NYISkinny: Eric Hornick's Blog: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Rakhshani Stars as a Star

From Mike Fornabaio:

<<Rhett Rakhshani had a goal and three assists in the last 30 minutes of the
Eastern Conference's All-Star Game win. He and Bobby Butler had points on the
same four goals, but Butler got the MVP. >> Rakhshani was also +4.
Rhett, despite not scoring a goal since December 11 (0-10-10 in last 15 games),
is still tied for the AHL lead in rookie scoring with 34 points.
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

Wishart errata

Wishart actually appeared in 5 games two seasons ago for Tampa (thanks Matt!)

Feb 20 '09 TBL @ CAR
Feb 19 '09 NJD @ TBL
Feb 17 '09 CHI @ TBL
Jan 21 '09 BUF @ TBL --only NHL point, an assist on a Jeff Halpern goal.
Jan 03 '09 CAR @ TBL

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

Ty Wishart

It appears that Ty Wishart has joined the isles for their practice today, in
advance of their game in Atlanta tomorrow.

Here's an nhl.com feature on Wishart, who has yet make his NHL debut:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=385003

One interesting note on Wishart -- sources seem split as to where he was born ..
by about 2500 miles or so. Some places list Belleville, Ontario (birthplace of
Eddie Westfall), others list Comox, British Columbia (birthplace of Cam Neely).
It appears that Wishart did grow up in Comox, attending the same high school
(Highland Secondary School) that Pamela Anderson did.

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 could be worse...

Today's weather in Edmonton:

Morning Commute (6am - 9am)
8am -35°C Sunny
9am -33°C Sunny
10am -31°C Sunny
11am -29°C Sunny
12pm -27°C Sunny

Getting to that point where Celsius = Fahrenheit (-40 Celsius = -40 Fahrenheit)

[coldest ever in Central Park came in 1934 -- -14.3 degrees Fahrenheit (-25.7
degrees Celsius) ]

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

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Skinny: Carolina 4, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 49
Carolina 4, Isles 2

All-Star Captain Eric Staal scored two goals and added an assist as the Carolina
Hurricanes defeated the Islanders 4-2 at icy Nassau Coliseum. Bad weather and
bad roads limited attendance to 4,976. The Isles have lost three straight and
are 1-5-0 in their last six games.
0-1 Again
The Isles have been playing from behind for most of January. After an apparent
Canes goal just 19 seconds into play was erased after video review, Carolina
grabbed the lead later in the first period on a Zach Boychuk tally. Boychuk
finished the night +3, his best ever rating. It is the eleventh time in 12 games
that the Isles have allowed the opening goal and a league-leading 32nd time in
49 games this season (4-24-4). Despite being outplayed for large stretches, the
Isles escaped the first period trailing 1-0.
Grabner Gets His 15th
With the teams playing 4-on-4 to start the second period, Michael Grabner
tallied for the 15th time this season at the 31 second mark. Frans Nielsen and
Andrew MacDonald earned assists. Grabner hits the all-star break with six goals
in seven games; he is 4th among all NHL rookies in goals.
Double Staal
Eric Staal scored twice in the second period to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. Staal,
who now had 25 goals on the seasons, recorded 10 shots on goal. He is the first
Islander opponent to do so in exactly one year; Alex Ovechkin had 10 last
January 26th against the Isles. Staal now has 14 goals in his last 14 games
against the Isles.
A Sutter Should Lead Them
Carolina assistant captain Brandon Sutter put the game away with his 11th goal
of the season with just under five minutes to play in the third. It's the
second goal of Sutter's career against the team that his father Brent once
captained; Brandon has points in all six career games that he has played against
the Isles.
A Marker for A-Mac
Andrew Mac Donald scored his first goal since December 17, 2009, ending a
68-game goal drought, on a 4-on-4 situation late in the game to make the score
4-2, but the Isles could get no closer as the Isles finish January with a 4-8-1
record. 4-2 Final.
2-For-2 in 4-on-4 (Strange Stat of the Night)
Both Isles goals came in 4-on-4 situations. The Isles have outscored their
opponents 8-4 in 4-on-4's this season. Entering play today, no NHL team had
scored more than 7 goals in 4-on-4's.
Home and Road
The Canes improve to 25-19-6 overall and 12-11-4 on the road. They hit the
All-Star break one point behind 8th place Atlanta.
The Isles drop to 15-27-7, and are 8-12-4 at home. They are now 11-17-4 under
Jack Capuano, including 10-9-2 in the last 21. With the Devils also losing, the
Isles remain two points ahead of New Jersey.
In the Nets
In recent years, few goaltenders have given the Isles more trouble than Cam
Ward. Ward made 23 saves to record his 22nd win of the season and second against
the Islanders. Ward is now 12-2-1 in his career against the Isles.

Rick DiPietro made 28 saves but drops to 7-9-4. He is 0-2 against Carolina this
season, having allowed 11 goals.

Power Plays
The Isles went 0-2 on the power play, while Carolina was 0-4. Since scoring
three times in Colorado on January 8th, the Isles power play is 4-28 (14%) in
the last ten games. The Isles have killed 36 of 41 (89%) over the last 14
games. Since opening the season with 5 power play goals in their first two
games, covering 13 opportunities, the Isles are 10-89 (12%) at home with the
extra man.
Milestone Night for Zenon
Zenon Konopka fought with Tyler Bodie early in the second period. It was his
16th fight of the season. Konopka leads the NHL with 158 penalty minutes,
passing Tim Jackman's 155 minute total two seasons ago. He now has more penalty
minutes than any other Islander forward since Mick Vukota had 237 of his club
record 1,879 penalty minutes in 1993-94.
Martin Keeps Banging
Matt Martin led the Isles with six hits. He now has 172, which places him 4th
in the NHL. All three players ahead of Martin have played at least nine more
games than Martin.
Top 5
The Isles have five players with at least 12 goals (Tavares-18, Moulson-17,
Grabner-15, Comeau-13 and Parenteau-12); the quintet has combined for 75 of the
Isles' 118 goals (64%) this season.

Cy Grab?
In addition to his goal, Grabner also assisted on MacDonald's goal. He now had
21 points, including 15 goals (15-6). Grabner also leads the team in +/- at +2.
Matt Moulson had twelve more goals than assists (30-18) last season and is
(17-12) this year.
In the Circle
The Isles won 30 of 57 (53%) face-offs. Konopka won 7 of 10 for the Isles.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Doug Weight,
Trent Hunter, Milan Jurcina and Nathan Lawson remain out. Trevor Gillies was a
healthy scratch. The Isles have now lost 314 man-games to injury.

Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 131 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 61-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 29 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Busy Stretch
Tonight's game was the fifth of five games in seven days for the Islanders,
matching the club record. It's the 26th time that it has happened but the first
time since it happened twice in the first 23 games of the 2007-08 season.
·         January 20 - Lost to Washington 1-2
·         January 21 – Won @ Buffalo 5-2
·         January 23-   Lost to Buffalo 5-3
·         January 25- Lost @ Pittsburgh 1-0
·         January 26- Lost to Carolina 4-2
Season Series Stats
The Canes lead the season series two games to none (and four points to none);
they have outscored the Isles 11-4. Carolina has won eight of the last ten games
between the teams.
Happy Anniversary
29 years ago today (January 26, 1982):   The Isles won the 3rd game of their 15
straight wins as they defeated the Penguins 9-2 at the Coliseum. The win was
punctuated by the fastest 4 goals and fastest 5 goals in Islander history:
FASTEST FOUR GOALS: ........1:38
John Tonelli (2:30), Bryan Trottier (2:46 & 3:31), Duane Sutter (4:08)
FASTEST FIVE GOALS: ......... 2:37
Duane Sutter (1:31),John Tonelli (2:30),Bryan Trottier (2:46 & 3:31), Duane
Sutter (4:08)

Two years earlier, on January 26, 1980, Gordie Howe made his second and final
visit to the Coliseum as the Islanders defeated Hartford 3-2. It is the only
penalty-free game in Coliseum history and one of only two the Isles have ever
played. All-time, the Isles are 9-10-1 on this date.

Up Next
Tuesday, February 1 Carolina @ Islanders 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
The Islanders resume play after the All-Star break when they begin a two-game
road trip in Atlanta. The teams have played twice this season, with the
Thrashers winning both games, once in regulation and once in overtime. Atlanta
has won three straight over the Islanders; no Atlanta team has beaten the
Islanders four straight times since the Flames won the first four meetings of
the expansion cousins in 1972-73.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Hockey Night Live Welcomes a Familiar Face

Billy Jaffe will be a guest analyst on Hockey Night Live this Saturday night at
10pm on MSG/MSG+.

