"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 23
Isles 6, Montreal 3
Radek Martinek scored his first goal for the Islanders in nearly two years and it turned out to be the game-winning goal as Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves and the Islanders ended Montreal's 11-game point streak (8-0-3) with a 6-3 win over the Canadiens before 9,498 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Islanders now have a three-game point streak (2-0-1) on home-ice as they improve to 4-8-1 at the Coliseum.
The Scoring:
1st Period
05:21 MTL T. Plekanec (10) Snap - ASST: A. Galchenyuk (10) AND M. Ryder (10) 1 - 0 MTL
2nd Period
01:23 NYI PPG - M. Moulson (11) Snap - ASST: M. Streit (9) AND F. Nielsen (9) 1 - 1 TIE
12:10 NYI PPG - M. Martin (2) Snap - ASST: B. Boyes (12) AND J. Tavares (13) 2 - 1 NYI
12:58 NYI M. Grabner (9) Wrist - ASST: T. Hickey (1) AND C. McDonald (4) 3 - 1 NYI
16:49 MTL PPG - P. Subban (5) Slap - ASST: A. Markov (9) AND M. Ryder (11) 3 - 2 NYI
3rd Period
06:07 MTL PPG - B. Gionta (7) Deflected - ASST: P. Subban (8) AND M. Ryder (12) 3 - 3 TIE
07:56 NYI R. Martinek (1) Snap - ASST: K. Okposo (7) AND T. Hickey (2) 4 - 3 NYI
18:53 NYI J. Tavares (14) Wrist - ASST: B. Boyes (13) 5 - 3 NYI
19:43 NYI EN - C. McDonald (4) Snap - ASST: M. Martin (1) AND C. Cizikas (6) 6 - 3 NYI
The Skinny:
Matt Moulson's goal came with John Tavares on the bench, ending a streak of 39 consecutive Moulson goals that Tavares was on-ice. It was his 7th power play goal of the season; only Pittsburgh's James Neal (8) has more…Mark Streit extended his assist streak to three games on that goal…Matt Martin's goal was his first in 21 games, and his first career power play goal. Martin had seen only 2:05 of power play time this season prior to tonight… Thomas Hickey had his first career assist, and first multi-point game. All three of his points have come against Montreal. …Brian Gionta's goal was the 20,000th in Canadiens history. They are the first NHL team to reach that mark…Martinek's last goal for the Islanders came on March 31, 2011 against the Rangers; that was also the last time the Isles scored six goals in a game at home… 5 of Martinek's 23 career goals have been game winners…Tavares had a goal and an assist, stopping a three-game pointless streak…Martin matched a career high with two points; it's the first time in his career he had a goal and an assist in the same game. It was Martin's first assist since January 24, 2012 (1st in 55 games)… It was Montreal's first regulation loss when leading after one period (8-1-1)...Michael Ryder had three assists; he has two three assist-games in his 654-game career, and both have come in the last 10 days…Okposo's assist on the winning goal was his 100th career assist; he is the 49th player in Isles history with at least 100 assists… Tavares now has 229 career points, tying Benoit Hogue and Trent Hunter for 28th place in Isles history…The Isles scored six goals against Montreal for the first time since March 20, 2003…PK Subban had seven shots on goal for Montreal, matching a career high…The Isles improve to 5-1-0 when leading after two periods….Tavares how has an NHL-leading 91shots on goal… he is tied for second in the league in goals with 14, behind only Steven Stamkos (17).
The Shots:
Isles 6-9-9=24
Canadiens 9-14-9=32
Home and Road
The Islanders are 10-11-2 overall, 4-8-1 at home and 6-3-1 on the road. The Isles have won consecutive games, both on Coliseum ice, for the first time since December 29-31, 2011.
The Canadiens are 14-5-4 overall, 8-3-2 at home and 6-2-2 on the road. This was their first regulation loss on the road since January 30 in Ottawa, ending a 5-0-2 streak.
In the Nets
Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves as he improves to 10-7-2.
Carey Price made 18 saves for Ottawa but falls to 11-4-3 on the season. Price has allowed 12 goals (plus an empty net) in his last two starts (0-1-1).
