1. The great Ovechkin reached 30 goals for the 4th straight season, then added #31 for the winner in overtime. Both goals were on the powerplay. Ovechkin now has five goals vs. the Isles this season, including three on the powerplay.
When Ovechkin scores, the Caps are almost unbeatable:
29-1-1 in the last 31 games when he has scored a goal
(19-1-1 this season).
His six game-winning goals this season lead the
team.
Washington is 18-0-1 in his last 19 multiple-goal games.
and hasn't lost a game in which Ovechkin scored a power-play
goal in more than a year, (Dec. 17, 2007, at Detroit).
He tied and passed Dave Christian for 5th in all-time goals by a Capital (194).
2. Kyle Okposo scored the Islanders' only goal, on a 5-on-3 powerplay. He now has 6 goals and 8 assists on the season.
3. Jose Theodore was the winning goal -- recording his 200th career win in the building he once scored an empty-net goal. He beat Yann Danis, who he once shared the pipes for the Canadiens. It was the 30th win of the season for the Caps -- their 30-14-3 record gives them 63 points in 47 games -- it's the fastest they've ever reached 30 wins.
...and a few more.
4. Danis, after opening his career 3-0-0, is now 3-7-1, recording his first non-loss as an Islander today. Danis finished with 36 saves.
5. Ex-Isle Viktor Kozlov led all players with 9 shots on goal. Ovechkin had 8 (giving him 299, 101 more than any other player in the NHL) and Brooks Laich had 7.
6. The OT point ends a 7 game pointless streak, but extends the losing streak to 8 (that's why they call them loser points!) The Isles are 2-17-3 in their last 22 games-- the 7 points in 22 games is the fewest in a 22 game stretch since 1988 -- they had a 3-20-1 streak that season, but they also lost 2 OT games and didn't receive any points for them. (This is actually positive news compared to the 2-17-2 streak in 21 games entering the game -- the 6 points in 21 games was the fewest in a 21 game stretch since 1972-73. Thanks, Matt!)
7. The Isles have scored once in each of the 4 games on this homestand. It's the first time since March/April 2006 that they have scored 1 goal or less in 4 straight. It's also the first time in club history that they played four straight games at home, and failed to scored two goals in any of them.
8. The Isles now have as many points (29) as regulation losses. The 29 points are the third fewest through 46 games in Islander history: 27 in 1999-00 and 14 in 1972-73.
9. The Isles end the Bush administration having earned 570 points in 574 games (better than you probably thought!).
10. Up next: the Ducks end the homestand, and the first-half of the season with a rare Wednesday game at the Coliseum. It's only the 53rd Wednesday home game in Isles history -- that's rare! The Ducks blanked the Isles at the Coliseum 3-0 last season. The Isles are 5-1-1 on January 21 at home, including a 1982 win that launched the 15-game winning streak.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and will celebrate his 27th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment