Stat Trick: Carolina 4, Isles 1

Eric Staal and Matt Cullen scored 2:53 apart in the first period and that was enough as the Hurricanes handed the Islanders their third straight loss, 4-1 in Raleigh on Thursday night. On to the trick:

1. Staal's goal, his eighth in the last five games, came on Carolina's first power play of the game. It was the 18th goal of the season for the recently-named Hurricane captain.

2. After a scoreless 2nd period, the Isles had a chance to get back in the game in the third period on a power play, but Stephane Yelle scored shorthanded
just before the midway point of the third period.

3. Matt Moulson got the Islanders on the board at 15:29 of the third period. It was his 20th goal of the season; he's the first Islander since 2007-08 to reach that mark. The Isles threatened to get closer, but Jussi Jokinnen sealed matters for Carolina with an empty-net goal.

...a few more...

4. The Isles' three game losing streak matches their second longest losing streak of the season (done three other times). The Isles have scored only five goals in the three losses, and six in the last four games. The Isles lost the first six games of the season (0-3-3) for their longest streak of the year.

5. Yelle's shorthanded goal was the third allowed by the Isles this season. The Isles are 0-3-0 this season, and 0-7-1 under Scott Gordon, when they allow a shorthanded goal. It was Yelle's 11th career shorthanded goal.

6. Cam Ward made 26 saves for the Hurricanes in raising his record against the Isles to 10-2-1; he has now started 21 straight games for Carolina. Rick DiPietro made 22 saves for the Isles, who are 4-14-2 in games not started by Dwayne Roloson this season.

7. Kyle Okposo lead Islander forwards with 20:12 of ice-time. He attempted five shots at goal, but two were blocked by Carolina and three missed the net.

8. The loss was the Isles fourth in the last five games and drops them back to NHL .500 at 23-23-8. It's the first time since they beat Phoenix on January 9th to get to 19-19-8 that the Isles are back at NHL .500.

9. With Atlanta winning in Philadelphia this evening, the Isles are now in a three-way tie for 11th place in the East, one point behind four other teams. Looking at it the other way, though -- if the season ended today, the Isles would have the fifth seed entering the draft lottery.

10. The Isles still lead the season series two games to one, and four points to three. The teams will meet next Saturday on Long Island.

Up next: The four game road trip continues in Philadelphia with a 1:00 game on Saturday. If the Isles are going to make a serious run at the playoffs, they will need to find a way to win a few divisional road games. Under Gordon, the Isles are 3-14-1 in divisional road tilts, with all three wins at Madison Square Garden. The Isles have not been able to beat the Flyers anywhere in recent years; the Isles are 0-10-3 in their last thirteen ovrall against the Flyers and have not won in their last seven trips to Philadelphia (0-7-1). This is the fourth meeting of the season between the squads with the Flyers holding a 6-2 victory in Philadelphia and a pair of 2-1 victories on Long Island.


Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Washington 7, Isles 2

Brendan Morrison scored just 65 seconds into play, and it was all down hill from there for the Isles, who lost defensemen Jack Hillen for 6-8 weeks as they dropped a 7-2 decision to the Capitals at the Coliseum on Tuesday.  On to the trick:

1. Morrison and Alexander Semin scored in the first five minutes for the Caps; the Isles, who had not trailed at any point during their six game home winning streak, have now allowed the first goal in three straight at home (1-2-0). 

2. Rob Schremp got the Isles temporarily into the game with his fourth power play goal of the season at 6:03 of the first.  It was his sixth goal overall.  The game disintegrated late in the first period when Hillen was injured when Alex Ovechkin's shot broke his jaw and cost him several teeth. A relentless Mike Knuble scored less than a minute later, and when Semin added his second goal of the game with six seconds left in the period the Caps had seized control.  Semin now has a six game point streak, and is averaging two points per game during that stretch.  The Caps have been tough on many opponents in the first period this season, outscoring their opposition 65-36.

3. John Erskine, Jason Chimera and Brooks Laich had the other goals for Washington. Kyle Okposo, off a nifty feed from John Tavares, had the only Islander response.  It was the first goal Erskine had scored since January 19, 2008.

...a few more...

4. Each team used both of their goalies.  Dwayne Roloson was chased after one period, having made just eight saves.  Rick DiPietro stopped 18 of 21 in relief.  Capital goalie Jose Theodore left with a lower body injury after making 18 saves in two period; Michael Neuvirth stopped eleven shots in a perfect third period.

5.  It was the seventh straight win for Washington, and 10th in their last 11.  The Caps have scored 35 goals during their seven game win streak, winning each game by at least two goals.  The Isles, on the other hand, scored just five goals in their three game homestand.

6.  Ovechkin led all players with ten shots on goal, but was on the ice only for the Caps' power play goal and did not figure in the scoring.  The Caps had six players with two points, and six players with a plus three rating.  Bruno Gervais and Jon Sim were each -4 for the Isles, while Freddy Meyer and Blake Comeau were -3.

7.  Okposo, who scored for the second straight game, is now tied with Josh Bailey for third on the club in goals with 12.  Six of Okposo's goals have come in January.

8.  The seven Capital goals equals their highest total at the Coliseum.  They last scored seven at the Coliseum on March 26, 1996.

9.  This was the third time this season that Roloson has been pulled, and the first time that he has been pulled from a start this early since February 7, 2009 (for Edmonton, against Detroit).

10.  The Caps win the season series three games to one, and seven points to four.  Each of the other three games in the series had been decided in overtime. Washington has won four straight at the Coliseum, but this was the first one that did not reach overtime.  Overall, the Caps have points in ten straight games against the Isles (7-0-3).

Up next:  The Isles begin a four game road trip in Carolina on Thursday.  Each of the first two games of the series this season have been decided in extra time with the Isles owning both an overtime and shootout win.  This is the first of two meetings of the teams in a nine day span.  The Isles will be looking to sweep the pair of games in Raleigh for the second time in the last three seasons.  Following this trip, the Isles will have only 25 games to play, and 15 will be at the Coliseum, including nine of the next 12.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Albert to sub for Howie

As Botta notes in his blog (and I was told earlier), Kenny Albert will fill in for an ailing Howie Rose tonight on Islanders television/radio.

Some may remember Kenny served as Barry Landers' main substitute for a number of games in the early 90's. This fall, Kenny called the Knicks, Rangers, an NFL game, and served as the host for Fox' locker-room coverage of the Yankees ALCS win --all within a few days.

Kenny, of course, became the Rangers' radio play-by-play guy when Howie joined the Isles in 1995.

While to the best of my knowledge his dad never did an Islander telecast, his Uncles Steve and Al were both Islander broadcasters in the 70's.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Devils 4, Isles 2

Bryce Salvador scored with 6:49 to play in regulation as the Devils overcame a second period in which they were outshot 14-1 to defeat the Islanders 4-2 at the Coliseum.  On to the trick:

1. For the first time in four meetings this season, New Jersey scored first, as Jamie Langenbrunner scored his 14th goal 5:52 into play.  The Devils dominated play throughout most of the first period, outshooting the Isles 13-5. 

2.  The Isles earned a power play early in the second period and managed four shots on goal.  Momentum continued in the Isles favor and at 9:15 of the period, Colin White received a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding.  White had received only four minor penalties in 49 previous games this season.  Kyle Okposo and Jack Hillen both converted on the ensuing power play as the Isles scored twice on the power play for only the second time in 25 home games this season.  The power play actually extended 32 seconds beyond the five minute mark as for the second time in three weeks an opponent did not have a player in the penalty box when a major penalty expired. 