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: Penguins 1, Isles 0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 48
Penguins 1, Isles 0

Craig Adams scored 8:35 into the third period for the game's only goal as the
Pittsburgh Penguins, playing without Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin got 29
saves from Marc-Andre Fleury and beat the Islanders 1-0 in front of 18,225 at
CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
Scoreless through Two
The teams played over 50 minutes of scoreless hockey. The Isles outshot the
Pens 12-9 in the first period while the Pens held a 14-7 advantage in the middle
period.
Second Rebound the Difference
The game's only goal, by Adams, came after Islander netminder Kevin Poulin
stopped shots by Lovejoy and Arron Asham.It is the tenth time in eleven games
that the Isles have allowed the opening goal. The Isles outshot the Pens 10-8
in the third but could not get the equalizer. 1-0 Final.
Home and Road
The Penguins improve to 31-15-4 overall and 17-9-1 in their new building. They
are 15-4-1 in their last 20 on CONSOL ice.
The Isles drop to 15-26-7, including 7-15-3 on the road. They are now 11-16-4
under Jack Capuano, including 10-8-2 in the last 20.

In the Nets
Marc Andre Fleury made 29 saves to record his 18th career shutout and second
against the Islanders. Both of his shutouts against the Isles have been by 1-0
scores. He is now 12-4-4 in his career against the Isles; 10 of the 12 wins have
come in Pittsburgh.

Kevin Poulin made 30 saves but drops to 2-2-1. Poulin has now stopped 196 of
212 shots in the NHL for a .925 save percentage; his goals against average is a
sparkling 2.59. Poulin's .925 save percentage is the lowest for any Islander
goalie that has played at least 300 minutes (Wade Dubielewicz is at .920). This
is the first time in his career that he has allowed just one goal in an NHL
start.

Power Plays
The Isles went 0-2 on the power play, while Pittsburgh was 0-3. Since scoring
three times in Colorado on January 8th, the Isles power play is 4-26 (15%) in
the last nine games. The Isles have killed 32 of 37 (87%) over the last 13
games. Pittsburgh has also been good on the penalty kill as of late, blanking
opponents in 22 straight opportunities.
Shooting Blanks
The Isles were shut out for the fifth time this season (all on the road). It's
the second time that they have been shutout 1-0 (Anaheim's Curtis McElhinney
turned the trick on November 10th). The Isles have been shutout 1-0 on twenty
occasions in their history, including seven times in the last four seasons. All
but four of the 1-0 defeats have come on the road.
The Penguins have allowed two goals or less in eight of their last 10 games and
25 of their last 34. It's the 8th time in history that Pittsburgh has shutout
the Islanders.
Streak Stoppers
The shutout ended Michael Grabner's point streak at six games- tied for the
longest by an Islander this season and the longest by an Isle rookie since Kyle
Okposo had an eight-game streak two seasons ago. Four other Islanders (Moulson,
Parenteau, Tavares and Hillen) had modest two-game point streaks stopped.
Tied After Two Against the Wrong Team…Again
For the second straight game, the Islanders were tied after two periods.
Buffalo, who defeated the Isles on Sunday is now 8-2-4 when tied after two
periods, while the Penguins, with their win tonight, are 10-2-3 in the same
situation. The Isles are now 4-7-3 when tied in the second intermission.
Fight Night
There were two fights in the game's first two minutes as Travis Hamonic tussled
with Tyler Kennedy in his first NHL fight and Zenon Konopka fought with Arron
Asham in his 15th fight of the season (and second against Pittsburgh). Konopka
leads the NHL with 153 penalty minutes; Tim Jackman had 155 minutes two seasons
ago – he is the only forward with more penalty minutes than Konopka since Mick
Vukota had 237 of his club record 1,879 penalty minutes in 1993-94.
In the Circle
After struggling earlier in the game, the Isles rebounded to win 24 of 47 (52%)
face-offs. However, the only goal of the game came off a Penguin face-off win in
the third period. Rob Schremp won 5 of 8 and Frans Nielsen won 7 of 12 for the
Isles.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Doug Weight,
Trent Hunter, Milan Jurcina and Nathan Lawson remain out. Rhett Rakhshani has
recovered from his concussion and has been sent to Bridgeport. Trevor Gillies
and Evgeny Nobokov (suspended) were healthy scratches. The Isles have now lost
307 man-games to injury.

Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 130 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 60-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 28 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Happy Anniversary
13 years ago today (January 25, 1997): Eric Fichaud made 47 saves and Derek
Armstrong had the winning goal as the Islanders defeated Chicago 3-2 as a
sellout crowd at the Coliseum witnessed the retirement of #739 in honor of Al
Arbour's victories as an Islander coach. The win ends an Islander 13-game home
winless streak (0-8-5) against Chicago that dated back to the first home game of
the post-Cup era. Armstrong would later become the final player who played for
Arbour (excluding Arbour's game 1,500) to appear in an NHL game.
All-time, the Isles have played only nine times on this date, and are 2-5-2.
Up Next
Wednesday, January 26 Carolina @ Islanders 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
The Islanders play their final game before the All-Star break when they
entertain Carolina for the first time this season. The Hurricanes have won
seven of the last nine between the teams, including a 7-2 decision at the RBC
Arena earlier this season.
Programming Note: Islander General Manager Garth Snow will be a guest on Subway
Islanders Game Night.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Monday, January 24, 2011

Grabner

Michael Grabner had his 4-game goal streak stopped against Buffalo on Sunday.
No Islander has had a goal in five straight games since Ziggy Pallfy did so in
1997; no Isles rookie has had such a streak since Patrick Flatley scored in 6
straight games in the 1984-85 season.

Grabner does still have a 6-game point streak, matching a Tavares streak earlier
this season for the best on the club.

The last Isle to have a point in 7 straight was Josh Bailey, who did so between
12/29/09 and 1/12/10. Trent Hunter had a 9-game point streak early last season
(11/11/09-11/27/09).

Grabner has the longest active point streak of any rookie; only Kevin
Shattenkirk has had a longer streak this season.

-- POINTS GAINED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM ROOKIE TEAM FROM TO G
A PTS
-- ------------------ --------------- ------- ------- --- --- ---
9 KEVIN SHATTENKIRK COLORADO Nov 17 Dec 04 4 9 13
6 BRYAN BICKELL CHICAGO Dec 13 Dec 26 4 3 7
6 MICHAEL GRABNER NY ISLANDERS Jan 13 Jan 23 5 2 7 #
6 DEREK STEPAN NY RANGERS Nov 17 Nov 26 3 4 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

Re: Happy Anniversary Boss!

Boy, time flies... and I can't type. Happy 30th anniversary.

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

----- Original Message ----
From: Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com>
To: islanderfans@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, January 24, 2011 11:01:58 AM
Subject: Happy Annviersary Boss!

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of Mike Bossy's greatest feats -- his 50th
goal in 50 games.

How big a story was it? So big that Sports Illustrated dedicated a significant
amount of space in its next issue, with a story written by Larry Brooks.

Enjoy.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124163/1/index.htm

Bossy, by the way, did not make the cover of SI that week. Rod Martin did.
Martin had 3 interceptions in a football game that was played the day after
50-in-50: Super Bowl XV.

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

Happy Annviersary Boss!

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of Mike Bossy's greatest feats -- his 50th
goal in 50 games.

How big a story was it? So big that Sports Illustrated dedicated a significant
amount of space in its next issue, with a story written by Larry Brooks.

Enjoy.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124163/1/index.htm

Bossy, by the way, did not make the cover of SI that week. Rod Martin did.
Martin had 3 interceptions in a football game that was played the day after
50-in-50: Super Bowl XV.

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

Locked in the Coliseum

This one is worth a read...and a laugh.

@BNHarrington: #Sabres Edge: Here it is. Locked in the Nassau Coliseum. Have
your laughs. I deserve it. http://bit.ly/hOuorV
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

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Skinny: Buffalo 5, Isles 3

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 47
Sabres 5, Isles 3

Paul Gaustad scored just 15 seconds into the game and while the Islanders twice
evened the score, the early goal proved to be a big difference as the Buffalo
Sabres earned a split of the home and home series by defeating the Islanders 5-3
in front of 10,120 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
0-1, Again
Gaustad's goal marked the ninth time in ten games that the Isles have allowed
the opening goal and the 8th time that they have allowed the goal in the first
five minutes.

Two For Moulson, One For Ennis
Trailing 1-0 after one period, the Isles got two middle period goals by Matt
Moulson sandwiching a Tyler Ennis goal for Buffalo. Moulson's goals, his 16th
and 17th, gave him three goals in the home-and-home against Buffalo. The Isles
have five players with at least 12 goals (Tavares-18, Grabner-14, Comeau-13 and
Parenteau -12 are the others); the quintet have combined for 74 of the Isles'
116 goals (64%) this season.

