"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 25
Isles 5, Capitals 2
Game 26
Penguins 6, Isles 1
It was a mixed weekend for the Islanders. The Isles defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Saturday before a sellout crowd of 14,819 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to reach NHL .500, only to drop right back below it as they dropped a 6-1 decision before a sellout crowd of 18,634 in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The loss in Pittsburgh ends an Islanders five-game point streak (3-0-2), which is their longest since January 24 – February 7, 2012 (also 3-0-2).
The Scoring:
(Saturday)
1st Period
10:46 NYI J. Bailey (2) Tip-In - ASST: F. Nielsen (10) AND M. Streit (10) 1 - 0 NYI
2nd Period
01:26 WSH PPG - M. Perreault (4) Backhand - ASST: J. Ward (8) AND J. Carlson (7) 1 - 1 TIE
10:03 NYI C. Cizikas (3) Wrist - ASST: M. Martin (2) AND C. McDonald (6) 2 - 1 NYI
3rd Period
07:09 WSH N. Backstrom (3) Snap - ASST: T. Brouwer (7) AND K. Alzner (1) 2 - 2 TIE
12:13 NYI PPG - J. Tavares (15) Snap - ASST: B. Boyes (14) AND L. Visnovsky (6) 3 - 2 NYI
12:43 NYI PPG - J. Tavares (16) Wrist - ASST: M. Moulson (15) AND B. Boyes (15) 4 - 2 NYI
16:59 NYI SHG - F. Nielsen (3) Wrist - ASST: T. Hamonic (6) 5 - 2 NYI
(Sunday)
1st Period
07:10 PIT P. Dupuis (10) Wrist - ASST: C. Kunitz (18) AND S. Crosby (29) 1 - 0 PIT
13:46 PIT PPG - C. Kunitz (15) Wrist - ASST: J. Neal (10) AND S. Crosby (30) 2 - 0 PIT
16:41 PIT PPG - C. Kunitz (16) Wrist - ASST: J. Neal (11) AND S. Crosby (31) 3 - 0 PIT
2nd Period
08:07 NYI B. Boyes (6) Wrist - ASST: C. Cizikas (7) AND M. Moulson (16) 3 - 1 PIT
13:34 PIT C. Kunitz (17) Wrist - ASST: K. Letang (22) AND S. Crosby (32) 4 - 1 PIT
13:50 PIT J. Neal (17) Snap - ASST: K. Letang (23) 5 - 1 PIT
3rd Period
06:39 PIT P. Dupuis (11) Wrist - ASST: S. Crosby (33) AND C. Kunitz (19) 6 - 1 PIT
The Skinny:
The Isles are 6-1-1 when leading after two periods…Matt Moulson played in his 300th NHL game on Saturday; Michael Grabner played in his 200th NHL game on Sunday. Tavares' two goals Saturday give him 100 on his career; he is the 26th Isles with 100 career goals. … Tavares' two goals Saturday were both scored on the power play, 30 seconds apart. Only Clark Gillies (10 seconds; 3-29-75 vs. NYR) and Bryan Trottier (29 seconds; 2-13-82 vs. Philly) have done it faster…Nielsen's SH goal Saturday was the 10th of his career and his first since 2010-11; he is the 10th player in Islander history to record ten shorthanded goals in his career.… Sidney Crosby had 5 assists Sunday, matching a career high. He is the first player to have 5 assists vs. the Isles since Scott Gomez on 3/30/03 for New Jersey…Crosby is now 5-15-20 in last 8 games overall, with at least one assist in each... Crosby how has 45 points in the last 21 games in Pittsburgh vs. the Isles and 38 points in the last 18 vs. the Isles overall…The Isles are 0-4-0 this season on the second night of back-to-backs… The Penguins have won five straight games … Chris Kunitz' hat trick was the 4th of his career; he also recorded his first career 5-point game…It was the 17th time a Penguin has recorded a hat trick vs. the Isles (no other team has more than 13 vs. the Isles).
The Shots:
Isles 12-14-19=45
Capitals 8-14-5 = 27
The 45 shots were the most for the Isles in any game since they had 47 on October 9, 2010 vs. Dallas and were also their most shots vs. Washington since April 8, 2006, when they also had 45 in a playoff-clinching win over the Caps.
Isles 4-6-14=24
Penguins 12-5-11=28
Home and Road
The Islanders are 11-12-3 overall, 5-8-2 at home and 6-4-1 on the road.
The Isles had an opportunity to move over NHL .500 in the second-half of an NHL season for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. Last season, the Isles entered five games in the second half with a .500 record but lost them all.
The Penguins are 18-8-0 overall, 7-4-0 at home and 11-4-0 on the road.
In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves Saturday and 12 saves in the first two periods Sunday; he is 11-8-2 on the season. Kevin Poulin played the third period Sunday and made 10 saves.