3. The Isles held New Jersey without a second period shot until the 19:28 mark, when Zach Parise scored on New Jersey's only shot of the session.  Parise would add an empty-netter in the third, giving him 16 goals in 34 games against the Isles.  Salvador's winner was his fourth goal in 15 games against the Islanders; he has only 18 goals in 563 games against the rest of the NHL.  It was also the first goal by a Devil defensemen in 2010.

...a few more...

4.  The loss ended the Islanders' six-game home winning streak; they have not won seven straight at home since 2003. 

5. Marty Brodeur made 20 saves for his 588th career win.  He is now 43-24-6 in his career against the Isles.  Rick DiPietro made 24 saves (none in the second period) as he fell to 2-2 in his comeback attempt.

6.  The one Devil shot in the second period tied the Islander club record for fewest shots allowed, done nine times previously, most recently in 2006 against Carolina.  The Isles had only three shots in the third period, with only one (off the stick of Frans Nielsen from his own zone) coming before Parise's empty-netter.

7.  It was a big night for the Devils' top line.  Langenbrunner had a goal and two assists; Parise had two goals, and Travis Zajac assisted on all three of his linemates' goals.

8. In addition to scoring the Isles' sixth goal by a defensemen in the last six games, Hillen also led the Isles in ice-time (25:44) and blocked nine shots.

9.  The Devils improve to a remarkable 10-1-0 on the back-end of back-to-backs.

10. The Devils lead the season series three games to one (and six points to two).  The win breaks a three game New Jersey losing streak on Long Island.  The teams will meet on March 13th at the Coliseum and on the final weekend of the season in New Jersey.
 
Up next:  Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals make their final visit of the (regular) season to the Coliseum on Tuesday.  All three games this season, and seven of the last nine meetings, between the teams have been decided in extra time.  The Isles are 3-2-4 in those nine games, while the Caps are 6-0-3.  The Isles have not beaten Washington in regulation since Bill Guerin's hat trick led the Isles to victory on October 18, 2007.Each team owns an overtime victory this season  (Brooks Laich and Mark Streit scoring the goals) with the Caps also winning an 11-round shootout (longest in Islander history).

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 2, Florida 1 (shootout)

Rob Schremp scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Islanders defeated Florida 2-1 at the Coliseum on Thursday night.  The win extends the Isles' home winning streak to six straight games.  On to the trick:

1. After a scoreless, and uninspiring first period, the Panthers grabbed the lead on Nathan Horton's 17th goal of the season (and 4th against the Islanders) at 7:13 of the 2nd period.  It was the first time in the last six home games that the Isles had trailed at any point.

2. The Isles knotted the game 4 1/2 minutes later on a Blake Comeau goal.  Dustin Kohn, making his NHL debut, assisted on the goal.

3. The rest of the game turned in a goaltender battle.  Dwayne Roloson finished with 32 saves, including four in overtime, while Tomas Vokoun made 34 saves for Florida.  Roloson stopped two Panthers in the shootout while Schremp and Matt Moulson connected for the Islanders.  It was Schremp's second shootout-deciding goal; he's connected on five of eight attempts in the shootout.  Moulson, who leads the Islanders with 19 goals, connected for the third time in four shootout attempts.  Roloson picks up his fourth straight Coliseum win, improving his record to 19-8-6.  With his next win, he will become the first Islander goalie other than Rick DiPietro to win 20 games since Chris Osgood won 32 in the 2001-02.

... a few more...

4. Horton's goal ended several shutout streaks.  It was the Panthers' first goal in 119:55, the first allowed by the Isles at home in 102:38 and the first allowed by Roloson at home in 100:50.

5.  With Andy Sutton serving the first of his two-game suspension, a large burden fell on Andrew MacDonald, who played a career-high 27:19.  Mark Streit, who missed the final 6:23 of regulation, played 25:47.  The Isles dressed four defensemen under the age of 25 1/2 in this game.

6.  The win extends the Isles' home winning streak to six games.  Four of the six wins have come in the shootout, while the other two have been shutouts.  It's the first six-game home winning streak since March 2-25, 2006.  The six-game win streak is the second-longest active home win streak in the NHL; Anaheim has won eight straight.  Only four teams have had longer home winning streaks than the Isles this season.

7. The Isles now have 30 points in 24 home games (14-8-2).  It's only the second time in the last 21 seasons that the Isles have reached 30 points in just 24 games (32 in 24 in 2001-02).  They had only 21 points in the first 24 home games last season.   They are 23-20-8 overall, going three games above NHL .500 for the seocnd time this season.  The Isles are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games, matching their best 14-game stretch since February/March 2007.  The are 7-2-0 in calendar year 2010.

8. The Isles improve to 6-5 in shootouts (and 11-8 in games that have taken extra time).  They have won five straight home shootouts since an Opening Night defeat and have won four straight shootouts overall.  It's only the second time that the Isles have won four straight shootouts (seven straight, over two seasons, in 2006).  The Isles' 11 OT/SO wins tie Montreal for the league lead; their 19 trips to overtime are three more than any other team in the NHL.  The club record for overtime games is 22; the Isles went 10-12 in the 2006/07 season.  Their 19 overtime games is tied for second in club history (done three other times).  The Isles are 31-21 all-time in shootouts, including 18-8 at the Coliseum.

9.  Doug Weight celebrated his 39th birthday, but the Islander captain remains goal-less this season.  The Isles improve to 12-7-2 in games that Weight has appeared; they are 11-13-6 in the 30 games that he has missed.

10.  The Panthers still lead the season series two games to one, and five points to four.  The final meeting will be in Florida on January 31st.  The Isles have never beaten Vokoun in Florida; he's 5-0-0 with two shutouts.

 Up next: The Devils return to the Coliseum for the second time this week when the visit on Saturday.  The Isles have chased Marty Brodeur to the bench in each of the last two Coliseum meetings.  The home team has won all three of the games between the teams this season.  The Isles are 5-7-1 in divisional play this season (18-13-7 outside the division).  Other than their own division, the Isles have a losing record against only one division: they are 1-3-0 vs. the Pacific Division.  The Isles will be looking for their seventh straight home win, last accomplished December 6-29, 2003; Garth Snow recorded the final six of the seven wins.  It would also equal the Isles' longest home winning streak in twenty years; they have not had a win streak longer than seven games at home since winning nine straight from December 16, 1989 - January 27, 1990.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

It was 28 years ago today...

In addition to being Doug Weight's 39th birthday, tonight's game will be played on the 28th anniversary of the start of the Isles then-record 15-game winning streak.

On January 21, 1982, the Isles defeated the Penguins 6-1 to begin the streak.  Bryan Trottier scored the winning goal, on a 4-on-4 late in the 2nd period.  It was his 250th NHL goal, and came in Denis Potvin's 600th NHL game.

My scoresheet from that night carries a couple of other notes:

Bobby Bourne had a pair of goals while Brent Sutter, Clark Gillies and Billy Carroll also scored for the Isles.  Rick MacLeish had the Penguin goal.

Gillies, Trottier and Bossy all had points in 15 of the last 16.

On a personal note, the scorebook also carries the notation: "My first game!"  While it wasn't the first Isles game I attended--that had come nearly ten years earlier, it was the first game I attended without a ticket.  It was the night I debuted as the statistician on Islander telecasts, a role that I continue to hold today.

