Stat Trick errata

An eagle eye pointed out that my last sentence was missing something... a number.

<< The Isles are 18-8 all-time in shootouts, and have won five of their last shootouts.>>

It's five of the last 6 shootouts, dating back to two SO wins over Toronto last February and including the two season-saving SO wins in April over the Rangers and Devils. The SO loss, as mentioned earlier, was at MSG on the night DiPietro made 56 saves.

Stat Trick: Isles 3, Ottawa 2 (SO)

1. Welcome home, Fort Neverlose. The Isles finish November 6-1-1 at the Coliseum -- the first time they've won six November home games since 1987 (6-2-0) and their best November at home since 1984 (6-0-0). The Isles have 19 points in thirteen games at home this season (9-3-1) equalling their best home start since 1987-88. They haven't had a better record at home through thirteen games since winning 11 of their first 13 at home in 1984-85.

2. It's the first time the Isles have ever beaten the Senators in extra time. They've lost only once in overtime (Hossa in 2000) and this was the first shootout between the teams.

3. It's only the Islanders' third home win (and fifth overall) since 1996 against the Sens. They were 2-14-1 with four ties in their last 21 home games against Ottawa.

and a few more for the shootout...

Ricky is now 14-7 in career shootouts, stopping 69 of 91 shots. He has not allowed more than one goal on an opponent's first three shots in eighteen consecutive shootouts. It was DiPietro's first shootout since March 5, 2007, when he suffered a 2-1 loss at MSG the night that he recorded a club-record 56 saves.

Mike Sillinger had the winning goal --his first goal in three shootout attempts as an Islander. The Isles are 18-8 all-time in shootouts, and have won five of their last shootouts.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 3,044 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Smallest crowd since....

 

The announced attendance at tonight's Islander-Dallas game was 8,161 (just 44 people more than half-full). It is by far the smallest announced crowd of the season (11,008 vs. Tampa) and is the smallest crowd of the Nolan era. (8,269 attended an Isles-Devils game last November 2 in New Jersey; the smallest home crowd was 8,739 last Halloween) 

 

The last time the Isles announced a smaller crowd for a home game was an announced crowd of 3,863 for the blizzard game 12/6/03 vs. Chicago --note however that that was an actual attendance as opposed to a tickets sold number. 

 

Last Halloween's game was the lowest announced attendance since March 6, 2001.  That night, 8,415 attended the Isles' 5-1 loss to Washington.  Alan Hahn's story in Newsday concentrated more on the trade  deadline...and one of Mike Milbury's targets: Michael Peca.

However, tonight's crowd has that number beat, so we have to move back to the Islanders' first game of the Millenium.  On January 2, 2001, the announced attendance was 7,916 for an Islander 3-0 loss to the Canadiens.  Jose Theodore punctuated that evening by scoring into an empty net -- the only goal ever scored by an opposing netminder. 

 

Alan Hahn's Newsday story noted: "The holiday season is over and it seems the Islanders' season is slowly following suit. Playing before a scattered crowd that braved not inclement weather but the specter of witnessing another loss for the home team, the Islanders last night ended their seven-game homestand with a dismal 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in front of an announced attendance of 7,916 at Nassau Coliseum, which has become hockey purgatory.

 

Well, for one night the aging Coliseum was hockey heaven for Montreal goalie Jose Theodore, who scored in the final seconds to punctuate a game that seemed not to need any further punctuation.

 

"It can't get worse than that," Claude Lapointe said.

 

But it does for the Islanders and beleaguered general manager Mike Milbury, who once again heard rousing chants of "Mike Must Go!" And it did for forward Mark Parrish, who after the game scolded the few remaining fans the team has for booing the team's final touch on a 2- 5 record during the homestand.

 

"As much as we love the fans and want them to come out and watch us," he said, "if they're going to boo us like that, we'd appreciate it if they just stayed home, to be honest with you. That's not going to help us out all too much."

>>

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 3,044 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Stat Trick: Dallas 3, Isles 2 (OT)

1.  Mike Modano's two goals gives him 515 career, tying Pierre Turgeon for 32nd all-time.  It was the 8th OT goal of his career.

 

2. The Isles have scored 2 or fewer goals in 9 straight games -- first time they've done that since 1997-98.  The club record is 12 straight games, set by the original Islanders, and broken in the famous 9-7 win at Boston Garden.  At least they avoided playing three consecutive 2-1 games for the first time in club history.

 

3. Dallas' win was their first on Long Island since 12-21-00.  (The Isles had won the only three Coliseum tilts in that span.)

 

 

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick. Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, celebrated his 25th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2007. Often referred to on-air as an actuary, he is one of 3,044 Fellows of the Casualty Actuarial Society and is the President of the Casualty Actuaries of Greater NY. You can find him in the "Best Seat in the House", about six feet to Howie and Billy's left, at most Islander home games. For more on the actuarial profession, visit www.beanactuary.org

Stat Trick: Islanders 2, Rangers 1

1. A nite for milestones as Di Pietro wins his 100th (4th goalie in Isles history: Smith 304, Resch 157, Hrudey 106) as the Isles record their 500th road win.

2. A nite for records as the Isles become the first NHL team to ever play seven consecutive one-goal games, all decided in regulation, extend their MSG point streak to six (5 wins and an OT loss) for the first time ever and stretch their record over the Rangers to 9-1-2 -- the best 12-game stretch ever against the Blueshirts, and set a record with an eighth straight win over the Devils and Rangers.

3. A night for celebrating, as the Isles have won 11 of 17 games, matching their total in 2001-02 for the most wins in the first 17 since opening 12-4-1 in 1987-88.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick.

More DiPi/ Shutout notes

Di Pietro now has 13 shutouts. His shutout in New Jersey was only the 4th of the thirteen on the road.

It's the first time that DiPietro has won a 1-0 game and only the 12th 1-0 win in Islander regular season history:

13-Jan-76VsDetroit10W
21-Dec-84@Hartford10W
11-Feb-86VsVancouver10W
4-Feb-90@Buffalo10W
23-Mar-95VsNew York10W
15-Feb-97VsFlorida10Wot
17-Oct-98@St. Louis10W
27-Oct-98VsLos Angeles10W
15-Dec-98@San Jose10W
12-Feb-02@Philadelphia10Wot
31-Dec-02@Buffalo10Wot
16-Nov-07@New Jersey10W

Tommy Salo had all four of the 1-0 wins in 1997 and 1998; no other Isle goalie has more than one. Jason Blake had the OT goal in the most recent 1-0 win, which made a winner out of Chris Osgood.

DiPietro now has 99 career wins, and the Isles as a team have 499 road wins in their history, meaning Monday at MSG could be a multiple milestone game.

Only three goalies have won 100 games for the Islanders (Smith 304, Resch 157, Hrudey 106) -- Hrudey won his 100th game in January 1989.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric Hornick.

Sweet 16

The Isles are 10-6-0 and reach the 20-point mark in only 16 games. It's only the second time in the last 20 years that the Isles have recorded at least 20 points in 16 games (11-3-1-1 in 2001-02).