Stat Trick

It certainly didn't feel like Islanders-Rangers for most of the night, despite a pretty good game for two periods. On to the trick:

1. The Isles have allowed a goal in the first four minutes of the last 4 home games -- all losses. The 1-4 start is their worst at home since 1989-90. The Isles have not led at any point in any of those games.

2. Kyle Okposo had the first Isles goal and had 7 shots. He leads all NHL rookies with 23 shots on goal.

3. Mark Streit scored the Isles' third shorthanded goal of the season. Only Philadelphia and San Jose (each with 4) have more. The Isles scored 10 SH goals all last season. Streit has three goals on the season -- Mike Green is the only defensemen with more(4); all three of Streit's goals have been special teams goals.

and some more:

4. Yann Danis served as the back-up (and probably thought that he was close to getting in after MacDonald had his bell rung in the third.) Danis has appeared in 6 NHL, all for the Canadiens in October/November 2005.

5. Triple negative is still negative:
Isles are 0-5-0 when allowing the first goal, 0-4-0 when trailing after one period, and 0-6-0 when trailing after two periods.

6. Even more negative:
The Isles will play their final game of the month on Thursday in Philadelphia. If the Isles lose in regulation, they will equal the worst 9 game start in team history and have one fewer point through 9 games than the Original Islanders. They will also become the third Isles team to lose 7 games in October, previously done in 90-91 and 93-94.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

Stat Trick: Carolina 4, Isles 3

The Islanders re-wrote the record books, but in the end a goal set up by a Sutter at 7:11 proved to be the difference. On to the trick:

1. Shots. Lots of shots. 60 officially -- smashing the Islander club record of 54, set on 1/1/94 vs Hartford and equaled on 3/17/04 in Florida. (By the way, they lost both of those games also, including 4-3 to the Whalers). The 60 shots are the most the Hurricane franchise has ever allowed.

2. Rick DiPietro left with an apparent injury after the first period. He's allowed 9 goals in 7 periods of work this season (3.86 GAA) and has allowed 6 goals in three first periods in that stretch.

3. The Isles have allowed the first goal 4 times, losing all 4 and have trailed after two periods in all five of their losses.

and a few more:

4. Doug Weight was stopped on a penalty shot in the game's final second (0.7 seconds remained) It's the second failed Islander penalty shot of the season-Okposo was stopped on opening night in New Jersey. The Isles have now scored on only 11 of the 41 penalty shots in their history, including 1 of their last 15.

5. Cam Ward obliterated his career high in saves, stopping 57 shots. (Previous high was 42) He has stopped 5 of 7 career penalty shots. He is now 6-2 in his career against the Isles. Ward btw was born on Feburary 29, 1984--the day Flatley and LaFontaine debuted for the then Stanley Cup champion Islanders.

6. Bill Guerin led the Isles with 10 shots on goal. Every Isle except Bruno Gervais had at least one.

7. The Isles' record drops to 2-5. Four points is their worst 7-game start since going 1-4-2 to open the 1996-97 season. The Isles are 1-3 at home, equaling the fewest points in their first four home games. If the Isles lose in regulation on Monday, it will be their worst home start since the 1989-90 season.

8. Here's hoping that Brandon Sutter is okay, after absorbing a clean open-ice hit from Doug Weight in the third period.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

OK -- people are reading. Stat Trick errata.

"Streit became the first Islander to score a goal this season."

should read

"Streit became the first Islander born in Switzerland to score a goal this season."

(or "Streit became the first Islander defensemen to score a goal this season".)

As always, thanks for reading!

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

Stat Trick: Stars 5, Isles 3

Was this the most one-sided 2-goal defeat in Islander history? Just might have been. On to the trick:

1,
Mike Ribiero had a career night, setting highs in assists (4) and
points (5). The four assists was one shy of the franchise record, set
by Murray Oliver and equaled by Larry Murphy (vs the Isles in 1989) and Brad Richards.