The Islanders are 6-1-1 all-time at home on this date, including a 2-1 victory over Anaheim last season. To show how much has changed in a year in Islander-land, Kurtis McLean (who is playing in Finland this season) had the winning goal - the only one he has ever scored in an NHL game.  Nate Thompson, claimed on waivers today by Tampa Bay, had the Isles' only shot in the final 31:02--shorthanded, from his own zone, no less! Yann Danis recorded his first win as an Islander as the Isles recorded their first victory of 2009 (breaking an 8-game losing streak (0-7-1)).
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Struggling Special teams

The Isles have played 132 games under Scott Gordon.

In those 132 games, they have scored three power play goals exactly ONCE -- last March in Chicago.

They have allowed at least three power play goals TWELVE times, including five times in the last 21 games.

The Isles last connected for 3 pp goals at home on October 31, 2006 against Chicago; they've had 10 games with at least 3 pp goals scored since then -- all on the road.

The Isles have had only one multiple power play goal game at home this season -- Opening Night vs. Pittsburgh.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Kohn an AHL- All-Star

Info on the defensemen rumored to repalced Sutton if Andy is suspended.

<<Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com-BRIDGEPORT, CT -- The American Hockey League has announced that Bridgeport Sound Tigers defenseman Dustin Kohn has been added to the Canadian team roster for the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic, to take place Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 18 and 19, in Portland, Maine.

Kohn replaces Bridgeport teammate Mark Katic, who will miss the event due to injury.

"It's an honor to be selected," Kohn said. "It's unfortunate that Mark can't go but I'm excited to have the opportunity to participate."

A second-round draft choice of the New York Islanders in 2005, Kohn has recorded two goals and 15 assists in 44 games for Bridgeport this season. The 22-year-old native of Edmonton, Alta., has already matched his career high for points and set a new personal mark for assists in a season.
>>
 
Kohn was -2 with one shot in the All-Star Game, played yesterday, as Canada rallied from a 9-5 third period deficit to win in a shootout.

One thing is for certain; he'll need a new number if he makes his NHL debut tomorrow.  He wears #5 for the Sound Tigers.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Pittsburgh 6, Isles 4

It was too much Evegeny Malkin and too much Sidney Crosby tonight at Mellon Arena as the Penguins blew 3-0 and 4-1 leads but recoverd to defeat the Isles 6-4.  On to the trick:

1.  Crosby scored the only goal of the first period and Malkin scored early in the second period to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead.  Malkin's goal came after Roloson was given a delay of game penalty for smothering the puck.  After Kyle Okposo was stopped on a penalty shot, a Bill Guerin power play goal gave the Pens a 3-0 advantage midway through the 2nd period.

2. Andy Sutton and Freddy Meyer scored 1:42 apart in the second period, but Crosby scored his second goal in between the goals by the two defenders to give the Penguins a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.  It was his 32nd goal of the season, tying Patrick Marleau for the league lead. 

3. Trent Hunter scored 48 seconds into the third to get the Islanders close and when Richard Park scored at 7:11, it looked like the Isles might party like it was 1980.  It was the 96th goal of Hunter's Islander career, breaking a tie with David Volek and Mikko Makela for 25th place all-time.  However, the Penguins got the winning goal from Malkin on a power play and Malkin then completed his hat trick with an empty netter, also on the power play.  The empty-netter came after Sutton was ejected for a boarding penalty with less than three minutes to play.

... a few more...

4. Crosby was credited with a point on each goal, six in all (although television replays appeared to indicate that he didn't touch the puck on the final point).  It was the second six-point game of his career (12-13-2006 vs. Philadelphia).. The Kid now has 52 points in 28 games against the Isles while Malkin has 32 point in 25 games vs. New York.  Malkin's hat trick was his 2nd against the Isles; the Penguins have totaled six hats against the Isles in the last four seasons.

5. The Penguin power play, which has struggled for most of the season, connected four times (including once into an empty-net).  It was the first time that Pittsburgh has scored, or the Isles have allowed, four power play goals in a game this season.

6.  Okposo was stopped on a penalty shot for the second time in his career; he was stopped by Marty Brodeur in last season's opener.  Doug Weight was stopped on a penalty shot earlier this season; the Isles have failed on their last six attempts and on 17 of their last 18 attempts. The only success in that sequence came from Ryan Smyth in the game that Rick DiPietro was hurt in Montreal in a collision with Steve Begin.

7.  This is the first time that the Islanders have lost this season when scoring at least four goals (12-1-2). The ten goals scored by the two teams were the most in an Islander road game since losing 9-2 in Pittsburgh in December 2008.

8.  The Isles are now 3-14-1 in divisional road games under Scott Gordon, with all three wins coming at Madison Square Garden.  They are pointless in their last six trips to Pittsburgh (0-6-0) and in ten of their last ten (1-9-0).  The six-game losing streak matches their longest ever in Pittsburgh, set between March, 1988 and November, 1989.  They are two games shy of their longest winless streak in Pittsburgh, set in their first eight games ever in Pittsburgh (between 1972 and 1975) and equalled in 1988-89.

9.  The Penguins out-hit the the Isles 25-19 and won 41 of 60 face-offs. Crosby and Jordan Staal combined to win 32 of 44 draws, while Rob Schemp and Frans Nielsen combined to lose19 of 23. Dwayne Roloson finished with 23 saves for the Isles while Brent Johnson stopped 31.

10. The Penguins lead the series two games to one, and four points to three.  The Isles return to Pittsburgh on February 8th, and the teams then meet twice in the season's final three games.  I wonder if those games will mean anything to Pittsburgh.  Hey, it worked for the Jets!
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

More shutout stuff

The last times:

Isles had 2 shutouts in a three game stretch at home -- that one's easy:  2/21/09 - 2/28/09 vs NJ and Buf for Yann Danis
Isles had 2 shutouts in a three game span (or less) - - Back to back 12/23-26/06 vs Columbus and NYR (DiPietro)

Both Islander goalies dressed for a game were coming off shutouts:  1/24/81  (Resch blanked Calgary 5-0 on Jan 20 and Smith shutout Detroit 3-0 on Jan 22 as both opponents seemed almost as concerned with keeping Bossy from 50 in 50 than actually scoring)  Bossy reached 50-in-50 on 1/24/81.

--------------
The Isles enter tonight's game looking to do some things they haven't done in a loooooooooong time (if at all):

Isles have not had shutouts in consecutive games by different goalies since 1/20-22/81.
Isles last had shutouts on consecutive calendar days: NEVER

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 4, New Jersey 0

For the second time in less than a week, one of the top teams in the NHL over the past 15 years came into the Coliseum and were overwhelmed, and shutout, by the Islanders.  Today it was New Jersey's turn, as the Isles blanked the Devils 4-0.  On to the trick:

1. As he did in the 6-0 shutout win on Tuesday over Detroit, Matt Moulson scored in the game's second minute to give the Isles the lead.  Moulson's goal was at 1:07, four seconds earlier than it was on Tuesday.  After Richard Park had a goal disallowed due to the referee losing site of the puck, Mark Streit extended his point streak to four games by scoring his third goal in four games to give the Isles a 2-0 lead just 3:44 into play. It was the second time in as many games that an apparent goal by Park had been waved off. Kyle Okposo assisted on the Streit goal, extending his point streak to six games; he also has a six-game streak to start the season.  Okposo now has five point streaks of at least five games in his career.

