Another blown lead...another road defeat. 13 in a row (0-12-1) on the
loser side of the ledger since a miracle win in Montreal just before
Thanksgiving. On to the trick.
1.
The Isles have now lost 13 straight on the road (0-12-1) --longest
since 1972-73, and equalling the 2nd longest streak in club history. That season the Isles lost 28 of 29, with a 9-7 win in
Boston on January 18 1973 separating a 13 game road losing streak and a 15 game road losing streak.
2. Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau had the goals for the Isles; Comeau's goal came with less than 3 seconds to play in the first period and gave the Isles a 2-0 first intermission advantage.
3. Andrew Cogliano and Jason Strudwick had the middle period equalizers for Edmonton. Lyle Brodziak scored the winner with 10:02 to play.
...and a few more
4. The Isles fall to 5-16-2
on the road. The 12 points in 23 games in the fewest since the 1995
lockout season, when they also had 12 in the first 23 games and then lost the final road game of the season. They haven't had fewer points in the first 23 on the road since 1989-90, when they opened 4-17-2 on the road.
5. The Isles outshot Edmonton 27-26, but the Oilers had 19 shots blocked, 5 alone by Mark Streit.
6. Mike Comrie had a rough nite against his former team; he was charged with 5 giveaways and lost 11 of 15 face-offs.
7. Hard to believe I -- The Isles are the only team in the NHL with a losing record when they score first -- they're 8-9-1.
8. Hard to believe II -- The Isles are now a despicable 2-6-1 when LEADING after 1 period. Carolina is the only other team with 6 losses when leading after 1 periods, but the Canes are 9-6-1. The Isles were 16-3-4 when LEADING after 1 period last season
9. The Isles have only two wins in their last 17 -- equaling a similar stretch in 97/98. They ended the first half in Edmonton for the second straight season. They were 20-17-4 last season; 12-25-4 this season.
10. Up next: the road trip concludes as the Isles play Thursday in Calgary (9:00 ET). The Isles visit an unfamiliar yet friendly rink as they travel to Calgary. The Isles won in a shootout there last season-- their first visit since 2002. The Flames haven't beaten the Isles in Alberta since November 23, 1999 - a 3-2 win for Butch Goring. The Isles will be trying to win a third straight game on the road against the Flames for the first time since they swept three games in ATLANTA in the 1976-77 season. Overall, the Isles are 6-16-4 vs. the Flames in games played in Calgary.
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.
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