2.
The Isles have been outscored 12-4 in their last two home games. (Was
12-2 entering the third.) The 8 goal differential over two games is
the worst since losing 5-1 to the Rangers and 4-0 to Pittsburgh under interim coach Brad Shaw in March 2006. The club record is 12,
set in a pair of 8-2 losses (to Pittsburgh and New Jersey) in March
2000.

3. Attendance up nearly 25%...or so it seems. Announced
attendance was 10,183 -- over 2,000 greater than saw the same two teams
in the least attended game last season. Actual attendance was much
less; just before the anthem there were a grand total of 12 people
sitting in Section 211.

..and a few more

4. Mark Streit and Jon Sim each recorded their first goals as Islanders. For Sim,
it's his first goal since March 8, 2007 when he had a two-goal game
against Montreal as a member of the Thrashers. Streit became the first Islander to score a goal this season.

5.
The Isles are 2-4-0; it's their worst 6-game start since opening 1-3-2
in 2000-01. They've been outscored 21-14; it's their worst goal
differential through 6 games since 1995-96.

6. The Stars scored
5 goals against the Isles for the first time since April 2, 1997 as
they won in regulation at the Coliseum for the first time since
December 21, 2000.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

Stat Trick: Dallas 5, Isles 3

Was this the most one-sided 2-goal defeat in Islander history? Just might have been. On to the trick:

1, Mike Ribiero had a career night, setting highs in assists (4) and points (5). The four assists was one shy of the franchise record, set by Murray Oliver and equaled by Larry Murphy (vs the Isles in 1989) and Brad Richards.

2. The Isles have been outscored 12-4 in their last two home games. (Was 12-2 entering the third.) The 8 goal differential over two games is the worst since losing 5-1 to the Rangers and 4-0 to Pittsburgh under interim coach Brad Shaw in March 2006. The club record is 12, set in a pair of 8-2 losses (to Pittsburgh and New Jersey) in March 2000.

3. Attendance up nearly 25%...or so it seems. Announced attendance was 10,183 -- over 2,000 greater than saw the same two teams in the least attended game last season. Actual attendance was much less; just before the anthem there were a grand total of 12 people sitting in Section 211.

..and a few more

4. Mark Streit and Jon Sim each recorded their first goals as Islanders. For Sim, it's his first goal since March 8, 2007 when he had a two-goal game against Montreal as a member of the Thrashers. Streit became the first Islander to score a goal this season.

5. The Isles are 2-4-0; it's their worst 6-game start since opening 1-3-2 in 2000-01. They've been outscored 21-14; it's their worst goal differential through 6 games since 1995-96.

6. The Stars scored 5 goals against the Isles for the first time since April 2, 1997 as they won in regulation at the Coliseum for the first time since December 21, 2000.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

Stat Trick: Isles 4, Tampa 3 (OT)

1. Trent Hunter's two goals, including the OT winner, give him 4 in the season's first 4 games -- 1/3 of last season's total of 12. He had four goals in October and November combined last season. It's the 10th two-goal game of his career; he's never had a hat trick and the third time that he's scored in overtime: (2/27/07-Philly and 2/28/08-Atlanta)

2. The Isles had never scored in OT in Tampa before last season (Mike Sillinger on 12/8/07) but have now done so twice in their last three trip to the west coast of Florida.

3. Franz Nielsen's assist on the winning goal was his second of the night (and of the season). It's the first two-assist game of his career; he had a 1-goal, 1-assist game against Montreal in 2007. Nielsen has played at least 14:52 in all four games this season -- the 4 highest ice-times of his NHL career.

and a few more:

4. 10 of the 11 Isles' goals this season have been scored by players 27 or older. (Bergenheim has the 11th goal; he's 24).

5. The Isles have opened 1-1 on the road in 4 of the last 5 seasons. (They opened 0-3 under Nolan two years ago.)

6. Isles will have a chance to sweep a trip to the state of Florida on Saturday when the meet the Panthers in Sunrise. The Isles have swept a 2-game trip to Florida only once in their history -- the first two games of the Laviolette era.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.