2.  Josh Bailey and Moulson scored 2:23 apart late in the second period to double the Isles' advantage to 4-0 after two periods, and chase future Hall-of-Famer Marty Brodeur to the bench for the second time in as many Coliseum visits. Bailey's goal gave him 25 points on the season, matching his rookie campaign total, while Moulson, who recorded his third multi-goal game of the season, now has 19 goals.  Moulson's 19 goals are one more than Kyle Okposo scored last season, when he led the club with 18 goals. Moulson now has 25 career goals, in just 78 NHL games.

3.  Former Islander Yann Danis handled 14 shots flawlessly in the third, but the Devs couldn't solve Rick DiPietro.  DiPietro stopped 20 shots in the game for his first shutout, and first winning streak, since blanking Tampa Bay on February 20, 1988.  It was the 15th shutout of DiPietro's career; only Chico Resch (25) and Billy Smith (22) have more as an Islander.

...a few more...

4. Andy Sutton had another big game for the Isles, assisting on the final goal, while going +3 and addding five hits and five blocked shots.  It was the 100th assist of Sutton's career. Jack Hillen was also +3.

5. The Isles outshot New Jersey 46-20.  It is their most shots in any game since getting 60 vs. Carolina on October 25, 2008 and the most shots that the Islanders have had on goal in a game that they won by shutout since totalling 48 shots while blanking the Devils 7-0 on February 22, 1987-- Okposo, Bailey and Taveres were not even born when that game was played. Eleven of the Islanders' 46 shots were on the power play; New Jersey did not generate a shot on goal in two power plays.  It's the second straight game that the Isles have generated 11 shots on goal on their power play.

6.  The Isles improve to 9-2-1 in their last 12 games, matching their best 12 game streak since ending calendar year 2003 with an identical mark.  The Isles actually went 10-2-1 over the final 13 games in December 2003.

7.  The Isles have three shutouts this season, matching the total in each of the last two seasons.  DiPietro joins Biron and Roloson with one shutout each.  It's the third time that the Isles have gotten a shutout from three different goalies in the same year.  Felix Potvin, Roberto Luongo and Steve Weekes each had one blank in the 1999-2000 season;  Eric Fichaud (1 shutout), Tommy Salo (4) and Wade Flaherty (3) turned the trick in 1997-98.  The last five Islander shutouts have been recorded by five different goalies.

8. The Isles improve to 6-1-0 in 2010.  Their last five wins have all been against teams ahead of them in the overall standings. The Isles have won four straight overall, and five straight at home.  Of their five home wins, three have been by shootout, and two have been by shutout.  It's the second 4-game win streak of the season (previously done October 27-November 2nd) and the club's first five-game win streak since winning six straight from March 2 - March 25, 2006.  The Isles are now 22-19-8 (52 points); they were 12-29-5 (29 points) on MLK Day, 2009.  The Isles are now just seven points away from last year's total of 61 points.  They are 13-8-2 at home; they have recorded more than 28 points in the first 23 home games only once in the last 20 seasons (30 points in 2003-04).

9. John Tavares has six shots on goal (one shy of his season/career high).  He now has 16 shots in the last three games after having only 22 shots in the prior 15 games.

10.The Isles have scored first in all three games of the season series, but the home team has won all three games between the teams this season.  The Isles will look to even the season series with New Jersey when the Devils return to Long Island on Saturday.  The Isles have dominated the series between the teams on Long Island in recent years, going 6-1-1, including wins in the last three home games vs. New Jersey.

Up next: The Isles head to Pittsburgh to battle the Stanley Cup Champions on Tuesday night.  The Isles are 1-0-1 vs. Pittsburgh this season, with both games having been played on Long Island.  However, the Isles have lost five straight (and eight of nine) games in Pittsburgh.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

First round draft picks in same season.

1995-96 was the last SEASON that 8 different first rounders appeared for Isles:
Brett Lindros -18 games
Todd Bertuzzi -76 games
Darius Kasparaitis -46 games
Scott Lachance-55 games
Dean Chynoweth-14 games
Brad Dalgarno -18 games
Derek King -61 games
Patrick Flatley -56 games

I have not had the opportunity yet to verify that five of them appeared in the same yet.
As many as 9 Isles 1st round picks have appeared in a game in the same season (several times from the mid 80's-thru 89-90).

Thanks, Roger.
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

College hockey

How about those Union College Dutchmen?  My alma mater, the only major Division I program unbeaten in its own league, is now in sole possession of first place in points as well after beating RPI...again and seeing Cornell tie St. Lawrence.

  ECAC
  Team GP  W-L-T Pts. GF-GA
1 Union 10 7-0-3 17 37-22
2 Cornell 11 7-2-2 16 38-20
3 Quinnipiac 13 7-6-0 14 42-35
  Yale 10 6-2-2 14 43-33
5 Colgate 11 6-4-1 13 38-37
6 St. Lawrence 10 5-3-2 12 29-24
7 Rensselaer 10 5-5-0 10 31-24
8 Harvard 10 3-5-2 8 27-34
9 Brown 10 3-6-1 7 30-43
  Princeton 12 3-8-1 7 28-46
11 Dartmouth 9 2-7-0 4 25-32
  Clarkson 10 1-7-2 4 20-38

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
  ECAC
  Team GP  W-L-T Pts. GF-GA
1 Union 10 7-0-3 17 37-22
2 Cornell 11 7-2-2 16 38-20
3 Quinnipiac 13 7-6-0 14 42-35
  Yale 10 6-2-2 14 43-33
5 Colgate 11 6-4-1 13 38-37
6 St. Lawrence 10 5-3-2 12 29-24
7 Rensselaer 10 5-5-0 10 31-24
8 Harvard 10 3-5-2 8 27-34
9 Brown 10 3-6-1 7 30-43
  Princeton 12 3-8-1 7 28-46
11 Dartmouth 9 2-7-0 4 25-32
  Clarkson 10 1-7-2 4 20-38

Stat Trick: Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (shootout)

Trent Hunter scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout as Rick DiPietro earned his first victory since 2008 with a 3-2 shootout victory over Buffalo at the Coliseum.  It's the fourth straight home win for the Isles --their longest home win streak since 2007.  On to the trick:

 

1.. The Sabres had the better of play early, but John Tavares put the Isles on the board 5:38 into the first period with his 17th goal of the season.  Tavares leads all rookies in goals, is tied with Matt Moulson for the club lead and is tied with Matt Duchesne for the point lead.  Kyle Okposo assisted on the goal, extending his point streak to five straight games.

 

2. The Isles dominated the middle session, outshooting Buffalo 21-6, but each team scored a goal 21 seconds apart.  Sean Bergenheim scored to give the Isles a 2-0 lead at 16:33 of the second period, but Matt Grier replied 21 seconds later for Buffalo.  It was the first Sabre goal in 166:42 at the Coliseum, dating back to Columbus Day 2008.

 

3. The Isles appeared to take a 3-1 lead in the third period but a Richard Park goal was waved off due to a controversial call against Andy Sutton for impeding Ryan Miller's ability to play the puck,  Drew Stafford then tied the game just before the mid-way point, eventually sending the game to overtime and the shootout.

 

...a few more...