You Are What Your Record Says You Are
While the standings said that the Sabres entered the game at NHL .500 (21-21-5),
they were 7-2-4 when tied after 40 minutes. Two goals in the first four minutes
helped Buffalo improve to 8-2-4 in those situations. Nathan Gerbe, who scored
twice in five seconds against the Isles on Friday, gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead at
1:48 of the third. Gerbe assisted on a Tyler Myers goal that was confirmed by
video review to at 3:51 to make it 4-2 Buffalo. Gerbe now has five goals in
the last six games.
Hillen Gets One Back…but Pominville Settles Matters
With the Isles pressing late in the third, Jack Hillen blistered one by Ryan
Miller to make it 4-3. It was Hillen's second goal in as many games and his
third in 6 games. Hillen, who is now tied for the club lead in goals by a
defensemen, had scored only 4 goals in 138 games prior to this hot streak.
Michael Grabner assisted on the goal, extending his point streak to six games,
longest by an Islander this season. Only one rookie, Colorado's Kevin
Shatterkirk has had a longer streak this season- he recorded a point in nine
straight games.

Jason Pominville's empty net goal provided the final margin of victory for the
Sabres. 4-3 Final.
Home and Road
The Sabres improve to 22-21-5 overall and 11-9-4 on the road. The win coupled
with Florida's loss, gives the Sabres sole possession of 10th place in the
East. They are six points behind 8th place Atlanta and have two games in hand.

The Isles drop to 15-25-7, including 8-11-4 at home. They are now 11-15-4 under
Jack Capuano, including 10-7-2 in the last 19. The Isles have lost three
straight at home and are 1-4-1 in their last six on Coliseum ice.
In the Nets
Ryan Miller, who has started 25 straight games, made 31 saves as he raised his
record to 20-14-4. It's the fifth straight season that he has won at least 20
games. Rick DiPietro made 18 saves as his record dropped below NHL .500
(7-8-4).

Power Plays
The Isles went 1-4 on the power play, while Buffalo was 1-2. The Isles power
play is now 3-23 (13%) in the last seven games at home. (The Isles came into
the game ranked 28th on the power play at home and 7th on the road.) The Isles
have killed 29 of 34 (85%) over the last 12 games.

In the Circle
The Isles had a winning game in the circle, winning 28 of 54 (52%) face-offs.
Zenon Konopka won 9 of 12.
The Streak Continues
The Isles outshot Buffalo 34-23. They have been outshot in all 15 of their wins
this season (15-10-5). The Isles are 0-15-2 when outshooting their opponent
this season.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Doug Weight,
Trent Hunter, Milan Jurcina and Rhett Rakhshani remain out; Nathan Lawson missed
his first game; he expected to miss one-two weeks with an MCL sprain. Trevor
Gillies and Evgeny Nobokov (who has not reported) were healthy scratches. The
Isles have now lost 300 man-games to injury.

Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 129 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 59-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 27 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Busy Stretch
Tonight's game was the third of five games in seven days for the Islanders,
matching the club record. It's the 26th time that it has happened but the first
time since it happened twice in the first 23 games of the 2007-08 season.
· January 20 - Lost to Washington 1-2
· January 21 – Won @ Buffalo 5-2
· January 23- Lost to Buffalo 5-3
· January 25- @ Pittsburgh
· January 26- Vs Carolina
Season Series Stats
The Isles still lead the season series two games to one (and four points to
two), outscoring the Sabres 13-10. The teams will play again on Sunday,
February 13 in Buffalo. Buffalo is now 8-3-1 in their last 12 overall,
including 1-2-0 against the Isles.
Happy Anniversary
38 years ago today (January 23, 1973): Craig Cameron became the first Islander
to record a hat trick at the Coliseum as the Isles pounded the California Golden
Seals 8-1. It was the most lopsided victory in the first two seasons of the
Islanders' existence.
All-time, the Isles are 7-6-0 on January 23rd, including losses in each of the
last two seasons.
Up Next
Tuesday, January 25 Islanders @ Pittsburgh 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
The Islanders play their final two games before the All-Star break when they
play the first of two-games in two games on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. This will be
the third meeting of the teams this season, with each team holding an extra-time
victory. The Isles lost their final eight games at the Mellon Arena, and
dropped their first game there this season.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Osgood quote

Ira Podell's AP story, which reference the same writer in Detroit who put out
the inflammatory Osgood quote, now has Ozzy quoted as follows:

"I thought he would've been a good pickup for us if he came here — even though
it could've affected me," Osgood said. "I think it was a great pickup for the
Islanders. They have Ricky [DiPietro] and some good, young goalies. I would
imagine there were five or six other teams that would've wanted him, too. I
didn't think he'd end up here, but it was a good move that Kenny [Holland] made
because it would've made us better.
"I'm surprised he wasn't in the league this year because he is a great goalie."

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

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Skinny: Isles 5, Buffalo 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 46
Isles 5, Sabres 2

Michael Grabner extended his goal scoring streak to four straight games and
later added a power play empty net goal as the Islanders overcame an injury to
goaltender Nathan Lawson and defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 in front of a
sellout crowd of 18,690 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo. Grabner is the first Islander
to score in four straight games this season.
First Goal, Finally
After allowing the opening goal for eight straight games, the Isles jumped on
top at 7:26 of the first period when Grabner's shot was put into the Sabre goal
by Buffalo defensemen Tyler Myers. The goal also extended Grabner's point streak
to five straight games. Matt Moulson doubled the advantage at 10:30 of the
period when he deflected in a shot by Andrew MacDonald. After Moulson's goal,
with the Sabres trailing 2-0 and being outshot 10-3, Lindy Ruff tried to shake
up his team by pulling Olympic netminder Ryan Miller. Patrick Lalime replaced
him and did not face a shot the rest of the first period as the Isles, who
entered play tied with Washington for the fewest first period goals (29) ended
the first with a 2-0 lead.
Lawson Injured
Nathan Lawson suffered a knee injury late in the first period; he will be
re-evaluated on Saturday. He finished the period and was replaced by Kevin
Poulin to start the second period.
Another Goal for PA
PA Parenteau gave the Isles a 3-0 lead at 14:35 of the second period, converting
a pass from John Tavares for his 12th goal of the season; the goals have come in
12 different games. The Isles have five players with at least 12 goals
(Tavares-18, Moulson-15, Grabner-14 and Comeau-13 are the others); the quintet
have combined for 70 of the Isles' 113 goals (61%) this season.

Hillen Puts It Away?
Jack Hillen gave the Isles a 4-0 lead at 14:33 of the 3rd period with his second
goal of the season. It's the 8th goal of the season by an Islander defensemen,
but only the 4th since October. Rob Schremp, who was a healthy scratch on
Thursday, recorded his 2nd assist of the night; it's the third time this season
that he has had two assists in a game. At that point, it looked like the Isles
might be headed for the third combined shutout in franchise history
(Smith/Hogosta in 1977; Salo/Flaherty in 1998).
Milestone Moment for Nathan Gerbe
Nathan Gerbe ruined the shutout at 16:38 when he beat Poulin; five seconds later
he was re-writing record books as he scored again for the first two-goal game of
his career. The two goals in 5 seconds are the fastest two goals scored by one
player against the Isles and the fastest two goals scored by one player in Sabre
history. It's only the 4th time in NHL history that a player has scored two
goals in five seconds or less (4 seconds – Nels Stewart and Deron Quint; 5
seconds- Peter Mahovolich).
Gerbe took a slashing penalty seven seconds after his second goal, ending his
bid for breaking Bill Mosienko's record of 3 goals in 21 seconds that has stood
since 1952.
Grabner Puts It Away
With Gerbe still in the penalty box, the Sabres were caught for too many men.
With two seconds left to play, after trying to get empty-netters for two
teammates, Grabner hit the open twine for his first multi-goal game of the
season and second of his career. Grabner is now tied-3rd among rookie goal
scorers with Taylor Hall. Only Logan Couture (20) and Jeff Skinner (17) have
more. 5-2 Final.

Home and Road
The Isles improve to 15-24-7, including 7-14-3 on the road. They are now 11-14-4
under Jack Capuano, including 10-6-2 in the last 18. The Isles have gone 5-3-0
in the last eight on the road after going 2-11-3 in their first 16 road games.
The Sabres fall to 21-21-5 overall and 11-12-1 at home.

In the Nets
Gerbe's two goals deprived Nathan Lawson, who left with a 2-0 lead of his first
NHL victory. Lawson made 10 saves. Kevin Poulin made 26 saves and is credited
with the win in relief (2-1-1). Patrick Lalime stopped 16 of 18 shots in relief
of Ryan Miller but is charged with the loss. Miller, who has started 24
straight games, had never been pulled this early in a home game as a Sabre.
Lalime has now appeared in seven games this season without a win (0-5-0); it's
the most games played by a goalie without a win this season. Lawson has played
in six without a win.

Power Plays
The Isles went 1-3 on the power play, scoring a power play goal into an empty
net, while Buffalo was 0-3. The Isles re now 8-19 (42%) in the last six on the
road. (The Isles came into the game ranked 29th on the power play at home and
8th on the road.) The Isles have killed 28 of 32 (88%) over the last 11 games.

In the Circle
The Isles had a strong night in the circle, winning 40 of 67 (60%) face-offs.
Frans Nielsen won 12 of 16 while John Tavares won 11 of 17.
Strange Stat of the Night
The Isles were outshot 38-29. They have been outshot in all 15 of their wins
this season (15-10-5). The Isles are 0-14-2 when outshooting their opponent
this season.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Doug Weight,
Trent Hunter, Milan Jurcina and Rhett Rakhshani remain out; Rick DiPietro was
left back recovering from the flu. Trevor Gillies was a healthy scratch. The
Isles have now lost 293 man-games to injury.

First Point for Kyle
Kyle Okposo recorded an assist on the empty-net goal for his first point of the
season and 97th of his NHL career.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 128 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 58-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 26 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Only once in Islander history have the Isles beaten a single opponent three
times without being another opponent in between. In 2001, the Isles beat
Carolina on October 17, 18, and 26. They will have a chance to match this
statistical oddity on Sunday.
Buffalo is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games overall, but two of the losses have been
to the Islanders.
And Finally…
Happy birthday to Islander captain Doug Weight, born on this date in 1971.
Happy anniversary to Jiggs McDonald, who added a certain statistician to Isles
telecasts in time for the first game of that 15-game win streak.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from
various sources.

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

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Skinny: Caps 2, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 45
Capitals 2, Isles 1

The Islanders held Alex Ovechkin without a goal but the "Great 8" had two
assists as the Capitals spoiled Kyle Okposo's return and defeated the Islanders
2-1 before 9,119 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Islanders end
their homestand with a 1-3-1 record.
0-1, Again
For the 8th straight game, the Isles allowed the opening goal and for the
seventh time in that stretch it came in the first five minutes. Jason Chimera
converted an Ovechkin pass just 3:41 into play for the opening session's only
goal. It was only the 29th first period goal for the Capitals, tying the Isles
for the fewest first period goals. Washington led the NHL last season with 92
first period tallies. The Capitals took a lead into an intermission for the
first time since New Year's Day.
Backstrom Nets the Winner
The Caps doubled their advantage to 2-0 at the 3:38 mark when Nicklas Backstrom
snapped a 21-game goal scoring drought. It was his 12th goal of the season and
eventually became his second winning goal of the season against the Isles.
Ovechkin assisted on this goal, as well. He has a point on all four goals
(1-3-4) that Washington has scored against the Isles this season.
The Isles Get One Back
The Isles responded just 1:37 later when Michael Grabner scored his 12th goal of
the season, and third in three games, to bring the Isles within one. Grabner's
12 goals tie him for 5th among all rookies. The Isles have five players with at
least 11 goals (Tavares-18, Moulson-14, Comeau-13 and Parenteau-11 are the
others); the quintet have combined for 66 of the Isles' 108 goals (61%) this
season. Josh Bailey assisted on Grabner's goal, extending his assist streak to
three straight games. Grabner now has a 4-game point streak (3-1-4) for the
second time this season.
Power Failure
After Grabner's goal, the Islanders had four power plays but could not convert
to tie the game. 2-1 Final.

Home and Road
The Capitals improve to 26-14-8, as they go over NHL .500 on the road (10-9-3).
The Isles are 14-24-7, including 8-10-4 at home. They are now 10-14-4 under Jack
Capuano, including 9-6-2 in the last 17.

In the Nets
Braden Holtby made 24 saves to improve to 3-2-1 on the season. Rick DiPietro
made 22 saves for the Islanders, but drops to NHL .500 (7-7-4) as the loss ends
a personal 4-game winning streak. DiPietro is now 4-1-0 in his last five, with
a 2.00 goals against average.
Power Plays
The Isles went 0-6 on the power play while Washington was 0-2. The Isles went
2-16 (12.5%) with the power play on their five game homestand after going 7-16
on the five-game road trip that preceded it. (The Isles came into the game
ranked 25th on the power play at home and 8th on the road.) The Isles killed
11-14 on the homestand and have killed 25 of 29 (86%) over the last ten games.

In the Circle
The Isles had a strong first period in the circle (winning eight of the first 12
draws), but the Caps dominated the draws the rest of the way. Overall, the
Isles won 21 of 55 (38%) face-offs overall. No Islander won more than 50%. Boyd
Gordon (12 of 14) and Backstrom (10 of 14) were strong on the draw for
Washington.

Protecting the Lead
Washington is 12-0-4 when leading after one period and 18-0-1 when leading after
two periods.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Doug Weight,
Trent Hunter, Frans Nielsen and Rhett Rakhshani remain out; Milan Jurcina missed
his first game with an upper body injury. Kevin Poulin and Rob Schremp were
healthy scratches. The Isles have now lost 286 man-games to injury.

Welcome Back Kyle and Frans!
Kyle Okposo made his season debut, playing 18:05, including 6:25 on the power
play. He was -1. Frans Nielsen returned after missing seven games, playing
16:26.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 127 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 57-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 25 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Home Sweet Home?
The Isles finish the homestand 1-3-1. The Isles are five games into stretches
of 13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at home.

Busy Stretch
Tonight's game was the first of five games in seven days for the Islanders,
matching the club record. It's the 26th time that it has happened but the first
time since it happened twice in the first 23 games of the 2007-08 season.
·        January 20 - Lost to Washington 1-2
·        January 21 - @ Buffalo
·        January 23- Vs Buffalo
·        January 25- @ Pittsburgh
·        January 26- Vs Carolina
Season Series Stats
The Capitals lead the season series two games to none (and four points to zero),
winning both games by a 2-1 score. The remaining meetings will be in consecutive
Islander games (February 26 and March 1). Washington has now won five straight
games on Long Island, although three were in overtime. The Caps have beaten the
Isles in four straight games overall, with a different goaltender (Varlamov
–Theodore-Neuwirth-Holtby) winning each game.
Happy Anniversary
30 years ago today (January 20, 1981):   Butch Goring scored the winning goal
and Chico Resch recorded the shutout as the Islanders blanked the Calgary Flames
5-0 in the only game that the Isles have ever hosted on a Presidential
Inauguration Day. Mike Bossy was held scoreless, leaving him with 48 goals in 48
games. The Isles have not won on this date since, going 0-7-1. Overall, the
Isles are 3-8-1 on January 20th, including 2-2 when a President is inaugurated
(Winning in 1977 (Carter) and 1981 (Reagan) and losing in 1973 (Nixon) and 1997
(Clinton II).
Up Next
Friday, January 21- Islanders @ Buffalo 7:30pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 7:00), WRHU 88.7FM]
The Islanders begin their first home-and-home series with the Sabres since
opening the 2007-08 season with a home-and home as they travel to Buffalo for
the first time this season.
The home team has dominated the season series in recent years, with the Isles
winning the last four in Uniondale and the Sabres capturing the last three in
Buffalo.
This is the second meeting in a week between the teams; John Tavares had a hat
trick as the Isles won 5-3 on Saturday night. The teams will meet again on
Sunday at 3pm at the Coliseum.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from
various sources.
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

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Skinny: Devils 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 44
Devils 5, Isles 2

For the 7th straight game, the Isles allowed the opening goal and for the sixth
time in that stretch it came in the first five minutes. Vladimir Zharkov's
first NHL goal came 4:25 into play and the Isles could not recover from the
early deficit as they fell to the New Jersey Devils 5-2 before 13,119 at the
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It's only the second loss in the last nine at
home for the Isles (5-2-2). The Devils improve to 3-0-1 in their last four
games; it's the best stretch for the Devils since they won five straight in
December 2009. They are 4-7-1 in twelve games under Jacques Lemaire.
Goals Come in Pairs
57 seconds after Zharkov's goal, Ilya Kovalchuk doubled the Devils' advantage
with a power play goal. It was only the 2nd Devil power play goal in their last
25 attempts and was the back-end of the first of three pairs of goals in less
than a minute in the game.
Poulin's Tough Starts
Kevin Poulin was in goal for the Islanders and he has allowed a goal in the
first five minutes of all four of his NHL starts, after allowing only one goal
in the first five minutes of 14 games for Bridgeport. Poulin now has a goals
against average of 15.00 for the first six minutes of the game and 1.69 for the
remainder of the game.

Tedenby makes it 3-0
Mattias Tedenby scored his fifth goal of the season at 6:40 of the second period
to give New Jersey a 3-0 crowd and silence the large matinee crowd.
The Isles Get Two Back
The Isles responded with two goals in 54 seconds as PA Parenteau and Michael
Grabner each scored their 11th goal of the season to bring the Isles within one
midway through the second period. Grabner's 11 goals rank him 6th among all
rookies. The Isles now have five players with at least 11 goals (Tavares-18,
Moulson-14, and Comeau-13 are the others); the quintet have combined for 65 of
the Isles' 107 goals (61%) this season. Comeau assisted on Parenteau's goal,
extending his point streak to four straight games (3-2-5).
Two for Us, Two for Them
The Devils regained a 3-goal advantage when Rod Pelley and Danius Zubrus scored
54 seconds apart to give the Devils a 5-2 advantage. It marked the first time
since an 8-2 Devil win on March 24, 2000 that New Jersey has scored at least
five goals in a Coliseum contest. Jason Arnott assisted on the Pelley goal for
his 500th career assist.
Goal Waved Off
With 1:29 left in the second period, the Isles thought that they had gotten
within two goals on what would have been Parenteau's second goal of the period.
However, the goal, which was originally allowed by rookie referee Marcus
Vinnerborg was disallowed a few minutes later after Bill McCreary, who was the
"high" referee, ruled that Grabner had interfered with Devils netminder Martin
Brodeur. NHL rules prohibit the use of video review in situations such as that;
television replays indicated that Grabner had been pushed into Brodeur by Devils
defensemen Mark Fayne. The Isles lost the call, the goal, and after a scoreless
third, the game. 5-2 Final.

