Stat Trick: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 3

For the better part of two periods, the Islanders beat the stuffing out of the Pens, but in the end it was the Islanders who were the turkeys. On to the trick:

1. Josh Bailey had his first 2-assist game. At one point he had credit on the third goal as well, but this was later changed.

2. Bill Guerin scored for the third straight game; he's 4 goals shy of 400. Guerin however was -4 and also did a bad penalty in the third period when he came to the defense of Doug Weight.

3. Weight did not play in the final 7 1/2 minutes. He did score on the power-play earlier in the game -- it was career goal # 270 (and point 991). Robert Gordon Orr also scored 270 NHL goals. Weight now has a seven-game point streak -- his longest since a 10-game streak in 2003-04.

4. Malkin and Crosby did it the Islanders again. Malkin recorded his third career hat trick and added an assist while Crosby had a goal and three assists. It was Malkin's third career hat trick

5. John Curry replaced Dany Sabourin in goal after Guerin's goal gave the Isles a 3-0 lead. He stopped all 11 shots and earned a win in his NHL debut.

6. The Isles have now lost 3 games in regulation that they led after two periods (6-3-1). They lost only two games in regulation that they led after 40 minutes in the past two seasons combined. No other team has lost more than 2.

7. The Isles scored two pp goals for the third straight game (6-14, 42.9%). They have 10 pp goals in the last 7 games after connecting for only 9 pp goals in the first 15 games. It's the first time since Jan/Feb 2006 that the Isles have connected for at least two pp goals in three straight games.

8. The Isles won 42 of 74 faceoffs, including 35 of the final 54. Jeremy Colliton won 13 of 18, while Bailey won 7 of 10.

9. The Isles fall to 4-7-1 at home, equaling their worst 12-game home start since 1999-2000.

10. Up next: a Friday MATINEE in Boston (faceoff at noon). It's the 8th straight season that the Isles have played on the day after Thanksgiving, and their second straight in Boston. They've gone 2-5-0 and have been outscored 21-11, including last year's 2-1 loss in Beantown.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

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.