 

4.  Ryan Miller was superb in the Buffalo net, particularly in the second period.  He finished with 36 saves.  DiPietro, playing his first home game since December 26, 2008, recorded his first victory since that date as well.  DiPietro improved to 17-9 in career shootouts, stopping 5 of 8 Sabres in the shootout.  The Isles did get to Miller in the shootout, scoring four times with Rob Schemp, Matt Moulson and Tavares scoring before Hunter's game deciding goal.

 

5. With Bergenheim and DiPietro both appearing in the same game, the Isles had five of their own first round draft picks in action tonight.  It's the first time since at least the 1995-96 season that as many as five Islander first round picks have appeared for the Islanders in the same game.  In 1995-96, eight former first rounders appeared for the Isles in at least one game.

 

6. The Isles are now 5-1-0 in 2010 and are 5-1-0 in their last six at home.  They have killed 16 of 17 in the last six games at home.

 

7. Tim Connolly assisted on Grier's goal to extend his assist streak to five games and his points streak to eleven games.  The point streak is the longest active streak in the NHL.  Josh Bailey had his six-game assist streak, and seven-game point streak stopped.

 

8. With the win, the Isles reach 50 points in jsut 48 games (21-19-8). they didn't reach the 50 point mark until their 66th game last season.    They are one point ahead of the 2006-07 team's pace.  The Isles take over 8th place from Montreal; the Isles have a game in hand.  The Isles are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games; it's their best 11-game stretch since also going 8-2-1 in late February/early March 2007.

 

9.  While the Isles did not score on the power play, they did have ten shots on goal over their last two power plays.  The Isles won 30 of 59 draws; a vast improvement from losting 39 of 47, as they did in Buffalo earlier this year.

 

10.  The teams split the season series two games each, with Buffalo taking five points to the Islanders' four.   The Isles have now won three straight at home over Buffalo. The Isles are now 6-5-4 against the Northeast Division this season, with five games still to play.

 

Up next:  The Devils make their first of two visits to Long Island in six days, when they play the Islanders Monday in a holiday matinee.  The Devils have won both games of this year's season  series, but the Islanders own a two-game home winning streak over New Jersey.  It's the 9th time that the Isles are hosting an MLK matinee -- the Isles are 2-3-3 in the prior eight.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Bailey's streak

Josh Bailey heads into tonight's game with Buffalo with a 6-game assist streak.

 

He's the first Islander to record an assist in six straight games since Roman Hamrlik did so in 2000-01.

 

The last Islander to have a seven game assist streak is Robert Reichel, who did so in the first seven games of the 1997-98 season.

 

The club record is 9, last done by Tom Kurvers in 1991-92. 
 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

One more piece of history from Tuesday night

While the Isles were destroying the Red Wings Tuesday night, the Rangers and Devils played a scoreless tie into a New Jersey shootout victory (according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 96 shots on goal for the Rangers/Devils were the most ever in a scoreless game.).

 

Thus, all three goalies (Roloson, Brodeur, Lundqvist) were credited with shutouts.  It's the first time since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982 that all three New York teams recorded shutouts on the same day.

 

(Thanks to Ed G for the idea to check it out!)

 

BTW--the Rangers were shutout at home by Ottawa on Thursday night, dropping them to 8-2-4 in their last 14 games.  They've been shutout three times in that stretch (0-2-1); all at MSG.  Their current scoreless streak is 144:03 overall and 126:05 at home.

 

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Brooks: Isles in market for Kovalchuk???

Isles could trade for Thrashers star forward

 

1:25 PM, January 14, 2010 ι By LARRY BROOKS

The other team in town is big-game hunting. Islanders' GM Garth Snow has checked in with the Thrashers about the availability of marquee all-star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, leaving the message with Atlanta GM Don Waddell that the team intends to be in the mix if the impending unrestricted free agent is placed on the trade market, The Post has learned from a well-placed source.

 

Kovalchuk, who is believed seeking a 12-year contract in the neighborhood of $120 million, has stated his preference to finish his career in Atlanta, but the cash-poor Thrashers' ownership may be unable or unwilling to commit to a deal that, in essence, comes close to equaling the value of the franchise.

 

If Waddell concludes he will be unable to sign Kovalchuk, the Thrashers would presumably look to move the 26-year-old goal-scoring machine in what likely would be a rental deal, though the Islanders most certainly do have the cap space to accommodate such a long-term contract.

 

Kovalchuk, who has 26 goals and 24 assists in 39 games this season, has recorded 323 goals and 284 points in 584 career games, all of which have been played with the Thrashers. He is among the league's most high-profile athletes.

 

The Islanders, who sent a No. 1 and two prospects to Edmonton to pull off a rental deal for Ryan Smyth at the 2007 trade deadline for a No. 1 and two prospects, have a plethora of young assets throughout the organization-with some currently on the Island-that could put them into prime position to acquire Kovalchuk.

 

The NHL trade deadline is March 3, but deals are expected before the Feb. 12-28 Olympic roster freeze goes into effect.

 

It is believed that while the club would quarantine NHL emerging talents John Tavares and Josh Bailey, Snow would be willing to part with this year's first-rounder in addition to presenting a "One from Column A/One from Column B menu" that could feature Oshawa defenseman Calvin de Haan; Brandon defensemen Travis Hamonic; Saskatoon defenseman Jyri Niemi; Russian winger Kirill Petrov, currently playing for Almetivsk; and 22-year-old winger Jesse Joensuu, currently playing for AHL Bridgeport.

 

Snow declined comment when reached by phone this morning by The Post.

 

Acquiring Kovalchuk would give the Islanders a huge boost on the ice in their effort to make the playoffs, it would give them a marquee box office attraction and a presence in New York sports they currently do not have.

It is unknown whether Kovalchuk, who is expected to receive a huge offer from the KHL should he reach July 1 unrestricted free agency, would be willing to sign a long-term deal with the Islanders if one were offered.

 

There is, however, no question that Kovalchuk's presence on the Islanders would increase their value as club owner Charles Wang seeks either a new venue or a buyer for his team.

 

Interestingly, the Islanders were in position to select Kovalchuk with the first-overall pick of the 2001 draft by finishing with the NHL's worst record in 2000-01. At that time, Kovalchuk expressed enthusiasm at the prospect at playing on Long Island.

 

But the Thrashers, who'd finished third from the bottom, won the lottery and thus moved up to first overall. GM Mike Milbury then traded the second overall pick plus Zdeno Chara to the Senators for Alexei Yashin.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

More ratings news

newsday.com

<<Islanders rate w/viewers

Wednesday January 13, 2010 2:27 PM By Neil Best

As of Jan. 2, the Islanders' TV ratings were up compared to last season by a higher percentage than those of any team in the NHL, according to the Sports Business Journal.

The Isles' jump has remained impressive since then. Not counting Tuesday night, they are averaging 0.39 percent of area homes, up 105 percent from 0.19 this time last season.

(True, that's less than a tenth what the Yankees average on YES, but it's hockey. Be nice.)

Their full-season ratings the past three years were 0.18 in 2008-09, 0.23 in 2007-08 and a microscopic 0.13 in '06-07.
>> 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

It was a loooong time coming...

A few other Isles-Detroit notes that didn't make "Stat Trick".

 

1.  It been a looooooong time since the Red Wings lost a game on Long Island.  Barry Richter scored the winning goal in a 3-1 Islander victory on February 27, 1999.  That game was marred by a vicious incident in which Sergei Federov eventually received a five-game suspension for slashing Zdeno Chara's neck, rendering the Islander defensemen briefly unconscious.  