Home and Road
The Devils improve to 13-29-3, as they win for just the sixth time in 23 road
games (6-16-1). The Isles are 14-23-7, including 8-9-4 at home. They are now
10-13-4 under Jack Capuano, including 9-5-2 in the last 16. Their 14-23-7
record leaves them tied with Edmonton for 28th place.
In the Nets
Brodeur made 27 saves as he improves to 8-18-2 on the season. It's his 610th
win, including 45 (45-25-6) against the Isles. Poulin suffers his first
regulation loss (1-1-1) as he finished with 22 saves.
Power Plays
The Isles went 0-3 on the power play while New Jersey was 1-2. In their last
nine games ,the Isles are 9-26 (35%) in their last nine games on the power play
and have killed 23 of 27 (85%) over the last nine games.

In the Circle
After losing 13 of the first 16 face-offs, the Isles improved to win 24 of 50
(48%) face-offs overall; there were only 11 draws in the entire third period.
John Tavares won 12 of 21 and has now won 37 of 57 over the last three games
(65%). He has won 52.9% of his draws this season after winning 47.5% in his
rookie campaign.

Fight Time
There were two fights, both in the first period. Zenon Konopka battled Mark
Fraser and Matt martin squared off with David Clarkson. Konopka has had 14
fights (second in the NHL) and leads the NHL with 148 penalty minutes.

Don't Mess With Big Z
Konopka's next penalty will give him at least 150 minutes; he will be only the
42nd Islander to ever reach that mark. He is 7 penalty minutes shy of the 155
accumulated by Tim Jackman in 2008-09. No Isles forward has accumulated more
than that since Mick Vukota had 237 in 1993-94.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo,
Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, Frans Nielsen and Rhett Rakhshani remain out; Rick
DiPietro and Trevor Gillies were healthy scratches. The Isles have now lost 277
man-games to injury. Milan Jurcina played just 3:19 of the first period before
leaving with an upper body injury.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 126 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 56-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 24 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Home Sweet Home?
The Isles are now 1-2-1 on this homestand with one game to play. The Isles are
four games into stretches of 13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at home.

Season Series Stats
The Isles still lead the season series two games to one (and four points to
two). The remaining three meetings will all be March.
Happy Birthday Dr. King
This was the 10th time since 1994 that the Isles have hosted a Martin Luther
King Day matinee. The Isles are 3-4-3 in the 10 games.
Happy Anniversary
5 years ago today (January 17, 2006): Oleg Kvasha scores the winning goal in
overtime as the Islanders defeat the Blackhawks 2-1 at the United Center.
Overall, the Isles are 8-9-3 all-time on this date. Also on this date: 1979:
the Rangers end Chico Resch's club-record 23 game unbeaten streak (15-0-8),
defeating the Isles 5-3 at Madison Square Garden. 1981: Mike Bossy set an NHL
record with his 8th hat trick of the season, giving him 48 goals in 47 games as
the Isles beat the Caps 6-4.
Up Next
Thrusday, January 20- Washington @ Islanders 1:00pm
[MSG+2 (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
Alexander Ovechkin leads the Capitals to the Coliseum for the first time this
season in the final game of this home stand on Thursday night. It's the second
meeting of the teams in 2010-11; the Caps handed the Islanders their first
regulation loss of the season back on October 13 despite the only NHL goal of
Nino Niederreiter's career. The Isles are 6-2-3 in the Caps' last 11 visits to
Long Island (while the Caps are 5-0-1 in their last six trips).
This game will be televised on MSG+2. After Thursday, the next 24 games will
air on MSG+.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from
various sources.
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

Tavares -- scoring more...and more important ... goals

Of Tavares' 18 goals this season, 14 have come with the scored tied or with the
Isles leading or trailing by 1 goal.
Tavares scored 24 goals in 82 games last season, but only 14 came with the
scored tied or with the Isles leading or trailing by 1 goal.

All three goals that he scored on Saturday met the criteria, as he scored with
the Isles trailing 1-0, tied 1-1 and leading 2-1.
All three goals that he scored in his previous hat trick (at Florida at October
23) came with the Isles trailing by a 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

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Canucks interested in Konopka??

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Hodgson+Shirokov+Oreskovich+Zenon+Konopka+among+names+replace+injured/4117777/story.html

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

Fast and Natural

From Elias:

John Tavares recorded a natural hat trick with three goals in a 5:46 span
during the second period of the Islanders' 5-3 win over the Sabres. Tavares was
the first Islanders player to score three consecutive goals in a game that
quickly since Dec. 10, 1991, when Ray Ferraro tallied a natural hat trick within
a 4:43 span early in the second period of a 7-7 tie against the Blues.

Taveras produced the second-fastest natural hat trick in the NHL this season.
Washington's Alexander Semin had one in a 4:29 span against the Lightning on
November 26.

From Eric:

Ferraro's trick is nowhere closest to the fastest in Islander history. Derek
King scored the first three goals of a game against Pittsburgh on October 15,
1991 in a span of only 1:18. However, Mario Lemieux responded with a hat trick
of his own, and Phil Bourque scored in OT to give the Penguins a 7-6 win at the
Coliseum.

Kng broke Denis Potvin's club record of 3 goals in 3:21, set October 14, 1978 in
Toronto. Ironically, the Isles also lost that game (10-7). Potvin's trio
also constituted a natural hat trick.
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

Stray DiPietro Note

This one didn't make The Skinny; I'll get it in if he extends the streak.

DiPietro now has won his last four starts. His last loss was on December 11th to
Atlanta. Since then he has gone 4-0, allowing only seven goals on 127 shots
(1.99 GAA, 94.5%). He has also missed two stretches of games due to injury in
that period.

It's the sixth time in his career that he has won at least four straight
decisions, but the first time since February 2008, when he won six straight.

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

The Skinny: Isles 5, Buffalo 3

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 43
Isles 5, Buffalo 3

John Tavares recorded a natural hat trick in a 5:46 span of the second period as

the Isles rallied from a 1-0 deficit and went on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres
5-3 before 12,223 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Isles improve to

5-1-2 in their last eight games at home as they end a three-game winless streak
(0-2-1). It's only the 4th time this season that the Isles have won a game after

allowing the opening goal (4-19-4).

Scoreless First
The Isles had fallen behind in the first five minutes of the last five games,
but ended the first period of this game scoreless. The Isles outshot Buffalo
15-14.

Vanek Converts on a 5-on-3
The Isles took two penalties in the final 34 seconds of the first period and
Thomas Vanek made them pay 17 seconds into the second with his 17th goal of the
season. It's the 6th straight game and seventh time in eight games that the
Islanders have allowed the opening goal.

Tavares Time
With the Isles trailing 1-0, it was time for Tavares to take over, recording the

first natural hat trick by an Islander since December 3, 2009 (Matt Moulson in
Atlanta) and his second hat trick of the season and career. Matt Moulson
recorded the first three assist game of his career, assisting on all three
tallies as he became the first Islander with three assists in a game this
season. Tavares now has eight goals in his last eight games. He has 18 goals
on the season, having played in 40 of the Isles' first 43 games. He is 23 games

ahead of last season's pace, when he scored goal 18 in Philadelphia on March
9th. The middle goal came on the power play. Tavares leads the Isles with 8
power play goals, but this was only his 2nd on home ice. Prior to scoring
against Vancouver on Tuesday, all six of his power play goals had come on the
road.

Four Goal Period
Blake Comeau scored for the third straight game (5th in 6 games) and made it
a four-goal period when he beat Olympian Ryan Miller at 15:25. The four Isle
goals came in a span of 7:35 – one game after the Isles allowed four second
period goals to Ottawa in a 7:14 span. At that point Tavares and Comeau had
combined for the last six Islander goals. The Isles outshot Buffalo 18-14 in the
second period; the teams combined for 61 shots in two periods – matching
the Isles' single-game average.

Sabres Battle Back…But Grabner Puts it Away
Rookie Tyler Ennis recorded his 10th goal of the season at 5:55 of the 3rd. It
was the Sabres' second power-play goal of the game. Buffalo earned another
power play with 4:41 to play, but this time it was the Islanders who scored, as
Michael Grabner, dubbed by teammate Rick DiPietro as "the fastest guy on the
planet" in a post-game interview beat Miller for the first shorthanded goal of
his career and his 10th goal of the season. Ennis and Grabner are tied for 6th
in rookie goal scoring with 10; Grabner is the 5th rookie to score shorthanded.
A Jochen Hecht goal with 1:45 to play was merely window dressing as the Sabres
outshot the Isles 15-4 in the third. 5-3 Final.