Philipp Grubauer made 40 saves for Washington in his first NHL start.
Tomas Vokoun made 23 saves for the Penguins as he improves to 6-3-0 on the season.
Power Plays
The Islanders went 2-6 on Saturday while the Caps were 1-3.
The Isles went 0-3 on Sunday while the Penguins were 2-4.
The Isles have 11 PP goals in their last 11 games (with all 11 goals coming in four games).
The Isles are 9-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 2-10-2 when they do not.
In (Almost) Every Game
The Isles have been tied or ahead in the third period in 20 of 26 games this season (11-6-3).
They Said It
Mark Streit "It was really important we had a good start, but obviously we didn't….It was just a flat start."
They Tweeted It
@BComptonNHL "Lot of upset folks in #Isles Country tonight. Fifth game since last Sunday, folks. Let's see how they respond after a couple of days off."
The Coach
"I didn't want to (change Nabokov) with 5 or 6 minutes left (in the 2nd period)." Told Poulin he would be in for third.
As Tavares Goes…
The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 1-0-1 when he has three points, 5-2-0 when he has two points, 3-2-0 when he has one point, and 1-8-2 when Tavares is pointless.
What a Pair!
John Tavares and Matt Moulson have combined for 27 goals this season. Moulson has assisted on 11 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season. Tavares has earned an assist on 7 Moulson goals this season. Since November 2011, Tavares has been on-ice for 39 of Moulson's last 40 goals, earning 25 assists; since November 2010, he has earned 47 assists on Moulson's last 71 goals, while being on ice for 69 of them.
Head of the Class
John Tavares has 231 career points; he is 57 points ahead of Matt Duchene for most among 2009 draft picks. No other player in that draft is anywhere close. Tavares also has more goals and more assists than any other player in that draft.
114 NHL Goals
Moulson has 114 career goals (108 as an Islander). While 262 players were selected before the Penguins chose Moulson in the 2003 entry draft, only 17 have more goals. Moulson is one goal behind Nikolai Zherdev for 16th place.
Leading Ice Men
Mark Streit played 23:17 Saturday and 25:54 Sunday to lead the Isles. John Carlson led the Caps with 29:17 while Kris Letang led the Pens with 23:32.
In the Circle
The Islanders won 33 of 62 draws Saturday and 19 of 58 draws on Sunday.
Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit Washington 23-8 but were out-hit 17-11 by Pittsburgh. Matt Martin had a 12 hit weekend raising his season total to and NHL-leading 128. There were no fights, leaving the Isles' season total at 10.
Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 18 blocked shots Saturday and 16 shots Sunday. Mark Streit led the Isles with a 9-block weekend.
Still over .500
The Islanders remain one game over all-time NHL .500 (1358-1357-435 in 3,150 games). The Isles have been one game below .500 twice last season and four times this season. Prior to that, they had not been below NHL .500 since they were 177-178-83 prior to their victory on January 16, 1978.
March to Victory
The Isles were 4-2-1 in January and 4-9-1 in February. The Isles are 3-1-1 in March.
Lots of Home Cooking
The win over Washington completed a seven-game homestand, which matched the club record.
· October 7- October 28, 1972 (1-5-1 in the first seven games in club history)
· December 19, 2000- January 2, 2001 (2-5-0)
· November 21-December 4, 2001 (3-2-2)
· October 14- October 31, 2006 (4-1-2)
· February 15-March 1, 2007 (5-1-1)
· February 24-March 9, 2013 (3-2-2)
Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 272 games since joining the team. Moulson's streak is the longest for an Islander in the Post-Cup era. Billy Harris played in the first 576 games in Islander history; that figure still stands as the club record.
Three other Islanders, Frans Nielsen, John Tavares and Mark Streit, also played in every game last season. Tavares extended his streak to 185 consecutive games, while Nielsen and Streit have each played in 108.
Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Islander History
1. Billy Harris 576
2. Bob Nystrom 301
3. Matt Moulson 272
4. Denis Potvin 262
Century Club
Mark Streit is the 9th Islander defenseman to play at least 100 consecutive games:
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 – 2/4/12 113
7. Jean Potvin 10/23/75-1/2/77 110
8. Mark Streit 10/8/11-CURRENT 108
9. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/96-2/4/98 104
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
Eric Boulton, Joe Finley and Keith Aucoin were scratched from both games. Matt Carkner and Brian Strait are on injured reserve. Jesse Joensuu remains suspended after suffering an injury in Europe.
Scoring
The Isles have scored 49 goals in their 11 wins (4.45 per game) and 26 goals in their other 15 games (0-12-3; 1.73 per game). In their 12 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 17 goals (1.42 per game).
