"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 47
Leafs 3, Isles 0
In the first game of the home-and-home series, Matt Lombardi scored twice and Jonas Gustavsson made 25 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Isles 3-0 in front of 19,570 at Air Canada Centre. The teams play again on Tuesday night at the Coliseum. The loss ends the Isles' third three-game winning streak of the season.
The Scoring:
First Period
1:37 EV TOR M.LOMBARDI(5) J.GARDINER(12) C.FRANSON(11)
Third Period
8:10 EV TOR P.KESSEL(26) J.LUPUL(32) C.GUNNARSSON(13)
16:21 EV TOR M.LOMBARDI(6) J.CRABB(8) M.GRABOVSKI(13)
The Skinny:
John Tavares' point streak ends at a career-high twelve games. Tavares had seven goals and 14 assists in those 12 games (including seven multi-point games). The Isles allowed a goal in the first five minutes for the tenth time this season (1-7-2). Matthew Lombardi recorded his 10th career multi-goal game. It was the Leafs' first shutout against the Isles since 1/20/2004 when Ed Belfour did it. The Isles have scored six goals in their last six losses.
The Shots
The Isles were outshot 16-5 in the first period and 8-6 in the second, before outshooting Toronto 14-11 in the third. For the game, the Isles were outshot Carolina 35-25.
The Shutouts
The Isles have been shut out eight times this season, but this is only the second time they have been blanked since the end of November. The Isles were last shut out eight times in 2003-04; they have not been shut out more frequently since 2000-01 when they were blanked ten times. It's only the third time Toronto has ever shut out the Islanders.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 19-22-6 overall and are 8-11-3 on the road. Despite the loss, the Isles are 8-6-1 in their last fifteen road games.
The Leafs are 24-19-5 overall and 14-8-4 at home.
In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves for the second straight game but suffers the loss, dropping to 10-12-0 on the season. He is 5-2-0 in his last seven starts, with a 1.56 goals against average. The loss ends a personal 4-game win streak for Nabokov.
Jonas Gustvasson made 25 saves for Toronto as he recorded his third shutout of the season. Gustavsson has allowed only 4 goals in three appearances vs. the Isles but is 1-1-1.
Nabby's Week
Evgeni Nabokov was named the NHL Third Stars of the Week earlier on Monday. Nabokov went 3-0-0, stopping 89 of 91 shots (97.8%) for a 0.65 goals against average (including one shutout). It's the first time since January 12-18, 2010 that the Isles have allowed a total of two goals in a three-game stretch.
Leaning on #91
John Tavares has 48 points (19-29-48) on 109 Islander goals this season (44%). No Islander since Zigmund Palffy has recorded points on over 40% of the team's goals in a complete season.
Power Plays
The Islanders did not have a power play for the second time this season; the Leafs were 0-2. The Isles entered the game 6th in the league with the extra man. The Isles are 3-11 in the last four games on the power play and 9-33 in the last 12 games on the power play.
The Isles have killed 14-14 over the last six games, 34-35 (97.1%) over the last 14 games and 38-40 (95.0%) over the last 18 games, dating back to December 16th. While the Isles have not allowed a power play goal against in six games, Toronto has not allowed a power play goal in 2012, killing 16 opponent power plays. The Leafs have been shorthanded one time or less in six of those 10 games.
300 Club
Evgeni Nabokov is the 26th goalie in NHL history with 300 career wins. Among current NHL goalies, only Martin Brodeur, Nikolai Khabibulin and Roberto Luongo have more career wins. He is now tied with Olaf Kolzig (303) for 23rd place on the all-time list. He one of five goalies who have won 300 games, including at least one for the Isles: [Chris Osgood (401 -- 49 with Isles), John Vanbiesbrouck (374 -- 10 with Isles), Roberto Luongo (327 -- 7 with Isles), Billy Smith (305 -- 304 with Isles) and now Evgeni Nabokov (303 -- 10 with Isles)]
They Said It
Matt Moulson: "They jumped on us. We had some tough turnovers and didn't get much zone play in the first period and a half … we picked it up as it went along … third period was our best period but we weren't getting many pucks to the net."
They Tweeted It
@TSNScottyMac: "Matthew Lombardi with his first multi-goal game with #Leafs."
The Coach
"It took us forever to get shots off tonight. The bottom line is they went to the net harder than we went to the net."
Leading Ice Men
Andrew MacDonald led the Isles with 23:40; Dion Phaneuf led all players with 26:29. MacDonald blocked four Leafs shots… but also had seven of his own shots blocked.
In the Circle
The Islanders won 22 draws; Toronto won 29. Tavares won 9 of 17 for the Isles; David Steckel won 8 of 10 for the Leafs, including 4 of 5 in his own zone.
Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit Toronto 41-27. NHL hit leader Matt Martin led all players with eight hits, raising his total to 210. Martin, who had a club record 299 hits last season (hits have only been recorded since 2005-06) has 30 hits more than anyone else in the NHL. He is on a pace to have 380 hits, which would be the highest total of any NHL player since the lockout.