Home and Road
The Isles are 14-22-7, including 8-8-4 at home. They are now 10-12-4 under Jack
Capuano, including 9-4-2 in the last 14. Buffalo falls below NHL .500 (19-20-5)

and are 9-9-4 on the road.

In the Nets
DiPietro returned for the first time since being injured in Calgary on January
3rd. He made 40 saves as he improved to 7-6-4. It's the ninth time in his
career DiPietro has made at least 40 saves. Ryan Miller made 32 saves for
Buffalo as he started for the 21st straight game.

Power Plays
The Isles went 1-3 on the power play while Buffalo went 2-5. The Isles are 9-23
(39%) in their last eight games on the power play and have killed 22 of 25 (88%)

over the last eight games. The Isles scored their 5th shorthanded goal,
matching their shorties allowed this season.

Hat Trick Stuff
John Tavares now has two hat tricks on the season; he's the first Islander since

Jason Blake in 2006-07 to have two hat tricks in a season. Tavares fell one
goal shy of the club/NHL record for goals in a period: 4, set by Bryan Trottier
on February 13, 1982 against the Flyers. He is the first Islander to score
three goals in a period since Blake did so on February 27, 2007 against
Philadelphia and the first to record a natural hat trick on home ice since Blake

did it against Atlanta on January 11, 2003. Tavares is the 9th player in the
NHL to have multiple hat tricks this season; Washington's Alex Semin is the only

one to have three hats. He is also tied for the league lead in goals in a
single game this season; no player has scored four since Thomas Vanek did so
late last season. He now has five goals in five career games against Buffalo.

In the Circle
The Isles won 37 of 58 (64%) face-offs. John Tavares won 10 of 15 and has now
won 25 of 36 over the last two games. He has won 52.8% of his draws this season
after winning 47.5% in his rookie campaign. All four Islander centers won at
least 60% of their draws.

Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo,
Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, Frans Nielsen and Rhett Rakhshani remain out; Dylan
Reese was the Isles' scratch. The Isles have now lost 269 man-games to injury.

Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 125 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 55-game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 23 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Home Sweet Home
The Isles even their record on this homestand (1-1-1 with two games to play).
The Isles are three games into stretches of 13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at home. This

was the 1500th home game in Isles history (758-539-203); the 12,223 who attended

tonight's game were two more people than the 12,221 who attended the first home
game in Isles history (10-7-1972).

Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series one games to none. After not playing at all in
the first half of the season, the Isles and Sabres are meeting three times in a
nine-game span. The Isles have won four straight home games against Buffalo.

Happy Anniversary
28 years ago today (January 15, 1983): John Tonelli recorded a hat trick as
the Isles defeated Los Angeles 5-2. It's one of three hat tricks for Tonelli in
an Islander uniform. Overall, the Isles are 7-10-2 all-time on this date.

Up Next
Saturday, January 17- New Jersey @ Islanders 1:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 12:30), WRHU 88.7FM]

The Islanders entertain New Jersey on Monday afternoon in the traditional Martin

Luther King Day Matinee. The Isles have won both meetings of the teams this
season, outscoring the Devils, 7-1 and will be looking for their third straight
win over New Jersey for the first time since winning six straight from the
Devils (over two seasons) in 2007 and 2008.

This is the second straight season that the Isles have hosted New Jersey on MLK
Day. Rick DiPietro shut the Devils out, making 20 saves, last year. This will
be the 10th time since 1994 that the Isles have played the MLK Matinee. They
are 3-3-3 in the previous 9.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.

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

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Skinny: Sens 6, Isles 4

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 42
Ottawa 6, Isles 4

Daniel Afredsson scored 32 seconds into play (the earliest goal in an Islander
game) and that was just the beginning. Ottawa also had a 4-goal second period,
built a 6-2 lead, and snapped their six-game winless streak (0-4-2) as they
defeated the Islanders 6-4 before 8,670 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. The loss ended the Isles' home-ice point streak at 6 games (4-0-2).
Behind Early
After the Islanders allowed the opening goal for the 5th straight game and sixth
time in seven games on Alfredsson's early goal, the Isles got even on a Trevor
Gillies tip in at 7:23. However, Jesse Winchester gave the Sens the lead for
good at 9:50 of the first, chasing Kevin Poulin, who faced eight shots. It was
the first NHL career goal for Gillies, ending a 40-game streak; he is the 313th
player in Islander history to score a goal. It was Gillies' first goal anywhere
since scoring for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on December 11, 2009.
Sen-sational Second
Ottawa scored more times in a 7:14 span of the second span to take control of
the game. After Milan Michalek gave Ottawa a 3-1 lead with a shorthanded goal,
Blake Comeau got the Isles within one, scoring his 4th goal in five games, with
each team down a man. However, 20 seconds later, Chris Kelly responded with a
Senator tally. Nick Foligno and Zach Smith added tallies to give Ottawa a 6-2
lead after two periods.

Jurcina Tries to Help
Two shots from Milan Jurcina cut the deficit in half in the first 11 minutes of
the third. PA Parenteau deflected a Jurcina shot at 1:49 (his first goal in 6
games) to cut the lead to 6-3; Jurcina's blast beat Sens rookie Robin Lehner at
10:50 to make it 6-4. It was the Islanders' 100th goal of the season (one more
than Ottawa). However, the Isles could get no closer. 6-4 Final.
Home and Road
Ottawa improves to 17-21-6, 8-9-4 on the road. The Isles drop to 13-22-7,
including 7-8-4 at home. They are now 9-12-4 under Jack Capuano, including 8-4-2
in the last 14. The Isles are 0-2-1 in their last three.
In the Nets
Lehner made 20 saves to record his first career win. The 19 year old Lehner is
the first teenager to record an NHL win since Jonathan Bernier did so for Los
Angeles in 2007. He joins Bernier as the only teenagers since Jocelyn Thibault
(for Québec in 1993) to win his first NHL start. He is the youngest goalie in
Sens history.
Poulin makes 6 saves in the first and 11 saves in the third, allowing two
goals. In between, Nathan Lawson was beaten for four goals on 19 shots; as he
allowed Ottawa's fifth goal, he is charged with the loss (0-3-1). The Isles
have changed goalies three times in their last six games after not doing so in
the first 36 games.
It was the third time in the last 20 years that both teams started goaltenders
younger than 21 years old.
Power Plays
The Isles went 0-2 on the power play while Ottawa went 0-3. The Isles are 8-20
(40%) in their last seven games on the power play and have killed 19 of 20 over
the last seven games. The Isles allowed their 5th shorthanded goal (and 4th in
their last 17 games); they allowed only three all last season. The Sens are
20-20 on the penalty kill in the last five games.
In the Circle
The Isles won 42 of 66 (64%) face-offs. John Tavares won 15 of 21 and Rob
Schremp won 10 of 15 for the Isles.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo,
Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, Frans Nielsen and Rick DiPietro remain out. Rhett
Rakhshani has been added to injured reserve after suffering a concussion; Dylan
Reese was the Isles' scratch. The Isles have now lost 261 man-games to injury.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 124 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 54 game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 22 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

+5 for Gonchar
Sergei Gonchar came into the game -20, but was +5 tonight. He had had only one
multiple-positive rating this season (+2 against the Isles on November 4th). He
is the 6th player to go +5 this season. He is the first Senator to go +5 since
Alexei Kovalev last January 3rd and the first to do it against the Isles since
three Panthers were +5 or better on March 17, 2007. No opponent had been +5 at
the Coliseum since four Bruins all went +5 against the Isles on January 30,
1993. Jeremy Colliton, who turned 26 today, was -4 for the Isles.
Home Sweet Home
The Isles had earned points in six straight at home (4-0-2) since losing to
Atlanta on December 11th. It matched the longest single-season point streak
since they earned points in nine straight during the 2003-04 season. This was
the second game of a five-game homestand (0-1-1) and the second game of
stretches of 13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at home.
Breaking the Zeros
Brian Lee and Corey Locke each recorded their first point of the season. Lee
had gone 12 games this season without a point; Locke was making his season debut
with Ottawa; he had been held pointless in four prior NHL games.
Other Stuff
The Sens recorded a season-high six goals. The six goals equals the most
allowed by the Isles at home this season.

Season Series Stats
The Sens lead the season series, two games to none and four points to zero.
Ottawa has outscored the Isles 10-5. The teams will meet again February 5th at
the Coliseum and ten days later in Ottawa.

Happy Anniversary
4 years ago today (January 13, 2007): Miroslav Satan scored some memorable
goals for the Islanders, and one of them occurred against New Jersey on this
date in 2007. Satan scored with 7/10th of a second remaining in regulation to
send a game with New Jersey to overtime. Scott Gomez would score in overtime
to give New Jersey the win, but the last second point was crucial for the Isles,
who made the playoffs when they won the season-ending game in a shootout.
Overall, the Isles are 10-6-3 all-time on this date, including a Mike Bossy four
goal game against Pittsburgh in 1981 that gave Bossy 45 goals in 46 games (on
the way to 50 in 50).

Up Next
Saturday, January 15- Buffalo @ Islanders 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
In the first-half of the season, the Isles faced every conference rival except
one: the Buffalo Sabres. Three of the Isles next five games are against
Buffalo, beginning on Saturday night at the Coliseum. The home team won all
four games last season, including one Islander victory in a shootout.
…and Finally
Belated congratulations to Blake Comeau. His goal and assist on Tuesday made
him the first player drafted by the Islanders to record 100 points in an
Islander uniform since Scott Lachance reached the mark during the 1998-99
season. (We erroneously credited him with only 99 points on Tuesday.)
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Thursday, January 13, 2011

NHL Newlywed Twin Game: The Sedin's with Jaffe

http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/13/sedins-play-newlywed-game-ripoff-while-visiting-new-york/

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

Robin Lehner set for first NHL start

Looks like 19 year old Robin Lehner will make his first NHL start tonight at the
Coliseum against the Isles. He appeared in two games earlier this season in

relief without allowing a goal.

He is the youngest goalie to start a game since Jonathan Bernier played in 4
games for the Kings in September/October 2007. Bernier is the only other goalie

since the lockout to start in goal in an NHL game as a teenager.

Before Bernier, the last teenager to start an NHL game was Marc-Andre Fleury,
who started 20 games in 2003-04. Prior to that the last two teens were Dan
Blackburn with the Rangers and Rick DiPietro.

Old man Kevin Poulin (15 months older than Lehner) apparently will go for the
Isles. As Brian Compton noted earlier today, the two goalies combined are
younger than Dwayne Roloson.
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

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Old man Poulin?

The Ottawa Senators have recalled Robin Lehner from Binghamton in advance of
their game on Long Island tomorrow night.

Lehner was born on 7/24/1991, meaning that he is 15 months younger than Kevin
Poulin (4/12/1990).

Lehner has appeared in parts of 2 NHL games (34 mniutes) and has faced 10 shots
without allowing a goal.
Poulin is 1-0-1 in his three appearances (1.97, .944)

Lehner ironically holds an off-beat NHL record that Poulin held for a few days
last week. Of the 675 goalies that have dressed for NHL games, he has played
the most time in his career without allowing a goal. (When Poulin played 53
minutes of scoreless relief in Edmonton he went ahead of Lehner, but promptly
disqualified himself by allowing an early goal in Colorado.)

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

The Skinny: Vancouver 4, Isles 3 (so)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 41
Vancouver 4, Isles 3 (shootout)

Kevin Poulin make 48 saves, the most by an Islander rookie in 38 years, but in
the end it was worth only one point as NHL-leading Canucks defeated the
Islanders 4-3 in a shootout before 8,913 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. The Canucks extended their franchise-record point streak to 17 games
(14-0-3) while the Isles extended their home-ice point streak to 6 games
(4-0-2).
Burrows Strikes First
The Islanders allowed the opening goal for the fourth straight game and fifth
time in six games; the only goal of the opening session came off a face-off play
when the Sedin brothers set up Alex Burrows at 4:58 of the period. Vancouver
outshot the Isles 20-9 in the opening period.

Isles Get Even
Former Islander Jeff Tambellini took a hooking penalty at 13:12 and the Isles
converted one second after the power play ended, at 15:13. New daddy Jack
Hillen scored his first goal since last April 3rd. It was his 1st goal in 31
games and the 5th of his NHL career.
Kesler Regains the Lead
With time running out in the middle session, Ryan Kesler beat Poulin to give the
Canucks the lead. It was the 24th goal of the season for Kesler, who fired a
game-high eight shots at Poulin. Although each team scored once in the session,
the Isles had the better of the play, and of the shots, outshooting Vancouver
16-10.
A Tie, A Lead, A Tie
John Tavares' 15th goal tied the game at 3:14 of the third. It was his 7th
power play goal; he leads the Isles in goals, points (29) and power play goals,
while sharing the team lead in power play points (13). Blake Comeau beat former
Islander Roberto Luongo at 14:24 to give the Isles the lead. Dylan Reese earned
an assist on the goal for his first point of the season. Alas, the lead lasted
only 34 seconds. Kevin Bieska threw the puck towards the net and it went in to
tie the game and send it into overtime. The Canucks outshot the Isles 18-15 in
the third and 3-1 in overtime, for a 51-41 advantage overall.
Shootout
Rob Schremp scored to give the Isles the lead but Mason Raymond's spin-erama
tied the shootout. After PA Parenteau and Jeff Tambellini were stopped in round
2, John Tavares was beaten by Luongo in the top of the 3rd. Kesler beat Poulin
to win the shootout in the bottom half. The Isles fall to 1-4 in shootouts this
season (1-3 at home). Each of the four goalies that have played for the Isles
this season has now been beaten in the shootout. 4-3 (shootout) Final.
Home and Road
Vancouver improves to 28-8-6, 13-5-3 on the road. The Canucks have not lost in
regulation since December 5th and are 9-0-1 in their last ten on the road,
including five straight wins. The Isles reach the midway point of the season
with a 13-21-7 record, including 7-7-4 at home. They are now 9-11-4 under Jack
Capuano, including 8-3-2 in the last 13.

In the Nets
Luongo makes 38 saves as he records his 20th win for the 8th straight season.
Luongo is 20-8-4 on the season, and 6-10-3 in his career against the Isles.
It's his 290th career win, passing former Islander broadcaster (and Ranger
star) Ed Giacomin for 28th on the all-time list. Poulin makes 48 saves, but
drops to 1-0-1 in his NHL career. He had stopped 101 of 107 shots (94.4%) over
his first three NHL appearances.
Power Plays
The Isles nearly went 2-2 on the power play for the third time in two weeks:
Hillen's goal came two seconds too late to be a power play goal. The Isles
finished 1-2 and are 8-18 in their last six games on the power play (44.4%).
Vancouver came into the game with the NHL's best power play, but went 0-2. The
Isles have killed 16 of 17 over the last six games.
In the Circle
The Isles won 32 of 69 (46%) face-offs. Jeremy Colliton won 8 of 13 draws for
the Isles; former Ranger Manny Maholtra won 15 of 24 for the Canucks.
Missing Men
Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo,
Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, Frans Nielsen and Rick DiPietro remain out. Radek
Martinek played 21:30 in his first game back and Rhett Rakhshani played his 2nd
NHL game (11:41). Bruno Gervais and Trevor Gillies were healthy scratches while
Jon Sim was assigned to Bridgeport. The Isles have now lost 252 man-games to
injury.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 123 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 53 game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 21 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Fight Night
The game featured one fight—a donnybrook between Matt Martin and Tanner Glass.
Getting Younger All the Time
The Isles, who as recently as New Year's Day had a 41 year old on their roster,
dressed only two players over 30: Radek Martinek and Zenon Konopka (30 years, 9
days). The Isles have three players who were born in the 1990's (Poulin, Travis
Hamonic and Tavares; Tavares remains the youngest player on the team). The
average age of the 20 players dressed for this game was 24.96 years. Alex Edler
was the youngest Canuck in tonight's game; the Isles dressed ten players younger
than Edler.
As seen on MSG+ (Only Billy Better)
Poulin's 48 saves are the second-highest total ever by an Islander rookie.
Billy Smith made 55 saves on November 22, 1972 in Philadelphia.

Lots of Shots for Poulin
Poulin is the first goalie under the age of 21 to face 51 shots in an NHL game
since Dan Blackburn did so for the Rangers on November 23, 2001. He is also the
first goalie under the age of 21 to make at least 48 saves in an NHL game since
at least the 1987-88 season. Steve Mason and Jose Theodore each made 47 saves
in a game as a 20-year old. Poulin and Theodore have something else in common;
they both wear uniform #60.
Lots of Shots, Period
The teams combined for 92 shots, which breaks the Islander club record for
combined shots (89) in an overtime game. The Isles outshot Dallas 46-43 on
October 28, 2001 in a game the Isles won on a Michael Peca overtime goal. It's
the first time each team has had 40 shots in an Islander game since November 14,
2009 in Florida (Isles 42, Panthers 40) and the first time it has happened at
the Coliseum since that October 28, 2001 game.
Race to 100 Heads to the Homestretch
Blake Comeau's goal and assist gives him 99 career points (42-57-99), three more
than Kyle Okposo (39-57-96), four more than Frans Nielsen (29-66-95) and seven
more than Radek Martinek (19-73-92). No player drafted by the Islanders has
recorded 100 points in an Islander uniform since Scott Lachance reached the mark
during the 1998-99 season.
Home Sweet Home
The Isles have earned points in six straight at home (4-0-2). This was the first
game of a five-game homestand (0-0-1) and the first game of stretches of
13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at home.
Other Stuff
Rob Schremp had two assists for the 2nd time this season; Michael Grabner had 7
shots on goal to match the team high for the season; Daniel Sedin and Kesler
each extended their point streaks to 5 games; The Isles earned their second
point this season when trailing after two periods (0-15-2) while Vancouver is
21-0-3 when leading after two; The Canucks are 23-1-3 when Kesler records a
point
Season Series Stats
The Canucks win the only meeting of the season, but the Isles continue to
accumulate points against Vancouver. The Isles are 4-1-3 in their last eight
home games against the Canucks and are 6-3-4 against Vancouver since 1999.

