"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 50
Isles 2, Senators 1 (OT)
Mark Eaton celebrated his 600th NHL game by scoring the overtime winner as the Islanders came from behind to defeat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in front of 18,252 at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ontario. The Isles are 2-0-0 since the All-Star Break and 5-1-1 in their last seven games. The win moves the Islanders into a tie with Tampa for 11th place in the East; they are nine points behind 8th place Toronto and hold a game in hand over the Leafs.
The Scoring:
1st Period -None
2nd Period
19:47 SH OTT Z.SMITH(13) - E.CONDRA(12) - S.GONCHAR(25)
3rd Period
5:27 EV NYI - M.MARTIN(6) - P.PARENTEAU(35)
Overtime
2:35 EV NYI - M.EATON(1) - M.JURCINA(4) - P.PARENTEAU(36)
The Skinny:
The Islanders win for the second time this season when trailing after two periods (2-19-2); it's only the fifth time this season (5-19-3) that the Islanders have won when trailing after two periods after allowing the opening goal. PA Parenteau extended his point streak to three games. With 36 assists, he is now 5th in the NHL. It's the first time in Islander history that they have scored an overtime goal vs. Ottawa (they do hold two shootout wins against the Sens). This was the 1500th game in Senators history.
The Shots
The Isles outshot Ottawa 14-8 in the first period, 9-6 in the third period and 2-1 in overtime while Ottawa outshot the Islanders 9-7 in the second period. For the game, the Isles outshot Ottawa 32-24.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 21-22-7 overall and are 10-11-3 on the road. The Isles have won four out of their last five road games. They are within one game of NHL-.500 for the first time since November 5th.
The Sens are 27-20-7 overall and 14-9-2 at home. Ottawa is winless in their last five (0-4-1).
In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves to record his 304th NHL win, breaking a tie with Olaf Kolzig for 23rd place on the all-time list. He is 11-12-0 this season. Nabokov is one win shy of Billy Smith's total. The Islander legend won 304 games for the Islanders after winning his first career game for Los Angeles.
Craig Anderson made 30 saves for Ottawa. He is 25-17-5 for the Sens.
Leaning on #91
John Tavares has 53 points (22-31-53) on 117 Islander goals this season (45%). No Islander since Zigmund Palffy has recorded points on over 40% of the team's goals in a complete season.
This was the first time since November 29th that Tavares was held pointless in an Islander win and only the second time all season that neither Tavares nor Moulson earned a point in an Islander victory (October 10th vs. Minnesota).
Eaton's Time to Shine
Eaton's goal was his first since November 28, 2009, ending a 120 game scoreless streak; he is the 320th player in Islander history to score a goal. He is the first Islander defensemen to score a game-winning goal since Jack Hillen did so last March 11th vs. Boston. Eaton is also the first Islander defensemen to score in overtime since Mark Streit did so on October 30, 2009 vs. Washington; forwards had scored the last 13 overtime goals for the Islanders. Eaton's OT goal is his first since 3/22/01 ( Nashville 2 at Chicago 1 [1:54]). It's only the 18th time in the 28 seasons that the NHL has had regular season overtime that an Islander defenseman has scored the winner.
Overtime is Our Time
The Islanders are 5-1 in their last six games that have gone beyond 60 minutes (2-1 in overtime; 3-0 in shootouts). The Isles have won four straight overtime/shootouts on the road; this was the first road overtime win for the Islanders since Michael Grabner scored in Buffalo last February 13th.
MacLean, MacLean—Why Do I Know that Name?
This was the Isles' first game against rookie Senators coach Paul MacLean. MacLean was the second player to ever score an overtime goal against the Islanders in the regular season, when he did so against the Stanley Cup Champions on December 30, 1983. Mac Lean's goal for Winnipeg came just 29 seconds into overtime and was the earliest OT goal allowed by the Isles until 2007, when Lee Stempniak broke the mark. (Saku Koivu now holds the record against the Islanders: 14 seconds)
Even Success
The Islanders outscored Ottawa 2-0 at even-strength. The Isles have been outscored 107-78 at even-strength this season.