Career Wins, Active Goalies
Career Wins
21. Sean Burke 324
23. Miikka Kiprusoff 314
Career Shutouts, Active Goalies
Career Shutouts
19 Bernie Parent 54
19 Ed Giacomin 54
21 Evgeni Nabokov 53
22 Rogie Vachon 51
22 Dave Kerr 51
22 Curtis Joseph 51
Career Goals as an Islander
| 21 | Ray Ferraro | 116 | ||
| 22 | Matt Moulson | 108 | ||
| 23 | Benoit Hogue | 105 | ||
| 23 | Ed Westfall | 105 | ||
| 25 | Anders Kallur | 101 | ||
| 26 | John Tavares | 100 | ||
| 27 | Trent Hunter | 99 | ||
| | | | ||
| Career Assists as an Islander | ||||
| 27 | Greg Gilbert | 138 | ||
| 28 | Jason Blake | 131 | ||
| 28 | John Tavares | 131 | ||
| 30 | Trent Hunter | 130 | ||
| 31 | Mark Streit | 128 | ||
| 32 | Benoit Hogue | 124 | ||
| 32 | Mikko Makela | 124 | ||
| 34 | Frans Nielsen | 123 | ||
| 35 | Ray Ferraro | 122 | ||
Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
| 26 | Mariusz Czerkawski | 470 | |
| 27 | Trent Hunter | 459 | |
| 27 | Radek Martinek | 459 | |
| 29 | Scott Lachance | 450 | |
| 39 | Dave Scatchard | 347 | |
| 40 | Alexei Yashin | 346 | |
| 41 | Mark Parrish | 345 | |
| 41 | Frans Nielsen | 345 | |
| 43 | Marty McInnis | 337 | |
| 56 | Gerald Diduck | 314 | |
| 57 | Mikko Makela | 307 | |
| 57 | Josh Bailey | 307 | |
| 59 | Gordon Lane | 304 | |
| 60 | Arron Asham | 300 | |
| 60 | Roman Hamrlik | 300 | |
| 62 | Kyle Okposo | 297 | |
| 63 | Gordon Dineen | 287 | |
| 64 | Jeffrey Norton | 282 | |
| 65 | Steve Thomas | 275 | |
| 66 | Matt Moulson | 272 | |
| 67 | John Tavares | 269 | |
| 68 | Mark Streit | 264 | |
| 69 | Blake Comeau | 261 | |
| 69 | Andre St. Laurent | 261 | |
| | | | |
Career Points as an Islander
| 25 | Kenny Jonsson | 232 |
| 27 | Greg Gilbert | 231 |
| 27 | John Tavares | 231 |
| 29 | Benoit Hogue | 229 |
| 29 | Trent Hunter | 229 |
| 36 | Marty McInnis | 198 |
| 37 | Wayne Merrick | 197 |
| 37 | Matt Moulson | 197 |
| 39 | Robert Goring | 195 |
| 40 | Jeffrey Norton | 188 |
| 41 | Lorne Henning | 184 |
| 42 | Frans Nielsen | 180 |
| 43 | Randy Wood | 172 |
| 44 | Claude Lapointe | 171 |
| 44 | Jean-Paul Parise | 171 |
| 46 | Shawn Bates | 170 |
| 47 | Kyle Okposo | 169 |
| 47 | Jude Drouin | 169 |
| 49 | Dave Scatchard | 168 |
| 50 | Miroslav Satan | 166 |
| 51 | Mark Streit | 165 |
| 52 | Oleg Kvasha | 158 |
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series with Washington one game to none (and two points to zero). The teams will play again March 26 and April 4 in Washington. The Isles are 3-0-3 in the last six games against the Caps.
The Penguins lead the season series with the Isles two games to one (and four points to two). The teams will play again March 22 at the Coliseum at March 30 in Pittsburgh.
Happy Anniversary
22 years ago Saturday (March 9, 1991): Glenn Healy made 41 saves as the Islanders defeated the Rangers 6-4 at the Coliseum.
All-time, the Isles are 8-9-3 on March 9, although this was the Isles' first victory since 1996.
13 years ago Sunday (March 10, 2000): Olli Jokinen scored 3:34 into overtime as the Isles win in Dallas 4-3. Kevin Weekes recorded the victory.
All-time, the Isles are 8-9-4 on March 10, including 0-2-1 in the last three.
On The Farm
Bridgeport is 24-24-5-4 on the season after defeating Albany 4-2 on Friday. The Sound Tigers are seven points out of a playoff spot with 19 games to play. Bridgeport hosts Springfield Tuesday.
Up Next
THURSDAY, MARCH 14th ISLANDERS AT TAMPA BAY (7:00PM)
[MSG (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]
[MSG (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]
After a few days off, the Isles will continue this road trip and look to again get back to NHL .500 on Thursday when they travel to Tampa to face the Lightning for the second time this season.
The home team has won the last five meetings between the teams, including a 4-3 Islander win on MLK Day.
Note the TV information – this is the only Islander game this season that will air on MSG (and not MSG+ or MSG+2).
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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