 

2. The 6-0 win avenges a 6-0 loss in Detroit (the Red Wings' last regulation win over the Isles) on November 28, 2003.  Manny Legace recorded the shut-out; former Islander Steve Thomas had the winning goal.  The Red Wings scored twice in each period; as did the Islanders on Tuesday night.

3.  The Isles have won two straight from Detroit (both by shutout) for the first time in 18 years.  The last time the Isles beat the Red Wings in consecutive games was on January 7 and January 14, 1992.  The Isles won the games 5-2 and 6-2; they hadn't scored six goals in any of the 24 games the teams has played since then.

 

4. It's the 12th time that the Isles have scored at least six goals against the Wings.  The 1992 game cited above is the only other time it's happened since 1986. 

 

5. The six goal margin matches the second largest victory the Isles have ever had over the Wings.  The Isles beat Detroit by identical 8-1 scores twice in 1976.

 

6. The Isles have 49 points in 48 games.  It's the first time that they've been over .500 after Christmas since March 11, 2007 when a loss to Tampa dropped them to 32-32-7.

 

7. The Isles have won their two home games in 2010 by 6-5 (shoot-out) and 6-0 scores.  They scored six goals only twice in calendar year 2009 and not at all in calendar year 2008..  It's the first time since 2003 that they have scored at leat six goals in consecutive home games (1/3/03  8-4 over Boston; 1/7/03  6-3 over Pittsburgh).  The Isles last scored six or more goals in three consecutive home games in 1986.  (Since the 6th goal against Atlanta was in awarded for a shootout win, one could argue that they've only score 5 or more in the last two games; they did that three times in 2009 and only once in 2008.)

 

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Soaring Isles TV ratings!

Ratings from sportsmediawatch (from sportsbusinessjournal)

 

Of all the US teams, guess who has seen the biggest increase in TV ratings? (Games thru January 2nd)

 

<<So far this season, the team with the largest increase in ratings is the New York Islanders, whose ...0.38 rating on MSG marks a 124% increase from last year.>>

 

Ok.. you'll note the "..." in the note above, here's the complete quote:

 

<<So far this season, the team with the largest increase in ratings is the New York Islanders, whose paltry 0.38 rating on MSG marks a 124% increase from last year.>>

Neil Best in Newsday noted that the Isles rating for Rick DiPietro's return Friday was a 0.55.  (The Nets rating was 0.02)

 

Devils ratings are up about 55%, while Ranger ratings have dropped 8%.  Nevertheless, more households watch an average Ranger game, than an average Islander+Devil game COMBINED.

 

Isles rating is 69% of the Devils, and about 40% of the Rangers.  Last season (to this point), they were only 49% of the Devils and only 16% of the Rangers.

 

The Penguins draw the highest rating of any team in their local market, averaging over 8%.  Buffalo is second, with a 6.17 rating.  (The teams were reversed at this time last year.)

 

The Penguin and Sabre ratings largely reflect the absence of an NBA team in those markets, as well as market size.  The Yankee rating on YES this season, was 4.62; of course New York dwarfs both of the other markets in size.
 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Most lopsided shutout wins in Islanders history

This was the 21st time the Islanders have ever scored at least six goals, and won by shutout.

 

The complete list

 

22-Nov-74	Vs	Toronto	6	0	W
29-Dec-74	@	Washington	7	0	W
11-Oct-75	Vs	Los Angeles	7	0	W
9-Dec-75	Vs	Minnesota	6	0	W
12-Oct-76	Vs	Atlanta	7	0	W
1-Nov-77	Vs	Atlanta	9	0	W
13-Nov-77	@	Washington	6	0	W
2-Jan-79	Vs	Vancouver	9	0	W
21-Dec-80	@	Chicago	9	0	W
14-Oct-82	Vs	Pittsburgh	9	0	W
27-Mar-84	Vs	Montreal	7	0	W
9-Jan-86	Vs	Pittsburgh	9	0	W
22-Feb-87	@	New Jersey	7	0	W
15-Oct-87	@	Philadelphia	6	0	W
20-Mar-88	@	Winnipeg	6	0	W
15-Apr-92	Vs	New Jersey	7	0	W
16-Mar-93	@	San Jose	6	0	W
26-Oct-93	Vs	Los Angeles	7	0	W
11-Oct-03	@	Buffalo	6	0	W
16-Dec-06	Vs	Atlanta	6	0	W
12-Jan-10	Vs	Detroit	6	0	W

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 6, Detroit 0. Party Like it's the Early 1980's!

The Islanders won four Stanley Cups in the early 1980's; the Red Wings finished near the bottom of the League in all four of those years. Since then, Detroit has finished in first place 15 times, and won four Stanley Cups, while the Islanders, well..you know.  Maybe the times are changing as the Islanders dominated Red Wings 6-0 at the Coliseum.  On to the trick:

 

1.  Deuces were wild for the Isles as they scored twice in each period, got two goals by Rob Schremp, got two goals by their defense, and battered two Red Wing goalies in nearly doubling Detroit in shots (31-16).

 

2.  Matt Moulson scored the game-winning goal just 1:11 into play to re-take the team goal scoring lead with 17.  Schremp scored the next two goals, both at even strength.  It was Schremp's first even strength goals as an Islander and his third two-point game in the last four games.  Mark Streit scored a power play goal (for the seocnd straight game) late in the second period to give the Islanders a four-goal bulge.

 

3.  Kyle Okposo and Richard Park scored in the third period to complete the scoring.  Okposo's goal was his fourth in as many games, and his fifth in the last nine games. 

 

...a few more...

 

4.  Dwayne Roloson could have used a lounge chair at times, particularly in the second period when he faced only two shots. He stopped 16 shots for his first shutout since December 13, 2008 and the 24th of his career. It's the second time in his career he's blanked the Red Wings.  He has won four straight starts, is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts, and is now 18-7-6 on the season.

 

5.  The Isles blank the Red Wings for the second straight game; Joey MacDonald shutout Detroit late last season.  The Red Wings were blanked for the seventh time this season.  The Isles have not allowed a goal to Detroit in 120:00, daying back to a Henrik Zetterberg overtime goal on January 30, 2007.   However, it's the first time the Islanders have shutout the Wings on Long Island in nearly 34 years!   Chico Resch blanked Detroit 1-0 on January 13, 1976; Clark Gillies had the game's only goal.

 

6. It's the first time that the Isles have shutout the same opponent in consecutive games since blanking Atlanta on December 13, 2003 and January 24, 2004.  The 16 shots are the fewest allowed by the Islanders in any game since holding Atlanta to ten shots on February 16, 2008; it's the fewest shots that the Isles have allowed in a shutout since blanking Buffalo on 13 shots on October 11, 2003 (also by a 6-0 score).

 

7.  Josh Bailey earned an assist on Okposo's goal, extending his assist streak to six games, and his point streak to seven games.  Bailey is closing in on the Islander club record for consecutive games with an assist.  The record is 9, done eight times by seven players.  Tom Kurvers, in 1991-92, was the last Islander to have a 9-game assist streak.  Bailey finished with 25 points in his rookie season; he has 23 this season with 34 games still to play.

 

8.  The Isles improve to 7-2-1 in their last ten games, matching their best ten game streak since late-February, 2008.  The blowout win ends a club record-tying streak of eight consecutive games that were decided by one goal or less. 
 