Power Plays
The Islanders went 0-2 on the power play, allowing a shorthanded goal while the Sens were 0-2. The Isles entered the game with the NHL's best road power play (25.8%) and were 5th in the league with the extra man overall. The Isles are 5-17 in the last seven games on the power play and 11-39 in the last 15 games on the power play.
The Isles have killed 19-20 over the last nine games, 39-41 (95.1%) over the last 17 games and 43-46(93.5%) over the last 21 games, dating back to December 16th.
They Said It
PA Parenteau: ""We're a confident bunch right now. We play with a lot of passion and we know what's at stake in the next two weeks. Nothing's impossible for us. The group of guys we have like Johnny (Tavares) … but a lot of guys are playing well. It's only nine points and there's a lot of games left."
They Tweeted It
@GreenLanternJet: Just how good was John Tavares tonight? The guy went scoreless but was still the game's first star. #Isles #NHL (as voted by the Team 1200, the Senators radio station)
The Coach
"We didn't get down after the second period. We came out in the third and played a pretty good hockey game."
Leading Ice Men
Andrew MacDonald led the Isles with 24:44; Erik Karlsson led Ottawa with 24:51. It's the fourth straight game that A-Mac has led the Isles in ice-time.
In the Circle
The Islanders won 26 draws; Ottawa won 32 John Tavares won 18 of 29 for the Isles; Jason Spezza won 12 of 19 for Ottawa.
Heavy Hitters
The Islanders were out-hit 36-19. Chris Neil had 6 hits for Ottawa, while Travis Hamonic and Tim Wallace had five for the Isles. NHL hit leader Matt Martin had three hits, raising his total to 227. Martin, who had a club record 299 hits last season (hits have only been recorded since 2005-06) leads the NHL in hits by a wide margin. He is on a pace to have 372 hits, which would be the highest total of any NHL player since the lockout.
Third Periods
The Isles outscored Ottawa 1-0 in the third period; the Isles have been outscored 55-38 overall in the third period (44-31 excluding empty nets). In the first two periods, the Isles have been outscored 84-79.
7 to Go
The Isles have scored 9,993 goals in their history (excluding 42 shootout winners), leaving the club 7 shy of 10,000.
4 Over .500
The Islanders improve to four games over all-time NHL .500 (1334-1330-428 in 3,092 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 73 goals in their 21 wins (3.48 per game) and 46 goals in their other 29 games (0-22-7; 1.59 per game). In their 22 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 27 goals (1.22 per game).
Head of the Class
John Tavares has 174 career points; he is 28 points ahead of Matt Duchene for most among 2009 draft picks. No other player in that draft is anywhere close. (Duchene suffered a knee injury in late December and has not yet resumed skating.)
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 23 goals this season; John Tavares has earned assists on 15 of them. He has now been on-ice for 47 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 15 games ago, Matt Moulson is 7-11-18, Kyle Okposo is 6-8-14, and John Tavares is 10-16-26. None of the three had a point tonight.
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 seven goals away from a third consecutive 30-goal season; no Islander since Ziggy Palffy has accomplished that feat. Moulson has 84 goals as an Islander – the most by any Islander since the lockout.
20-20-20 x 2
Moulson and Tavares are the first Islander teammates to record at least twenty goals in three straight seasons since Mark Parrish and Jason Blake did so in 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2005-06. Tavares, by the way, is the fifth player to score at least 20 goals for the Islanders in each of his first three NHL seasons, joining:
· Billy Harris (first six seasons: 1972-73 through 1977-78),
· Clark Gillies (five: 1974-75 through 1978-79),
· Mike Bossy (all 10 seasons: 1977-78 through 1986-87).
Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 214 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 112 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:
· Richard Park 10/5/2006 – 2/18/2009 221
· Bryan McCabe 10/7/95-2/4/98 220
· Bryan Trottier 3/7/81- 1/12/84 219
· Mariusz Czerkawski 12/23/99 – 4/14/2002 215
· Matt Moulson 10/3/2009-CURRENT 214
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 now has the 6th 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. Travis Hamonic 11/24/10 – CURRENT 112
7. Jean Potvin 10/23/75-1/2/77 110
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
Dylan Reese and Brian Rolston (both healthy) were scratched. Marty Reasoner, Mike Mottau, Rick DiPietro, and Mark Katic are on injured reserve. The Isles have lost 243 man-games to injury so far this season. Al Montoya dressed as the back-up.
