors

The Islanders have won seven straight Saturday games (five at home and two on the road). The Isles are 11-13-3 in their last 26 games (7-0-0 on Saturday; 4-13-3 on other days). Nine of their last eleven wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.

Milestone Men

• Brock Nelson scored his 288th goal, passing Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter for 5th place in club history as well as the most of any player without four Stanley Cups.

• Nelson also recorded his 44th game-winning goal, tying Denis Potvin for 3rd place in club history, behind Mike Bossy (80) and Bryan Trottier (69).

• Mathew Barzal recorded his 324th  assist, passing Brent Sutter for 9th place in club history.

• Noah Dobson scored his 46th goal, passing Nick Leddy and tying Jean Potvin for 6th place on the club's goal list among defensemen. It was his 214th point, passing Potvin for 6th on the club's defensemen point list.

• Anthony Duclair's next goal will be his 150th career goal.

Third Periods

Goals:  Isles 43, Opponents 57

Tying Goals: Isles 5, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)

Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9

Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 14

The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 30 of their 45 games. In the 15 games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (2-12-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR) 

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have eight come-from behind wins this season, including two when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including seven times in the third period.

Overtime

The Isles are 2-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 2-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts. 

Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28). 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 14.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 30 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 12 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 3 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  18-20-7 for 43 points in 45 games

• 2023-24  19-15-11 for 49 points in 45 games (which was the last game coached by Lane Lambert)

Offense from Defense

• Today:   2-1-3

• Season: 15-63-78

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Mike Liut 293

48. Ed Giacomin 290

49. Semyon Varlamov 289

Oh Canada

The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-3-3 so far (1-1-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going 4-1-3. They went 0-1-0 in January; five of the six remaining games will be at home. 

Going back to last season the Isles are 8-3-3 in the last 14 games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponent will be Winnipeg on February 7th in the Isles' final game in Canada this season. 

Home and Road

The Isles are 18-20-7 overall; they are 8-11-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

San Jose is 14-28-6 overall; they are 8-14-1 at home and 6-14-5 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 11-14-3 against the East (4-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-9-1 vs. Atlantic) and 7-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 3-4-2 vs. Pacific).

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,462

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,462) and Patrick Roy (168) have combined for 1,630 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 9-4-4 when scoring first and are 9-16-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles       10-14-7=31

San Jose 4-7-8=19

The Isles are 10-12-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 8-7-4 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Marcus Hogberg made 18 saves; he is 2-2-0 this season and 1-0-0 vs. San Jose. 

Alexandar Georgiev made 27 saves; he is 10-15-0 this season and 10-6-0 vs the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 (2:00); San Jose was 0-1 (2:00).

The Isles are 8-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-18-6 when they do not. The Isles are 9-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-10-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 17-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-16-3 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-8 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles are 3-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 24th-25th when they host division foes Philadelphia and Carolina.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Noah Dobson (24:30); San Jose: Mario Ferraro (23:51)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (18:38).

Face-offs

Isles 26, San Jose 25 (51%)

Casey Cizikas won 4 of 5 for the Isles; Macklin Celebrini won 8 of 12 for San Jose. 

Hit Count

Isles 33 (Casey Cizikas -Career-High 9)

San Jose 39 (Carl Grundstrom -11)

Fights 

None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin-2)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 20 (Alexander Romanov -5)

San Jose 17 (Alexander Wennberg -4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 75, San Jose 55

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 68, San Jose 54

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov +13

San Jose: Mario Ferraro +10

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 13, San Jose 6

5-on-5: Isles 10, San Jose 6

Scratches

(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Hudson Fasching-INJ),  Matt Martin, (Max Tsyplakov-SUSP)

Games Lost to injury: 156. (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 211 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (161) has also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 11 

2. Brock Nelson 8 

3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6

5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 41 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 3 failures  (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9, goalie interference – OTT 1/14)

Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (1): CHI 12/12

Vs (1): CHI 12/15

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (4): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5, SJ 1/18

Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))

Vs (2):  Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)

Vs (7): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)

OT Winners

For (2): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10)

Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)

Shootout Winners

For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT

Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 885 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 860 *** 8. Matt Martin 848 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 804 …

26. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 27. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 28. Ryan Pulock 531 *** 29. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 30. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 31. Adam Pelech 525 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 524 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 ***  34. Dave Lewis 514 *** 35. Scott Mayfield 512

Goals    

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

4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Brock Nelson 288 *** 6. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287  *** 8. Anders Lee 280 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 134…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111

Assists

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

8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Mathew Barzal 324…

14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 270…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…

25. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Noah Dobson 168 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157… 

35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139

Points

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

7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 ***  9. Brock Nelson 558 …

13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Anders Lee 489 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 458…

28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***  30. Casey Cizikas 250

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 17. Adam Pelech +76  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +60 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ***  24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 51 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 46…

14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Noah Dobson 168 *** 7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 156 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 122… 

17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Noah Dobson 214 *** 7. Jean Potvin 213 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 207…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 148…

18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 223 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***

4. Ilya Sorokin 108 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 8-25-2-2 following a 4-1 loss to Syracuse on Friday and a 6-4 loss to Springfield on Saturday.

Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 17 goals. Chris Terry's 23 assists and 31 points pace the Baby Isles in those categories.

Bridgeport begins a four-game road trip in Springfield on Monday afternoon.

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0). The rematch be on March 8th in San Jose.

The Isles are 5-0-4 in their last nine games overall and 5-0-2 in their last seven home games with the Sharks.

 

UP NEXT

MONDAY, JANUARY 20th  –COLUMBUS AT ISLES 7:30pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The Isles will face their fourth straight opponent that they have had a lot of recent success on Monday as they entertain Columbus. 

The Isles are 11-2-2 in their last fifteen games overall and have won all five UBS Arena meetings against the Jackets, who blanked the Isles 2-0 in Columbus on October 30th. 

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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 5, Isles 3

"The Skinny" 

By Eric Hornick

Game 44

Philadelphia 5, Isles 3

Sean Couturier scored his 199th NHL goal and Travis Konecny added three assists as the Flyers overcame the first two Islander power play goals in the last fifteen games for a 5-3 win over the Isles  before a crowd of 15,761 at UBS Arena. 

Bo Horvat scored a first period power play goal and Anders Lee reached the 20-goal mark by deflecting Horvat's shot for a late 6-on-4 goal, but it was not enough as the Isles fell to 0-2-0 on the homestand and lost for the third straight time on home ice.

The Isles are four games under NHL-.500 at home (7-11-2) this late in the season for the first time since 2013-14. Game three of the seven-game homestand is Saturday against San Jose.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Bo Horvat (14) Brock Nelson (14) 09:21 PHI 0,NYI 1 PPG

2nd Period

Sean Couturier (8) Joel Farabee (9), Matvei Michkov (19) 05:15 PHI 1,NYI 1

Garnet Hathaway (6) Travis Konecny (31), Travis Sanheim (18) 09:29 PHI 2,NYI 1 SHG

Morgan Frost (11) Owen Tippett (15), Travis Konecny (32) 13:41 PHI 3,NYI 1

3rd Period

Mathew Barzal (5) Noah Dobson (17) 00:30 PHI 3,NYI 2

Cam York (4) Joel Farabee (10), Sean Couturier (14) 05:16 PHI 4,NYI 2

Anders Lee (20) Bo Horvat (18), Kyle Palmieri (16) 17:16 PHI 4,NYI 3 PPG

Noah Cates (10)EN Travis Konecny (33) 18:48 PHI 5,NYI 3

The Skinny

The Isles scored the opening goal for the 4th time in the last 19 games…The Isles have been outscored 63-44 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 83 goals and allowed 79 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 56-32 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 24 of the last 32 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 41-38 in the second period this season; they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… The Isles killed all four Flyer power plays, improving to a perfect 9-for-9 in the last five games; it is the first time since April 2-12, 2023, that they have been perfect in five straight games on the PK in a single season… The Isles ended the longest streak of consecutive games without a power play goal by scoring twice; they had been 0-25 over the last fourteen games. … Over the last fifteen games, the Isles have been outscored 9-2 on the power play… Anders Lee reached the 20-goal mark for the ninth time in his career; in the last nine seasons he has finished with fewer than 20 goals only once (2020-21, when he played only 27 games)…The Flyers earned their ninth comeback win, but their first where the comeback was completed prior to the third period…Ilya Sorokin's season-high shutout streak ended at 95:41; Bo Horvat's power play goal was the Isles' first goal in 70:46.