9. With five even-strength goals, all by the Islanders, there were some interesting +/- notes.  Gervais, who scored for the first time since March 25, 2009, and Freddy Meyer were both +3. Andrew MacDonald (+7) and Frans Nielsen (+12) came into the game leading Islander defenders and forward in +/-, but were the only Isles not on the ice for at least one even-strength goal, although Nielsen was on the ice for a power play tally.  Detroit's Derek Meech was a -5 while future Hall-of-Famer Niklas Lidstrom was not on ice for an even-strength goal.

 

10. This was the only meeting of the teams this season... unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, of course.  The Wings have made the finals six times, winning four, since the Isles last won a playoff series.

 

Up next:  the homestand continues on Saturday with the final meeting of the year with Buffalo.  The home team has won all three meetings of the teams this season, including a Martin Biron Halloween shutout.  The Isles have shutout the Sabres in each of the last two meetings of the teams at the Coliseum.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

One more Roloson note

Rollie the goalie is now 17-7-6 as an Islander, meaning that he's won 56.7% of his starts.

 

Only two other goalies in Islander history have won at least 50% of their starts: 

 

Roland Melanson 77 of 134 (56.6%)

Chico Resch 157 of 282 (55.7%)
 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 5, Phoenix 4 (shoot-out)

Some games are stranger than others.  When you get a hockey game where one team kills a five minute power play only to find themselves shorthanded for an addiitonal 2:52 because they did not have a man in the penalty box.  When you get a game where one team plays with an extra man for 9:58 of consecutive play to build a 4-1 lead, blows that lead in the third period, and then wins in a shootout, you have one strange game.  On to the trick:

 

1. This one started innocently enough.  With the Isles having killed 20 of 22 coming into the game, Ed Jovanovski scored just three minutes into the game on the power play.  However, the Isles tied the game on Blake Comeau's first goal in seven games with 2 1/2 minutes to play in the period.

 

2. The game changed in the final seconds of the first period, when Jovanovski was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing John Tavares.  Before the delayed penalty could be asssessed, Kyle Okposo scored for the third straight game to give the Isles the lead heading to the first intermission.  It was Okposo's ninth goal of the season; eight have been scored on the road..  While the Islanders did not score on the ensuing power play, Phoenix did not have a player in the penalty box and thus played shorthanded for an additional 2:52, ending only when Martin Hanzal took another penalty.  When former Islander Adrian Aucoin joined him in the penalty box, the Isles finally converted on the power play as Mark Streit and Josh Bailey scored power play goals.  It was Streit's first goal in 27 games and the first by an Islander defensemen since December 17th. Bailey's goal completed the first thiree-point game of his career; he had six points on the road trip and now has a 6-game point streak (4-6-10) and a 5-game assist streak.  He's the first Islander to have an assist in five straight games since Doug Weight did so October 20-November 1, 2008; no Islander since the NHL lockout has had a longer streak.

 

3. While the Isles carried the 4-1 led into the third period, but for the sixth time this season, could not hold a three-goal lead.  The Coyotes tied the game with three goals in a 3:43 span.  Paul Bissonnette scored to get Phoenix back in the game; Taylor Pyatt and Peter Mueller then scored power play goals to even the contest.  It was the 99th career goal for Pyatt, and only the 2nd goal in 37 games for Mueller, who was chosen with the pick right before Okposo in the 2006 Entry Draft.  Neither team scored in the final 10:46 of regulation or in the overtime, setting the stage for  the Islanders to win in a shootout.

 

.... a few more...

 

4. Each team scored in the first and third rounds of the shootout with Robert Lang and Lauri Korpikoski scoring for Phoenix and Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey responding for the Islanders.   It was the fifth goal in seven career shootout attempts for Nielsen. After five shooters were stopped, Matt Moulson secured the extra point for the Islanders with his first career shootout goal.

 

5. Dwayne Roloson made 25 saves for the Islanders to record his third straight win and was voted the game's number one star.  He stopped 21 shots over the third period and overtime, and probably earned some support for his play in negating three attempted icings by Phoenix that would have allowed the Coyotes to get back to full strength after the Jovanovski penalty.  Roloson is now 6-0-1 in his last seven starts.  The win was his 17th of the season, tying Jamie McLennan 14th place on the all-time Islander list.

 

6.  Ilya Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 15 shots before being pulled midway through the contest.  Jason Labarbera stopped the final 15 shots for Phoenix.  Bryzgalov, who has allowed 12 goals in his last three starts, is 1-2-2 in six appearances since being named to the Russian Olympic team.

 

7.  John Tavares, who has scored only once in 14 games, was credited with an assist on Streit's goal, but replays indicated that the assist should belong to Doug Weight.  Weight played in his 1,200th NHL game; he's the 82nd player in NHL history to reach that mark.

 

8.  Despite their inability to hold leads, the Isles improved to 16-1-3 in games that they lead after two periods. The Isles have been outscored 55-26 in the third period this season.  The 29-goal differential ties Carolina for the worst differential in any period this season.

 

9. The win breaks a six-game losing streak for the Islanders in the back-end of back-to-backs (0-5-1).

 

10.  This was the only meeting of the teams this season.  It's only the second win in ten games in Arizona for the Islanders (2-6-2).  The Isles are 6-2-1 in their last nine games overall and are 4-1-1 in their last six road games.  It's the first time that the Isles have earned nine points over six road games under Scott Gordon, and matches their best road six-game streak since going 5-0-1 over six games early in the 2006-07 campaign that produced their last playoff berth.

 

Up next:  The Isles return home to entertain Detroit on Tuesday.  It's the first of game of a stretch in which the Isles will play six out of seven games at home, with a road game in Pittsburgh separating two three-game homestands.  It been a looooooong time since the Red Wings lost a game on Long Island.  Barry Richter scored the winning goal in a 3-1 Islander victory on February 27, 1999.  That game was marred by a vicious incident in which Sergei Federov eventually received a five-game suspension for slashing Zdeno Chara's neck, rendering the Islander defensemen briefly unconscious.  Detroit has made only five visits since then, winning four (twice in overtime) and tying once. In fact, this will be only the second Red Wing visit to the Coliseum since 2002.  Henrik Zetterberg scored in overtime on January 30, 2007.
 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Dallas 4, Isles 3

Rick DiPietro made 24 saves in his first appearance in an NHL game in 53 weeks, but it was not enough as Dallas broke the Islanders' two-game win streak with a 4-3 win at American Airlines Center.  On to the trick....

 

1. Toby Petersen was the first to score against DiPietro when he tipped home a shot from Trevor Daley at the 4:44 mark of the first period.  The Isles tied it 2:32 later on a Josh Bailey goal, following a Marty Turco misplay.  Kyle Okposo scored in the final minute of the first period to give the Isles the leadafter twenty minutes.  It was Kyle's eighth goal of the season; the Isles had earned points in all seven games that he scored in prior to tonight.

 

2.  The second period was even more sloppy than the first and tDallas scored three times.  Lou Erikkson, Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards had the goals for the Stars.  Richard's goal was his 600th NHL point. Frans Nielsen had the only goal for the Islanders, off another Turco miscue.

 

3.  The Isles had some chances in the third period, particularly in the final minute with DiPieto on the bench, but could not find the tying goal which was somewhat surprising since the Isles have played a league-leading 16 overtime games while the Stars have played 15.  The Isles outshot Dallas 7- 3 in the third period, but the Stars held the overall advantage, 28-22.

 

...a few more...

