Fwd: [isles-list] Stat Trick

--- Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com> wrote:

> > 1. The Isles have beaten Chicago in four straight games, > dating > back to 2003, after having beaten the Hawks only four times in > the previous 38 meetings. > > 2. The Isles' defense contributed three assists, giving them > 20 > points [2-18-20] in the first 11 games. Not bad, particularly > when you remember that Chris Campoli led the defense in > scoring > last season. > > 3. Alexei Yashin recorded his 106th goal as an Islander, > finally > pushing Eddie Westfall [105 goals] out of the Isles' top 20. > Jason Blake's goal was his 100th NHL goal -- all but seven > have > come as an Islander. > > > > Forever1940 is the nom de plume of FSN statistician Eric > Hornick. > > Eric, who has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, will > celebrate 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 2,901 Fellows of the Casualty > Actuarial Society and is the President-Elect 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 > >

Where'd everybody go?

Attendance for tonight's game was announced as 9,438.

It's the lowest announced crowd for an Islander home game since only 3,863 made it through a blizzard to see a season-turning victory over the Blackhawks on December 6, 2003. [However, many more tickets were sold for that game.]

You'd have to go back 162 home games, to the 2001-02 season, to find the last true sub-10,000 crowd.

On October 30, 2001 the Islanders ran their season opening point streak to 11 games [9-0-1-1] with a 3-2 victory over Florida. Only 9,271 attended the game.

Re: Dunham faces 50

With a little more time to look...

Dunham's efforts in Anaheim marked the first time that the Islanders had allowed 50 shots in a game in 7 1/2 years.

On April 12, 1999, Felix Potvin tied the Islander club record by making 55 saves [on 57 shots] as the Islanders won in New Jersey 4-2

With Saturday's home opener win, Dunham has stopped 89 of 94 shots, raising his save percentage to 94.7%.

--- Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com> wrote:

> A note from a hotel in Chicago---- > > Mike Dunham made 46 saves on 50 shots [regulation/OT] in the > Islanders' shootout win in Anaheim tonight. > > It was only the second time in his NHL career that he faced at > least 50 shots. > > On October 21, 1998, Dunham made 52 saves on 57 shots in a 5-2 > loss to Detroit. It was the first month of the Predators' > existence. > > > BTW, neither Garth Snow nor Rick DiPietro have ever faced 50 > shots in a game as an Islander goaltender. Snow faced at least > 50 only once in his NHL career [making 48 saves in a 4-3 ot > win > for the Canucks in 2001 -- ironically Dunham was in goal for > Nashville that night.] > > DiPietro has faced as many as 46 shots in a game -- in Anaheim > in 2004. > >

Coaching Debuts

Coaching Debuts

Phil Goyette 10/07/72 * L 3-2 Atlanta Earl Ingarfeld 01/31/73 L 5-3 @ Toronto Al Arbour 10/10/73 * T 1-1 @ Atlanta Terry Simpson 10/09/86 * L 3-2 @ Chicago Al Arbour II 12/09/89 L 6-5 @ New Jersey Lorne Henning 01/21/94 * W 2-1 Florida Mike Milbury 10/07/95 * T 4-4 @ Boston Rick Bowness 01/24/97 W 5-2 @ Hartford Mike Milbury II 03/12/98 L 2-1 Washington Bill Stewart 01/21/99 W 5-2 @ Pittsburgh Butch Goring 10/02/99 * L 4-2 @ Tampa Bay Lorne Henning II03/04/01 W 5-2 @ New York Rangers Peter Laviolette10/05/01 * W 3-2 @ Tampa Bay Steve Stirling 10/09/03 * L 6-1 @ Washington Brad Shaw 01/12/06 W 3-2 Vs. Calgary Ted Nolan 10/06/06 * L 6-3 @ Phoenix

* Season Opener Isles are 6-8-2 in coaching debuts, 2-5-2 when the game is a season opener.

Does older equal better?

The Isles enter the season with four players:

Dunham [June 1 1972] Hill [Feb 14 1970] Sillinger [June 29 1971] Simon [January 30 1972]

who were alive when the Isles played their first NHL game on October 7, 1972.

None of these players were with the team last season. The oldest of the players from last season's team is Alexei Zhitnik, who was born three days after the Flames beat the Islanders 2-1 in the first game in their respective franchise's history, making Morris Stefaniw a household name.

Isles/Rangers/Devils

Former Ranger, former Devil goalie Mike Dunham signs with Islanders. He joins these players who have completed the New York-area hat trick: Joel Bouchard, Pat Conacher, Vladimir Malakhov, Sergei Nemchinov, John Vanbiesbrouck.

[from Mark Herrmann]