List Time
Career Wins, Active Goalies
Career Wins
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
|
Matt Moulson
|
84
|
33
|
Tomas Jonsson
|
84
|
35
|
Wayne Merrick
|
81
|
35
|
Dave Scatchard
|
81
|
37
|
Marty McInnis
|
79
|
38
|
Miroslav Satan
|
78
|
39
|
Claude Lapointe
|
76
|
40
|
John Tavares
|
75
|
41
|
Lorne Henning
|
73
|
41
|
JP Parise
|
73
|
Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
60
|
Gord Dineen
|
287
| ||||||
60
|
Frans Nielsen
|
287
| ||||||
62
|
Jeff Norton
|
282
| ||||||
63
|
Steve Thomas
|
275
| ||||||
64
|
Blake Comeau
|
261
| ||||||
64
|
Andre St. Laurent
|
261
| ||||||
64
|
Josh Bailey
|
261
| ||||||
67
|
Brad Lauer
|
259
| ||||||
76
|
JP Parise
|
240
| ||||||
77
|
Kyle Okposo
|
239
| ||||||
78
|
Adrian Aucoin
|
235
| ||||||
88
|
Andy Hilbert
|
218
| ||||||
89
|
Matt Moulson
|
214
| ||||||
90
|
Paul Boutilier
|
211
| ||||||
90
|
John Tavares
|
211
| ||||||
92
|
Gary Nylund
|
209
| ||||||
93
|
Mark Streit
|
206
| ||||||
94
|
Tom Fitzgerald
|
205
| ||||||
Career Points as an Islander
39
|
Lorne Henning
|
184
|
40
|
John Tavares
|
174
|
41
|
Randy Wood
|
172
|
50
|
Roman Hamrlik
|
153
|
51
|
Matt Moulson
|
147
|
52
|
Kyle Okposo
|
143
|
53
|
Frans Nielsen
|
142
|
53
|
Michael Peca
|
142
|
55
|
Dave Lewis
|
141
|
Season Series Stats
The Islanders lead the season series one game to none (and two points to one). The teams will meet twice during President's Week (February 20th at the Coliseum and February 26th in Ottawa), before they complete the season series at the Coliseum on April 1st. The Isles have won three straight against Ottawa and are 7-4-2 in their last 13 games against the Sens.
Happy Anniversary
35 years ago tonight (2-3-77): Playing their first game under new Captain Clark Gillies, the Islanders defeated the Rangers 6-3 at the Coliseum. Richie Hansen punctuated the game by scoring with 8:55 to play. Hansen, who was playing his second NHL game, became the first Long Island native to score a goal for the Islanders.
All-time, the Isles are 8-5-4 on this date, including four successive wins.
On The Farm
The first place Sound Tigers improved to 11-0-0-1 in their last 12 with a 6-2 win in Portland Friday night. Anders Nilsson made 23 saves; Justin DiBenedetto and Tony Romano each scored twice. The Sound Tigers are 23-17-3-2 and return home to play Manchester on Saturday. Bridgeport is sporting both the AHL player of the month (Casey Cizikas) and AHL goalie of the month (Kevin Poulin). Cizikas had two assists tonight in his first game of February.
Up Next
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4th BUFFALO AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM
[MSG+ (Islanders Game Night at 6:30pm), WRHU (88.7FM)]
[MSG+ (Islanders Game Night at 6:30pm), WRHU (88.7FM)]
The Islanders return home Saturday to face Buffalo, looking to get back to NHL-.500 for the first time since October 22nd. The Islanders have won both meetings with Buffalo this season and are 6-1-0 in their last seven games against the Sabres. The Isles have won the last three with Buffalo dating back to last season and will be looking for their first four-game winning streak over the Sabres since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
If the Islanders can win on Saturday, they will reach .500 this late in a season for the first time since they were 32-32-7 through 71 games of the 2007-08 campaign.
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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