 

4.  DiPietro was credited with an assist on Bailey's goal, extending his club record for goaltender assists and points to 16.  DiPietro now has an assist in each of his last three NHL games -- which have been played in three different calendar years (12/26/08, 1/2/09, 1/8/10).

 

5. The first two periods were penalty-free.  The Stars had one power play in the third period, while the Islanders had two.  Neither team converted on the power play.

 

6. Eriksson and Richards both scored one goal and assisted on the goal scored by the other.  Josh Bailey also had a goal and an assist for the Islanders.  Bailey, playing some of the best hockey of his career, now has an assist in four straight games and a point in five straight games (3-4-7). Krystofer Barch led all players with eight shots (in just 6:56 of ice time).

 

7. The Isles lost for the first time in 2010 (2-1-0) while the Stars, who had been outscored 12-3 in their first three Janaury games,  won for the first time in the New Year (1-3-0).

 

8. The Isles fall to 4-2-1 in their last seven games; all seven games have been decided by one goal.  The seven consecutive games decided by one goal or less ties the club single-season record, set in October-November, 2001 and equaled in November 2007.  The Isles played eight consecutive games  decided by one goal, over two seasons in 2000 (the final six games of 1999-2000 and the first two games of the following season).

 

9. John Tavares hit the post in the final minute, but was held without a point for the 12th time in the last 13 games [1-0-1].

 

10. This was the only meeting of the season between the squads.  The Stars have beaten the Islanders three straight times, dating back to an Islander shutout win in Dallas in November, 2006.

 

Up next:  The road trip concludes in Phoenix on Saturday night as the Islanders conclude their tneth sey of back-to-backs (2-6-1).  This will be the Islanders' tenth game in Arizona, and they have won only once in the previous nine [1-6-2].  On Feburary 13, 2004, the Islanders defeated the Coyotes 5-2.  Trent Hunter scored twice in that game as the Islanders rallied from a 2-0 deficit.  Rick DiPietro earned the win, and also assisted on Hunter's empty-net goal.
 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Murray: Lighthouse density = Manhattan

libn.com

<<Murray: Lighthouse density equals Manhattan
Thu, Jan 7, 2010

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said the density proposed for the $3.8 billion Lighthouse redevelopment of Nassau Coliseum and its parking lots is "like the upper west side" of Manhattan.

Murray addressed more than 100 members of the Long Island Board of Realtors Thursday at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho and told them that Lighthouse developer Charles Wang has a new political leadership to contend with, which she intimated was in favor of scaling back the project.

The town has yet to complete its environmental review of the plan to build a new hockey arena, hotel, retail shops and residences on 77 acres in Uniondale. Wang who also owns the New York Islanders, has hinted he might move the team if the Lighthouse project doesn't go forward.
>>
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

With Okposo, every goal's a big goal

Kyle Okposo has only scored 7 goals this season, but it it seems like every goal has been a big goal, it's because they have been.

The Isles are 5-0-2 in the games that he has scored. 

He has connected for 4 game-winning goals (in Colorado, in OT at MSG, in OT at Carolina, and against the NYR at the Coliseum in October).  He also scored a 3rd period goal to force overtime in Florida on November 14th, a tying goal in Washington on October 30th, and a goal to bring the Isles within one in Ottawa on October 8th.

Eight of Okposo's 27 career goals (29.6%) have been game-winners. No other player in Islander history has scored as many as eight GWG on fewer career goals (Berard had 8 on 31).  No other player in Islander history has scored at least eight goals with a higher percentage of game winning goals (Berard 25.8%, Parrish 21.2%).

Ironically, two players who were considered to be clutch in their Islander days have the lowest percentage of game-winners (with at least 8 GWG).  Ten of Ray Ferraro's 116 goals were GWG (8.6%) while only eight of Duane Sutter's 121 (6.6%) were game winners.  Both players had higher GWG percentages in the playoffs as Islanders.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 3, Colorado 2

Kyle Okposo scored his 7th goal of the season with just 3:17 to play as the Islanders earned their first win in Colorado since 1999 by defeating the Avalanche, 3-2.  On to the trick:

1. Chris Stewart scored on the power play less than three minutes into the game to give the Avs the lead with his 13th goal of the season, but Jon Sim celebrated his 400th NHL game by scoring for the third straight game to even the score at 1-1 late in the first period.  It was the fourth goal in the last five games for Sim, who has twice scored 17 goals in an NHL season.

2. The second period featured a highlight reel goal from Rob Schremp as he gloved down a pass and batted it behind Craig Anderson.  It was the third goal of the season for Schremp.  All three of his goals have come on the power play; he has three of the last four Islander power play goals.  Schremp also assisted on Sim's goal to give him his first multi-point game as an Islander (he had a two-assist game for Edmonton 13 months ago).  John Tavares (8), Nicolas Bergfors (8) and Matt Duchesne (4) are the only NHL rookies with more power play goals than Schremp.

3. The Avalanche tied the game in the third period on a goal by Matt Hendricks at 9:37 of the third.  The Avalanche dominated much of the period, but the Isles got a huge save from Dwayne Roloson off of Matt Duchesne on a power play early in the period,  and Okposo then converted for the winner at 16:43.  Okposo continues his penchant for scoring in the clutch; four of his seven goals this season and eight of his 27 career NHL goals
have been game-winners..

... a few more...

4.   The Isles are 4-1-1 in their last six games; all six have been decided by one goal.  The Isles improved to 4-12-4 when allowing the first goal of the game.

5.  The Isles are back to NHL .500 with an 18-18-8 record.  It's the first time since they were 11-11-7 after being shutout in Tampa on December 5th that they have reached NHL .500 and he first time that they have been at .500 this late in the season since going 32-32-7 in the first 71 games of the 2007-08 season.

6.  The Isles have the New Year off to a good start.  They are 2-0-0 in January; believe it or not, it's the first time since 1990 that the Isles have opened a calendar year with two consecutive victories.

7.  The Isles improved to 8-10-6 on the road.  Their 22 road points are one more than they managed all last season.  They are now 2-6-2 in ten visits to Denver against the Avalanche; it's their first win in Denver since November 19, 1999, when they defeated Colorado by an identical 3-2 score.  This was the only meeting of the teams this season.

8. Three Islanders extended point streaks.  Josh Bailey now has a 4-game streak with two goals and three assists, while Sim (3-0-3) and Schremp (2-2-4) each have three-game streaks.

9.  Roloson, who finished with 30 saves, is 5-0-1 in his last 6 games, allowing just 13 goals in the six games.  Roloson recorded his 16th win, passing Wade Flaherty and tying him with Wade Dubielewicz for 15th place on the all-time Islander win list.  He has 101 fewer wins as an Islander than Rick DiPietro, who dressed for an NHL game for the first time in just over a year. Craig Anderson made 32 saves for Colorado.

10.  It was the first meeting between Duchesne and #1 overall pick John Tavares.  Duchesne had four shots,  three of which resulted in remarkable saves by Roloson, but finished -1 when he was on-ice for the winning goal.  Tavares had only one shot on goal, but was +1.

Up next:  Could Rick DiPietro make his season NHL debut this weekend?  The road trip continues on Friday in Dallas, with the Islanders making their first trip to Texas since November 15, 2006.  DiPietro will remember that game; he shut out the Stars 3-0 that night for his 7th career shutout.  The Isles are 2-0-1 in their last three in Dallas; their last loss there was on March 23, 2001, with Brett Hull notching the winning goal.  The final game of the trip will be Saturday in Phoenix.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick