Stat Tricks: Boston 2, Isles 1 and Isles 4, Chicago 2

A weekend split gives the Isles a 2-1-1 record on their tour of 4 of the original 6 teams. 4 off days now follow, before the trip continues in Carolina on Friday. On to the tricks:
Boston:
1. A bad start doomed the Isles in this one as Phil Kessel and Marc Savard scored 65 seconds apart. The B's led 2-0 before the game was 5 minutes old.
2. Mark Streit had the first of his three goals on the weekend mid-way through the second to get the Isles back in the game. Okposo assisted on the goal to extend his point streak to 5 (although his goal streak ended at 4). Streit's goal gives the Islander defense 121 points on the season--one more than all last season.
3. Yann Danis allowed goals on the game's first two shots...but stopped the final 23 Boston shots. Tim Thomas made 21 saves for Boston to record his 30th win of the season.
...and a few more...
4. Streak stoppers: Comeau (6 games), Iggulden (4 games).
5. The two teams, first and last in the East, entered the game with identical records since February first: 8-8-3.
6. Andy Hilbert had 6 shots to lead the Isles; Mark Streit had 4.
7. The B's won 29 of 49 draws, with Patrice Bergeron and Savard going a combined 20-13.
8. The Bruins have won the last 5 games between the teams, including all three this season. The Isles have scored only 6 goals in those 5 games, and only 9 in the last seven games agaisnt Boston (1-6-0).
9. It's the first time that the Bruisn have beaten the Isles in 5 straight since 1993-1995, when they won 7 straight (as part of an 11 game unbeaten streak vs the Isles).
10.The Islanders have NEVER shutout the Bruins in Boston -- 67 games (regular season) + 5 more in the playoffs.

Vs. Chicago
1. Peter Mannino started the day with the worst save percentage in NHL history - .625. He'll probably never have to worry about that distinction again, stopping 40 of 42 to earn his first NHL win. He lowered his GAA from 13.85 to 2.47. The Hawks out-shot the Isles 42-19.
2. Mannino is the first Islander goalie to win his first NHL start since Rick DiPietro (12/19/02 vs Minnesota)  Stephen Valiquette (3-16-00 @ Atlanta)
3. Mannio is the fourth Islander goalie to win a game this season (MacDonald 13, Danis 9, DiPietro 1). Only DiPietro had won a game for the Isles prior to this season.
...and a few more...
4. Mark Streit had two goals and an assist (all on the pp) for the Isles, raising his season totals to 15-37-52. The 15 goals are a new career high (13 last season). He is 2nd among all NHL defensemen in pp goals (10) and tie for third in points. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 games, recording points on 6 of the Isles' 8 goals.
5. Richard Park and Frans Nielsen had the other goals for the Isles; Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane (7 shots) had responses for the Hawks. Cam Barker had an assist for the 5th straight game for Chicago.
6. Attendance at the United Center was 22,140 (5,843 bigger than capacity at the Coliseum). They have sold out 35 straight games (including all 32 this season).
7. Kyle Okposo had two assists to extend his point streak to 6. Okposo is 10th in rookie scoring with 30 points.
8. The Hawks were 20-7-7 at year's end, but are only 17-14-2 in 2009.
9. The Isles continue the streakiness of the all-time series vs. the Hawks. The Isles have won the last 5, dating to Yashin's 4 goal game in 2003. Prior to that, the Isles had won only once in the prior 22 and 4 times in the prior 38 against Chicago. Prior to that, the Isles were 15-1-2 in 18 games against Chicago between 1980 and 1985.
10. (See #10 above) The Isles have 4 shutouts in their history against the Hawks -- all of them in Chicago!

Up next: Four days of R&R before the road trip continues in Carolina on Friday. It's the first of two trips to Carolina in the season's final 13 games for the Isles, who lost both home games to Carolina this season. The most recent meeting, on February 19, was the only one-sided loss the Isles have had at home in the last two months -- a 6-2 pasting.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.