Happy Anniversary
25 years ago today (January 11, 1986): Two days after blanking Pittsburgh 9-0,
the Isles score the game's first six goals as they pound Detroit 8-4. The 15
unanswered goals set an Islander record that still stands today. Overall, the
Isles are 8-3-3 all-time on this date; their last 3 games have gone to
shootouts, with DiPietro recording wins in 2007 and 2008 prior to tonight's
shootout loss.
Up Next
Tuesday, January 13- Ottawa @ Islanders 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
The Ottawa Senators visit the Coliseum for the first time this season on
Thursday night. The Sens, who were beaten in Boston 6-0 on Tuesday night for
their sixth straight defeat, have 38 points, just five more than the Isles.
Ottawa leads the series one game to none, defeating the Isles in Ontario 4-1 in
early November.
The Sens have given the Isles problems throughout their history, but the Isles
are 4-2-0 in their last six at home against Ottawa.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Monday, January 10, 2011

Jon Sim on waivers... again

Jon Sim was placed on waivers by the Isles again earlier today. At noon
Tuesday, we will learn whether he has been claimed by another NHL team or has
cleared. If he clears, it is up to the Isles to decide whether he stays
with the NHL club or is sent to Bridgeport.

I wrote "again" because Sim has been placed on waivers multiple times this
season.

According to Article 13.2(b) of the CBA, Players may be assigned to the minors
is he clears waivers and "the player has not played in ten (10) or more NHL
Games cumlative since Regular Waivers on him were last cleared, and more than
thirty(30) days cumulative on an NHL roster have not passed since Regular
Waivers on him were last cleared."

Sim is the oldest Islanders (9-29-1977) on the active roster, which stands at
the NHL maximum of 23. The roster includes the 20 players who dressed over the
weekend, plus Rick DiPietro, Frans Nielsen and Trevor Gillies.

If Sim were to be sent down, it would leave Gillies as the only healthy Islander
born in the 1970s. Five others (Doug Weight, Radek Martinek, Mark Eaton, Mark
Streit and Mike Mottau) are on the injury list.

As noted by Mike Fornabaio http://blog.connpost.com/fornabaio/, placing Sim on
waivers might be just to "restart the clock". The Isles would need to make some
sort of move to get any of their injured players (the 5 above, Hunter and
Okposo) back on the active roster.
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

The Skinny: Hawks 5, Isles 0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 40
Chicago 5, Isles 0

Marian Hossa scored a goal and added two assists, while Corey Crawford made 29
saves for his 2nd career shutout, as the Chicago Blackhawks celebrated the 50th
anniversary of their 1961 Championship team by blanking the Isles 5-0 before an
overflow crowd of 21,205 at United Center. The Isles head home with a 3-2
record on their five-game road trip.
Another Slow Start
The Islanders allowed the opening goal for the third straight game and fourth
time in five games; Patrick Sharp connected for his 7th goal in the last eight
games, on the power play at 4:52 for the opening period's only goal. It was his
club-leading 25th goal of the season and eventually became his 6th game-winning
goal (which is tied with Dustin Byfuglien and Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead).
The Hawks came out flying and outshot the Isles 16-8 in the opening period.

Hawks Score 4 in the Second
The second period was all Hawks. Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Dave Bolland, and
Niklas Hjalmarsson all tallied in the middle session. Neither team scored in
the third. 5-0 Final.
Home and Road
The Isles are 13-21-6, 6-14-3 on the road. They are now 9-11-3 under Jack
Capuano, including 8-3-1 in the last 12. Chicago is 23-18-3, 14-11-0 at home.
The Champs have won 3 of their last four.
In the Nets
Crawford improves to 14-8-1 as he records his second NHL shutout (and first
since March 25, 2008). Lawson made 40 saves for the Isles but falls to 0-2-1.
Power Plays
Chicago found a way to stop the Isles power play; they were shorthanded only
once. The Isles finish the trip 7-16 on the power play (43.8%). Chicago was 1-4
with the extra man; the Isles killed 14 of 15 on the trip.
In the Circle
The Isles won 27 of 56 (48%) face-offs. Jeremy Colliton won 10 of 14 draws for
the Isles.

Missing Men
Mike Mottau is out for the season. Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, Doug Weight, Trent
Hunter and Radek Martinek, Mark Eaton and Rick DiPietro remain out. Frans
Nielsen missed his third game of the season with a groin strain while Trevor
Gillies was a healthy scratch. The Isles have now lost 244 man-games to injury.
Moulson Extends Streak
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 122 games since
joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have
played every game this season; his 52 game streak includes the final 12 games
last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 20 NHL games (all
consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the
Isles.

Getting Younger All the Time
The Isles, who as recently as last Saturday had a 41 year old on their roster,
dressed only three players over 30: Jon Sim and Zenon Konopka (30 years, 7
days), and they saw less than 22 minutes of ice-time combined. With Kevin
Poulin on the roster, the Isles now have three players who were born in the
1990's (Travis Hamonic and John Tavares are the others; Tavares remains the
youngest player on the team). The average age of the 20 players dressed for
this game was 25.10 years.
As seen on MSG+
Jeremy Colliton played in his second straight game. Research by Elias noted
that Colliton, who scored two goals on Saturday, ended the second longest
drought between his first two NHL goals, while scoring both for the same team.
Colliton's goals were his first since April 15, 2006 against Pittsburgh, a span
of 1729 days. Only Butch McDonald had a longer stretch, he went 1817 days
between 1939-1944. McDonald had a good excuse for his gap: World War II.
Race to 100 Heads Home
With the Isles shutout for the 4th time this season, the Race to 100 is on hold
until Tuesday. Blake Comeau has 97 career points (41-56-97), one more than Kyle
Okposo (39-57-96), two more than Frans Nielsen (29-66-95) and five more than
Radek Martinek (19-73-92). No player drafted by the Islanders has recorded 100
points in an Islander uniform since Scott Lachance reached the mark during the
1998-99 season.
Go East, Young Team!
The Isles played 23 of their first 40 on the road, matching the club record, set
in 1992-93. They do not leave the Eastern Time Zone the remainder of the season
and play 24 of their final 42 at home.
Season Series Stats
The Hawks win the only meeting of the season, and deprive the Isles the chance
to beat the last four Stanley Cup champions in a four week stretch. The Hawks
beat the Isles for the first time since December 10, 2002, ending an Islander
six-game winning streak against the Hawks. It's Chicago's most lopsided win over
the Isles since a 5-0 win on November 12, 1999.
Happy Anniversary
25 years ago today (January 8, 1986): Kelly Hrudey records a shutout as the
Isles blank Pittsburgh 9-0 at the Coliseum, matching the club record for the
most one-sided victory. The Isles are now 9-8-1 all-time on this date.
3,000 Club
The loss spoiled the 3,000th regular season game in Islander history. The Isles
are 1296-1290-414 all-time. Two more milestones await. Their 1,500th home game
will be on January 15th against Buffalo while their 1,500th Nassau Coliseum game
will be on January 20th against Washington (each NHL team played two neutral
site games in 1992-93 and 1993-94).

Up Next
Sunday, January 11- Vancouver @ Islanders 7:00pm
[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]
The schedule now turns as the Isles begin stretches of 13-of-20 and 19-of-29 at
home when they begin a five-game homestand by hosting the Vancouver Canucks.
As well as the Islanders have played of late, the Canucks have been even
better. Vancouver leads the NHL with 60 points and are 17-1-3 in their last 21
games. The Canucks had won eight straight before a shootout loss to Detroit on
Saturday; they have not lost in regulation since December 5th (13-0-3). The
Canucks are also 8-0-1 in their last nine on the road; they are beginning a
5-game road trip with this game.
The Isles are 4-1-2 in their last seven home games against the Canucks and are
6-3-3 against Vancouver since 1999.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since
1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various
sources.
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

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Streaking!

Penalty kill has not allowed a goal on road trip, and in last 5 games overall.
They have killed 13 straight over the 5 games and 21-23 over the last 8.

Isles had a 5 game streak without allowing a PPG in the final 5 games
of December 2009. They haven't held six consecutive opponents without a PP goal

since November 10-19, 2005, when they killed all 33 over that stretch.

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

Stay East, Young Men

The Isles will play their 3000th game tonight in Chicago. The remaining 42
games this season, games 3001-3042, will all be played in the Eastern Time
Zone. 24 of those games will be at home and the Isles will not go west of
Atlanta the remainder of the regular season.

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