Stat Trick: Atlanta 6, Isles 3

One game after making 42 saves, Dwayne Roloson made only four.  By that point he had allowed three goals, and was pulled 9:16 into the game.  Things did not get any better from there, as the Thrashers beat the Isles 6-3, ending a four-game losing streak against the Isles.  On to the trick:

1. Atlanta jumped all over the Isles early.  After Niklas Bergfors gave the Thrashers the early lead with his fifth goal in seven games since being acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal, Nik Antropov and Clarke MacArthur scored 25 seconds apart to chase Roloson.  Maxim Afinogenov (10-19-29 in 32 games vs. the Isles) made it 4-0 Atlanta before Mark Streit got the Isles on the board late in the first session with a power play tally.

2. Antropov's second goal was follwed by an end-to-end goal by Evegeny Artyukhin, who was making his Atlanta debut, to expand the Thrasher lead to 6-1 in the second period.

3. The Isles scored a pair of goals in the third as Rob Schremp and Tim Jackman scored 70 seconds apart to cut the lead to 6-3 with 7:12 to play.  However, the Isles could not get any closer, as Johan Hedberg made 34 saves.

... a few more...

4. Marty Biron made twelve saves in relief of Roloson; Jackman's goal made him the losing goaltender. 

5. Blake Comeau, who had scored six goals in his last three games, was held off the board and was -3 on the game.  Rob Schremp was also -3, but he did have a goal and an assist.

6. The Isles have now lost seven straight on the road since defeating Phoenix in a shootout on January 9th.  With their next road game not until Tuesday, the Isles will have a road losing streak of at least two months. The seven game streak is their longest (single season) road losing streak since going 0-6-1 from February 5- March 10, 2009.  The Isles had gone 0-20 on the power play in the prior six road losses but connected twice in five attempts tonight.

7. The Isles outshot Atlanta 37-22, equaling the fewest shots allowed by the Isles in a regulation defeat since a 5-1 defeat to Atlanta (and Hedberg) on December 6, 2008.  The Isles allowed only 17 shots in that game.

8. The Thrashers have a point in six straight games (4-0-2) and are 4-1-2 since trading Kovalchuk to New Jersey. It's only the fourth time (4-8) that Atlanta has won by at least three goals; the Isles drop to 6-15 in games decided by three goals or more.

9.  Doug Weight and Matt Moulson had assists for the Isles, extending point streaks to four games. Weight also has a four game assist streak, while Moulson finishes the season series with eight points (5-3-8) against Atlanta.  Dylan Reese made his NHL debut for the Islanders, playing 11:06 and going -1.

10. The Isles win the season series three games to one, and six points to three.  However, the Thrasher win stops an Islander four-game win streak against the Thrashers.

Up next:  The Isles return home to entertain the Bruins in a Saturday matinee.  The Isles are 2-0-1 against the Bruins this season, including an overtime win in December on a Frans Nielsen 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