Stat Trick: Isles 2, Ducks 1

Happy New Year! The Isles have their first 2009 victory..finally. On to the trick:

1. The win breaks an 8-game losing streak (0-7-1) and 4-game home losing streak(0-3-1). It's the third time that the Isles have had to wait until January 21 to get their first win of the calendar year. It also happened in 1995 (with a really big asterisk -- this was the season opener) and in 1999.

2. It's the first NHL win for Yann Danis since 2005, 4th of his career, and first as an Islander. He joins such luminaries as Danny Lorenz, George Maneluk, Tom Draper and "King" Richard Brodeur with one victory as an Islander. He finished with a career-high 39 saves.

3. Kyle Okposo scored for the second straight game; his last three goals have been the Islanders' first goal of the game.

...and a few more.

4. Kurtis McLean had the winning goal, chasing JS Gigiuere at the 14:25 mark of the first period. It was his first NHL goal (tying Josh Bailey, among others, on the all-time list), and came in just his 2nd NHL game.

5. Franz Nielsen has assisted on all three Islander goals in the last two games.

6. The Isles had exactly 1 shot in the final 31:02. It came shorthanded by Nate Thompson, from his own zone. The Isles went 26:31 of that stretch without a single shot.

7. Bobby Ryan had the Ducks' goal -- his 15th of the season and 7th on the power play. Both totals lead all rookies.

8. The Isles had 28 blocks -- by 16 different players. Bruno Gervais had a club-high 6. Gervais, who played nearly 26 minutes, also had five hits--sharing the vlub high with Brendan Witt.

9. The Isles scored more goals than they had in the previous game for the first time in the last 10 games (ending a record-tying streak). They have scored 2 goals or fewer, though, in 7 straight games (far shy of the club record of 12).

10. Up next: the All-Star Break. The Isles have 7 days off before resuming play in Atlanta next Thursday, 1/29. The Isles will look to avoid tying the club record 15-game road losing streak as they look for their first road win since Thanksgiving. The Thrasher lead the series 3-games to 0; Atlanta has never swept a season series from the Islanders.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 27th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2009.