The Injury

Ryan Poehling left the game after a check from Max Tsyplakov; he did not return. On Friday, Tsyplakov was suspended three games by the NHL.

Most Consecutive Games Without a Power Play Goal (Isles History, one season)

14 -  12/10/24-1/14/2025

12 -  11/10-12/9/2010

12 -  11/26-12/20/1972

Most Consecutive Games Without a Power Play Goal (NHL History, one season, expansion era)

16 – CLE:  2/4/78-3/11/78

15 – BUF: 2/27/21-3/25/21

14 -  NYI: 12/10/24-1/14/25

14 – OTT  3/3/16-3/31/16

14 – TOR 12/2/97-12/31/97

Look at Me, I'm Anders Lee

Lee is 7-2-9 in nine games since Christmas. At 20-16-36, Lee is on pace to set career highs in assists (23 - twice) and points (62 in 2017-18). Lee is the last Islander to score 40 goals (2017-18) and only Brock Nelson (3x), Bo Horvat (2023-24) and Kyle Palmieri (2023-24) have reached 30 goals in the interim. 

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles are playing seven consecutive home games for the first time since 2021-22 (twice) but that reflected games rescheduled due to COVID. The Isles all played seven straight at home in 2013 (lockout season), but this is the first time since February-March 2007 that seven straight were scheduled at home in an original schedule.

• The Isles scored a power play goal for the first time since December 7th.

• The Flyers won in regulation on Long Island for the first time since March 18, 2021.

Quite the Numbers

Marcus Hogberg has now played 212 minutes for the Isles, allowing five goals on 106 shots for a 1.41 GAA and a .953 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 52nd goalie to win a game for the Isles (and is one of nine to win exactly one).

Weekend Warriors

The Islanders have won six straight Saturday games (four at home and two on the road). The Isles are 10-13-3 in their last 26 games (6-0-0 on Saturday; 4-13-3 on other days). Eight of their last ten wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.

Milestone Men

• Anders Lee recorded his 489th point, passing Patrick Flatley for 14th place in club history.

• Noah Dobson's recorded his 169th assist, passing Jean Potvin for 6th place on the club's assist list among defensemen. It was his 213th point, tying those player for 6th on the club's defensemen point list.

• Brock Nelson has 287 goals, matching Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter for 5th place in club history as well as the most of any player without four Stanley Cups.

• Mathew Barzal has 323  assists, tying Brent Sutter for 9th place in club history.

• Anthony Duclair's next goal will be his 150th career goal.

Third Periods

Goals:  Isles 42, Opponents 57

Tying Goals: Isles 5, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)

Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9

Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 14

The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 29 of their 44 games. In the 15 games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (2-12-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR) 

Did Somebody Say Comeback?

The Isles have eight come-from behind wins this season, including two when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including seven times in the third period.

Overtime

Ten of the first 26 Islanders games went to overtime; 16 of the last 17 have been decided in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 2-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts. 

Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28). 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 14.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 29 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 11 times

• Allowed the next goal: 15 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 3 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  17-20-7 for 41 points in 44 games

• 2023-24  19-15-10 for 48 points in 44 games (the penultimate game under Lane Lambert)

Offense from Defense

• Today:   0-1-1

• Season: 13-62-75

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Mike Liut 293

48. Ed Giacomin 290

49. Semyon Varlamov 289

Oh Canada

The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-3-3 so far (1-1-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going 4-1-3. They went 0-1-0 in January; five of the six remaining games will be at home. 

Going back to last season the Isles are 8-3-3 in the last 14 games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponent will be Winnipeg on February 7th in the Isles' final game in Canada this season. 

Home and Road

The Isles are 17-20-7 overall; they are 7-11-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

Philadelphia is 20-20-6 overall; they are 10-11-1 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.

East and West

The Isles are 11-14-3 against the East (4-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-9-1 vs. Atlantic) and 6-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 2-4-2 vs. Pacific).

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,461

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,461) and Patrick Roy (167) have combined for 1,628 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 8-4-4 when scoring first and are 9-16-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles            8-6-15=29

Philadelphia  8-11-5=24

The Isles are 9-12-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 8-7-4 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves; he is 14-13-4 this season and 9-3-2 vs. Philadelphia. 

Samuel Ersson made 26 saves; he is 12-7-2 this season and 2-0-0 vs the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 2-4 (6:51) but allowed a shorthanded goal; Philadelphia was 0-4 (8:00).

The Isles are 8-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 9-18-6 when they do not. The Isles are 9-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-10-1 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 16-4-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-16-3 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 8-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-8 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles are 3-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 24th-25th when they host division foes Philadelphia and Carolina.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Noah Dobson (25:08); Philadelphia: Travis Sanheim (26:34)

Bo Horvat led Isles forwards (22;23).

Face-offs

Isles 27, Philadelphia 30 (47%)

Bo Horvat won 11 of 22 for the Isles; Morgan Frost won 10 of 16 for Philadelphia. 

Hit Count

Isles 14 (Maxim Tsyplakov -3)

Philadelphia 27 (Garnet Hathaway-6)

Fights 

None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin-2)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Noah Dobson and Casey Cizikas -3)

Philadelphia 24 (Two with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 71, Philadelphia 54

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 55, Philadelphia 35

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Mathew Barzal +19

Philadelphia: Matvei Michkov +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 11, Philadelphia 14

5-on-5: Isles 5, Philadelphia 9

Scratches

(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Hudson Fasching-INJ), (Simon Holmstrom – IR), (Alex Romanov-INJ)

Games Lost to injury: 153. (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 210 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (160) has also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 11 

2. Brock Nelson 8 

3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6

5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 41 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 3 failures  (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9, goalie interference – OTT 1/14)

Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (1): CHI 12/12

Vs (1): CHI 12/15

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (3): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5

Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))

Vs (2):  Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)

Vs (7): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)

OT Winners

For (2): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10)

Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)

Shootout Winners

For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT

Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 ***  3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***

4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 884 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 859 *** 8. Matt Martin 848 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 803 …

26. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 27. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** i28. Pat LaFontaine and Ryan Pulock 530 *** 30. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 31. Adam Pelech 524 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 523 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 ***  34. Dave Lewis 514 *** 35. Scott Mayfield 511

Goals    

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

4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Pat LaFontaine, Brent Sutter, and Brock Nelson 287  *** 8. Anders Lee 280 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 133…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111

Assists

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

8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Brent Sutter and Mathew Barzal 323…

14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 269…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…

25. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Noah Dobson 168 *** 29. Jean Potvin 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157… 

35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139

Points

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

7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 ***  9. Brock Nelson 556 …

13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Anders Lee 489 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 456…

28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 ***  30. Casey Cizikas 250

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 17. Adam Pelech +75  *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 ***  19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +58 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ***  24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 50 *** 6. Jean Potvin 46 *** 7. Nick Leddy and Noah Dobson 45…

14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26  

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742***  2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Noah Dobson 168 *** 7. Jean Potvin 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 156 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 121… 

17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

5. Kenny Jonsson 232 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 213 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 206…

10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 147…

18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 223 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177***  9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304  *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***

4. Ilya Sorokin 108 …

7. Jaroslav Halak 88 ***  8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 8-23-2-2 following a 4-0 loss to Springfield on Wednesday.

Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 17 goals. Chris Terry's 22 assists and 29 points pace the Baby Isles in those categories.

The homestand concludes with games Friday against Syracuse and Saturday against Springfield.

Season Series Stats

Philadelphia leads the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0). The next meeting will be on January 24th at UBS Arena.

This was the Flyers' second straight win at UBS Arena, but their first regulation win in their last ten games on Long Island.

 

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18th –SAN JOSE AT ISLES 7:30pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at  7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The Isles will face their third straight opponent that they have had a lot of recent success on Saturday as they entertain San Jose. 

The Isles are 4-0-4 in their last eight games overall and 4-0-2 in their last six home games with the Sharks.

Brent Sutter will enter the Islanders' Hall of Fame prior to the contest.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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