Third Periods
The Isles were outscored 2-0 in the third period; the Isles have been outscored 51-33 overall in the third period (41-28 excluding empty nets). In the first two periods, the Isles have been outscored 82-75.
Hard to Come Back
The Leafs are now 18-0-0 when they lead after two periods. (Dallas, Toronto, Boston and Vancouver also have a perfect record when leading after 40 minutes.)
No, Canada
The Isles have played four games in Canada and are 1-3-0, scoring only six goals. The win came in a shootout in Winnipeg. The Isles have not had a power play in two of the four games played in Canada- it's the only two times that has happened this season. The Isles are 4-7-0 the last two seasons in games played in Canada, with all four victories coming in OT/SO.
17 to Go
The Isles have scored 9,983 goals in their history (excluding 42 shootout winners), leaving the club 17 shy of 10,000.
2 Over .500
The Islanders drop to two games over all-time NHL .500 (1332-1330-427 in 3,089 games). The Isles have twice this season been one game below .500. Prior to this season, they had not been below NHL .500 since they were 177-178-83 prior to their victory on January 16, 1978.
Scoring
The Isles have scored 70 goals over the last 26 games (14-10-2) after scoring only 15 in the previous nine games (1-6-2). The Isles have scored 66 goals in their 19 wins (3.48 per game) and 43 goals in their other 28 games (0-22-6; 1.54 per game). In their 22 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 27 goals (1.22 per game).
Head of the Class
John Tavares has 169 career points; he is 23 points ahead of Matt Duchene for most among 2009 draft picks. No other player in that draft is anywhere close. (Duchene, who suffered a knee injury in late December and is expected to miss the next month.) Tavares' 12-game point streak that ended tonight was the longest by an Islander since Mark Parrish had a twelve-game streak (5-8-13) in October/November, 2001 and is the longest in the NHL this season.
Longest Point Streaks in NHL, Last 2 Seasons
· Sidney Crosby, 25 games (11/5/10-12/28/10)
· John Tavares, 12 games (12/29/11-1/21/12)
· Ilya Kovalchuk 12 games (2/1/11-2/25/11)
Friends, Friends, Friends
Moulson has 22 goals this season; John Tavares has earned assists on 15 of them. He has now been on-ice for 46 consecutive Moulson goals, earning assists on 31 of them, dating back to a Moulson goal on November 17, 2010 against Tampa.
MOT-ley Crew?
Since being put together 13 games ago, Matt Moulson is 6-9-15, Kyle Okposo is 5-6-11, and John Tavares is 8-13-21.
As Seen on MSG+
Last 5 Islanders with 10+ Game Point Streaks
· Pierre Turgeon (1993-94) 13 games
· Ziggy Palffy (1997-98) 13 games
· Mariusz Czerkawski (1999-2000) 13 games
· Mark Parrish (2001-02) 12 games
· John Tavares (2011-12) 12 games
20-20-20, 30-30-30?
Matt Moulson is the first Islander since Jason Blake (4 seasons: 2002-03 to 2006-07) to have at least three consecutive 20-goal seasons. He is eight goals away from a third consecutive 30-goal season; no Islander since Ziggy Palffy has accomplished that feat. Moulson has 83 goals as an Islander – the most by any Islander since the lockout.
Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 211 games since joining the team. Moulson's streak is the longest for an Islander since Richard Park played in 221 games from October 2006- February 2009. Travis Hamonic has now played 109 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles.
Moulson is one of only five Islanders in the last thirty years to appear in 200 consecutive games:
· Matt Moulson 10/3/2009-CURRENT 211
· Richard Park 10/5/2006 – 2/18/2009 221
· Mariusz Czerkawski 12/23/99 – 4/14/2002 215
· Bryan McCabe 10/7/95-2/4/98 220
· Bryan Trottier 3/7/81- 1/12/84 219
Billy Harris played in the first 576 games in Islander history; that figure still stands as the club record.
Century Club
Hamonic is only the 8th defensemen in Islander history to play in 100 consecutive games and the first since Janne Niinimaa. He currently has the 7th longest streak by a defenseman in Islander history.
1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262
2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/95-2/4/98 220
3. Gerry Hart 3/1/75-11/22/77 198
4. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136
5. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134
6. Jean Potvin 10/23/75-1/2/77 110
7. Travis Hamonic 11/24/10 – CURRENT 109
8. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/96-2/4/98 104
Like Hamonic, McCabe and Morrow's streaks came at the start of their NHL careers. Both Niinimaa's streak and McCabe's streak encompassed their entire Islander careers.
Missing Men
Marty Reasoner (broken thumb) and Steve Staios (healthy) were scratched. Mike Mottau, Rick DiPietro, and Mark Katic are on injured reserve. The Isles have lost 231 man-games to injury so far this season. Al Montoya dressed as the back-up goalie for the fourth straight game.
List Time
Career Wins, Active Goalies
Career Wins
Career Goals, Active Players
Career Games, Active Players
1 Nicklas Lidstrom 1,543
2 Roman Hamrlik 1,354
3 Jaromir Jagr 1,313
4 Teemu Selanne 1,306
5 Brian Rolston 1,226
Rolston's 1,226 career games is tied with Islander Hall-of-Famer Ed Westfall (1,226) for 79th place in NHL history.
Most First Goals of Game (NHL This Season)
| 1 | Matt Moulson | 9 |
| 2 | Evander Kane | 7 |
| 2 | Loui Eriksson | 7 |
Career Goals as an Islander
| 32 | Butch Goring | 87 |
| 33 | Tomas Jonsson | 84 |
| 34 | Matt Moulson | 83 |
| 35 | Wayne Merrick | 81 |
| 35 | Dave Scatchard | 81 |
| 40 | Lorne Henning | 73 |
| 40 | JP Parise | 73 |
| 42 | John Tavares | 72 |
| 43 | Alan Kerr | 69 |
Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
| 60 | Gord Dineen | 287 | ||||||
| 61 | Frans Nielsen | 284 | ||||||
| 62 | Jeff Norton | 282 | ||||||
| 66 | Brad Lauer | 259 | ||||||
| 67 | Benoit Hogue | 258 | ||||||
| 67 | Josh Bailey | 258 | ||||||
| 69 | Pierre Turgeon | 255 | ||||||
| 76 | JP Parise | 240 | ||||||
| 77 | Kyle Okposo | 236 | ||||||
| 78 | Adrian Aucoin | 235 | ||||||
| 88 | Andy Hilbert | 218 | ||||||
| 89 | Paul Boutilier | 211 | ||||||
| 89 | Matt Moulson | 211 | ||||||
| 91 | Gary Nylund | 209 | ||||||
| 92 | John Tavares | 208 | ||||||
| 93 | Tom Fitzgerald | 205 | ||||||
| 94 | Mark Streit | 203 | ||||||
| 95 | Billy Carroll | 200 | ||||||
Career Points as an Islander
| 43 | Shawn Bates | 170 |
| 44 | John Tavares | 169 |
| 44 | Jude Drouin | 169 |
| 46 | Dave Scatchard | 168 |
| 47 | Miroslav Satan | 166 |
| 50 | Roman Hamrlik | 153 |
| 51 | Matt Moulson | 144 |
| 52 | Frans Nielsen | 142 |
| 52 | Michael Peca | 142 |
| 54 | Dave Lewis | 141 |
| 55 | Kyle Okposo | 140 |
| 55 | Robert Reichel | 140 |
| 57 | Bryan Smolinski | 139 |
Back in the Race
With the loss, the Isles dropped into a 12th place tie with Tampa in the Eastern Conference standings, but are technically behind Tampa because they have one fewer win. The Isles remain nine points behind 8th place Washington. The 8 points that they were behind after Saturday's games represented the closest that the Isles have been to a playoff spot this late in the season since the final week of the 2009-10 campaign.
With 44 points in 47 games, the Isles are four points behind their 47-game pace from 2006-07, which was their last playoff appearance.
Season Series Stats
The Leafs lead the season series two games to none (and four points to none). The teams will play at the Coliseum on Tuesday before completing the season series in Toronto on March 20th. The Isles are 2-4-0 in the last six against Toronto, but have not beaten Toronto in regulation since March 14, 2010.
Happy Anniversary
39 years ago tonight (1-23-73): The most memorable game the Isles have played on this night might have been the first. On the night that President Nixon announced the end of the war in Vietnam, leading to wild cheers inside the Coliseum, Craig Cameron scores the Islanders first-ever home ice hat trick as the Isles beat California 8-1. Howie Rose was at that game and recalled "I remember one of the Islanders, Craig Cameron, skating around in a circle, banging his stick on the ice in jubilation."
All-time, the Isles are 7-7-0 on this date, having gone 0-3-0 since a win in 2004.
On The Farm
Bridgeport continues to be RED HOT. The Sound Tigers have won eight straight and improved to 20-17-3-1 with a 2-1 win in Adirondack on Saturday. Casey Cizikas scored his 10th goal and Anders Nilsson made 37 saves for his fourth straight win. The Sound Tigers will look to tie the club record of 9, set in 2002 and equaled in 2003 when they host St. John's Wednesday; the hot streak has moved them within two points of first-place in the AHL Northeast Division.
Up Next
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24th TORONTO AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM
[MSG+2 (Islanders Game Night at 6:30pm), WRHU (88.7FM)]
[MSG+2 (Islanders Game Night at 6:30pm), WRHU (88.7FM)]
The home-and-home series concludes on Tuesday as the Isles close out the "first half" as they host the Leafs. It's the first time since 1982 that the Isles have played consecutive games against Toronto and the first time that these teams have ever played on back-to-back nights in the regular season.
Following Tuesday's game, the Isles are off until the following Tuesday, when they visit Carolina.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
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