1. Tampa had won eight straight regular season games, and 11 straight including playoffs, against the Isles, dating back to March and April 2004, respectively. The last Isles win in both regular season and in playoffs against the Lightning were by the same score: 3-0.
2. Rick DiPietro recorded an assist and a shutout in the same game for the first time in his career. He earned his assist on the play that he clobbered Andy Hilbert -- he now leads Hilbert in scoring on the season (1 - 0). It was the 12th shutout and 8th assist of DiPietro's career.
3. It's the first time that DiPietro and Henrik Lundqvist have recorded shutouts on the same night; DiPietro leads Lundqvist - 12 career shutouts to 11.
and some bonuses:
4. The Isles record a shutout on Al Arbour's birthday for the third time -- the legendary coach turned 75 today. In 1977, Billy Smith and Goran Hogosta shared a 9-0 pasting of Atlanta (Hogosta played 9 minutes in his only appearance with the Isles) and in 2000 Wade Flaherty recorded the fourth and final shutout of his Islander career, blanking Florida 4-0.
5. The Isles have blanked the Lightning 10 times (club record is 11 against both Buffalo and Washington).
6. Mike Sillinger played in his 1000th NHL game -- on the same night that Ryan Smyth played in his 800th. Sillinger has played for 21 different coaches -- Arbour will make it 22.
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 2,920 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
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