Power Plays
The Islanders were 2-5 while the Canadiens were also 2-5. The Isles had gone 0-16 in their previous five home games with the extra man; they now have 9 PP goals in their last eight games (with all nine goals coming in three games).
The Isles are 8-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 2-9-1 when they do not.
Offense from Defense
The Isles defense combined for a goal and three assists. It was the third time this season that the Isles defense has combined for 4 points. On the season, the Isles defense has 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points.
Team Effort
The Isles had 14 players with a "+" rating, with Thomas Hickey leading the way at +2.
In (Almost) Every Game
The Isles have been tied or ahead in the third period in 18 of 23 games this season (10-6-2).
They Said It
Matt Martin: "It felt good. It was a hard-working play out there. Boyes picked the puck up and made a great feed to me."
They Tweeted It
@CerowB Matt Martin, definitely the first star of the game. Goal, assist, energy, physicality...he brought it all tonight.
The Coach
"Cizikas-Martin-McDonald line played really well....Matt Martin gave us good net presence (on PP)."
As Tavares Goes…
The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 1-0-1 when he has three points, 4-2-0 when he has two points, 3-2-0 when he has one point, and 1-7-1 when Tavares is pointless.
What a Pair!
John Tavares and Matt Moulson each scored a goal. They have combined for 25 goals this season. Among teammates, only Pittsburgh's James Neal and Chris Kunitz (26) have more.
Moulson has assisted on 10 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season.
Head of the Class
John Tavares has 229 career points; he is 62 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.
Friends, Friends, Friends
Matt Moulson has 11 goals this season; John Tavares has earned an assist on seven of them. Tavares was not on for Moulson's goal tonight, ending a streak of being on-ice for 39 consecutive Moulson goals, earning assists on 25 of them, dating back to a Moulson goal on November 26, 2011 against New Jersey. Since November of 2010, Tavares has been on-ice for 69 of 71 Moulson goals, earning 47 assists.
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 25:01 to lead the Isles. Andrei Markov led Montreal with 27:12. Markov earned an assist on Subban's power play goal. All but one of his 14 points this season has come on the power play.
In the Circle
The Islanders won 32 draws; the Canadiens also won 32. Casey Cizikas won 6 of 10 for the Isles (making it 13 of 19 in the last two games); Lars Eller won 7 of 13 for Montreal.
Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit Montreal 25-17; Colin McDonald and Matt Martin led the Isles with 6 hits each; Martin leads the NHL with 110. Casey Cizikas have three hits, giving that line a total of 15. There were no fights, leaving the Isles' season total at 10.
Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 18 blocked shots. Travis Hamonic led the Isles with six.
Back over .500
The Islanders go back over all-time NHL .500 (1357-1356-434 in 3,147 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 2-0-0 in March.
Beating the Northeast
This was the final game of an eight game stretch in which the Islanders played seven Northeast opponents. The Isles went 4-2-1 against the Northeast in that stretch. If the season ended today, four of the five Northeast teams would make the playoffs. The Isles are 5-4-1 on the season against the Northeast, with one game remaining against each team in the division.
Tightening Up the Division
With the Isles winning, the Rangers beating Philadelphia, and New Jersey losing, three points now separate the 2nd place Devils and the 5th place Islanders.
Lots of Home Cooking
This was the fifth game of a seven-game homestand, which matches 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 (2-2-1 with two games to play)
Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 269 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 182 consecutive games, while Nielsen and Streit have each played in 105.
Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Islander History
1. Billy Harris 576
2. Bob Nystrom 301
3. Matt Moulson 269
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 105
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
Radek Martinek replaced Lubomir Visnovsky (personal matter) in the lineup. Eric Boulton and Keith Aucoin were also scratched. Matt Carkner and Brian Strait are on injured reserve. Jesse Joensuu remains suspended after suffering an injury in Europe.
Scoring
The Isles have scored 44 goals in their 10 wins (4.40 per game) and 24 goals in their other 13 games (0-11-2; 1.85 per game). In their 11 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 16 goals (1.45 per game).
Career Wins, Active Goalies
Career Wins
21. Sean Burke 324
23. Miikka Kiprusoff 313
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 | Trent Hunter | 99 | ||
| 27 | John Tavares | 98 | ||
| 28 | Mikko Makela | 95 | ||
| 28 | David Volek | 95 | ||
| | | | ||
| Career Assists as an Islander | ||||
| 28 | Jason Blake | 131 | ||
| 28 | John Tavares | 131 | ||
| 30 | Trent Hunter | 130 | ||
| 31 | Mark Streit | 127 | ||
| 32 | Benoit Hogue | 124 | ||
| 32 | Mikko Makela | 124 | ||
| 34 | Ray Ferraro | 122 | ||
| 35 | Frans Nielsen | 122 | ||
| 36 | Garry Howatt | 120 | ||
Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
| 26 | Mariusz Czerkawski | 470 | |
| 27 | Trent Hunter | 459 | |
| 28 | Radek Martinek | 456 | |
| 29 | Scott Lachance | 450 | |
| 39 | Dave Scatchard | 347 | |
| 40 | Alexei Yashin | 346 | |
| 41 | Mark Parrish | 345 | |
| 42 | Frans Nielsen | 342 | |
| 43 | Marty McInnis | 337 | |
| 58 | Gordon Lane | 304 | |
| 58 | Josh Bailey | 304 | |
| 60 | Arron Asham | 300 | |
| 60 | Roman Hamrlik | 300 | |
| 62 | Kyle Okposo | 294 | |
| 63 | Gordon Dineen | 287 | |
| 64 | Jeffrey Norton | 282 | |
| 65 | Steve Thomas | 275 | |
| 66 | Matt Moulson | 269 | |
| 67 | John Tavares | 266 | |
| 68 | Blake Comeau | 261 | |
| 68 | Andre St. Laurent | 261 | |
| 68 | Mark Streit | 261 | |
| 71 | Brad Lauer | 259 | |
| | | | |
Career Points as an Islander
| 28 | Benoit Hogue | 229 |
| 28 | Trent Hunter | 229 |
| 28 | John Tavares | 229 |
| 31 | Mikko Makela | 219 |
| 38 | Robert Goring | 195 |
| 38 | Matt Moulson | 195 |
| 40 | Jeff Norton | 188 |
| 41 | Lorne Henning | 184 |
| 42 | Frans Nielsen | 178 |
| 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 | 164 |
| 52 | Oleg Kvasha | 158 |
Season Series Stats
The Islanders lead the season series two games to none (and four points to one). The final meeting of the season will come on March 21st at Coliseum.
The Isles are 3-1-0 in their last 4 home games vs. Montreal and 4-2-0 in their last six home contests with the Canadiens. The Isles have beaten Montreal three straight overall for the first time since 2002-03.
Happy Anniversary
2 years ago today (March 5, 2011): Andrew MacDonald scored twice as the Islanders defeated St. Louis 5-2 at the Coliseum. No Islander defenseman has scored two goals in a game since.
Also on this date: Mike Bossy's 50th goal of the season (1984), Rick DiPietro's 56-save game at MSG (2007) and a 5-2 Islander win at MSG in interim coach Lorne Henning's return (2001).
All-time, the Isles are 9-8-2 on this date, including 5-1-1 in the last 7.
On The Farm
Bridgeport, 23-24-4-4 on the season, is eight points out of a playoff spot with 21 games to play. Bridgeport visits Manchester on Wednesday.
Up Next
THURSDAY, MARCH 7th MONTREAL AT ISLANDERS (7:00PM)
[MSG+2 (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]
[MSG+2 (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]
The Islanders and Rangers meet for the 3rd time this season, and the first time on Coliseum ice. The teams split a pair of games in New York in February, with the Islanders rallying for a shootout victory on Valentine's Day in the teams' last meeting.
The Isles are 3-1-0 against the Rangers in the last four at the Coliseum and 4-2-0 in their last six home games against their local rivals.
The Rangers will carry a 3-game win streak to the Coliseum. If the game is close late, the Isles will have to be able to contain Rick Nash, who has scored all seven of his goals in the third period.
And Finally…
Congratulations to Islander legend and broadcaster Butch Goring on the birth of his grand-daughter!
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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