"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 37
Isles 5, Winnipeg 2
Anders Lee scored on his first shot on goal in his first NHL game, and Frans Nielsen broke a 2-2 tie with a power play goal late in the second period, as the Islanders got goals from all four lines and defeated the Winnipeg Jets before a crowd of 11,819 at the Nassau Coliseum. With the win, the Isles jump into a tie with the Devils for 7th place, two points ahead of the ninth place Rangers.
The Scoring:
1st Period
16:13 NYI A. Lee (1) Wrist - ASST: M. Martin (5) AND C. Cizikas (9) 1 - 0 NYI
18:06 WPG P. Postma (2) Wrist - ASST: E. Tangradi (2) AND K. Wellwood (8) 1 - 1 TIE
2nd Period
06:02 WPG P. Postma (3) Tip-In - ASST: C. Thorburn (1) AND E. Tangradi (3) 2 - 1 WPG
09:56 NYI C. McDonald (7) Snap - ASST: M. Grabner (5) AND M. Streit (14) 2 - 2 TIE
19:32 NYI PPG - F. Nielsen (4) Slap - ASST: J. Bailey (5) AND M. Streit (15) 3 - 2 NYI
3rd Period
18:00 NYI M. Moulson (12) Wrist - ASST: J. Tavares (16) AND B. Boyes (20) 4 - 2 NYI
19:24 NYI EN - J. Tavares (23) Wrist - ASST: B. Boyes (21) AND M. Moulson (25) 5 - 2 NYI
The Skinny:
Anders Lee is the first Islander since John Tavares (10/3/09) to score on his first shot, in his first game…Frans Nielsen is 1-5-6 in the last seven games and 1-7-8 in the last 10; it was his first goal in 12 games…John Tavares is now second in the NHL in both goals (23) and power play goals (9); he trails Steven Stamkos by two goals…Andrew MacDonald was +3, making him +5 in the last two games; it's the first time this season and fifth time in his career he has been +3… Matt Moulson scored for the first time in 13 games; his eight shots on goal matched a career high…Kevin Poulin recorded his first win of the season, ending a streak in which all 17 wins had been credited to Evgeni Nabokov. It's the first time an Isles goalie has been credited with 17 consecutive team wins in at least 25 years… This is the sixth set of back-to-backs for the Isles this season; the Isles are now 1-5-0 on the back-end so far this season…Paul Postma had only one career goal entering the game; Postma tied the franchise record for goals by a defenseman—no Thrasher/Jet defender has ever had a hat trick…The Isles are 11-2-1 when they lead after two periods while Winnipeg is 1-12-0 when they trail after 2.
First Goal, First Shot, First Game
Anders Lee joins John Tavares and Jesse Joensuu on the list of Isles players who have scored their first goal on their first shot in their first game. Chris Campoli and current Sharks coach Todd McLellan also did it for the Isles.
Lee is the 19th player in Islanders history to score a goal in their first NHL game. Some went on to score many NHL goals (such as Mike Bossy, Todd Bertuzzi, Billy Harris, Patrick Flatley and John Tavares); others did not (Rod Dallman, Scott Howson, Neal Coulter and Todd McLellan; McLellan's first NHL goal was also his last).
The Standings:
· 7 New Jersey 36 games 15-12-9 39 points (13 ROW) Next game: Thursday at Boston
· 8 NY Islanders 37 games 18-16-3 39 points (15 ROW) Next game: Thursday at Washington
· 9 NY Rangers 35 games 17-15-3 37 points (14 ROW) Next game: Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh
(The Devils are still ahead of the Isles because they have one more game to play.)
The Shots:
Isles 12-18-9=39
Jets 9-8-8=25
Home and Road
The Islanders are 18-16-3 overall, 7-11-2 at home and 11-5-1 on the road. Their 39 points in 37 games is their highest total since they had 40 points in 37 games in 2007-08. By going two games over NHL-.500, the Isles equaled their high-level mark on the season.
The Isles have won two straight at home. It's the first time that they have won consecutive home games, both in regulation, this season.
The Jets are 18-18-2 overall, 8-9-0 at home and 10-9-2 on the road. Winnipeg has lost four straight (0-4-0) for the first time this season as they fall back to NHL-.500 for the first time since March 7th (11-11-1).
In the Nets
Kevin Poulin made 23 saves and improves to 1-2-0 this season. Poulin is now 2-0-0 in his career against the Jets, allowing just three goals.
Andrej Pavelec made 34 saves but falls to 15-17-2.
Power Plays
The Islanders went 1-1 while the Jets were 0-1.
The Isles have 16 PP goals in their last 22 games (with all 16 goals coming in nine games).
The Isles are 13-3-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 5-13-2 when they do not.
In (Almost) Every Game
The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 31 of 37 games this season (18-10-3).
Movin' on Up
Jack Capuano recorded his 78th win as Islander coach, passing Peter Laviolette for 3rd place on the all-time franchise win list.
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1. Al Arbour 740
2. Terry Simpson 81
3. Jack Capuano 78
4. Peter Laviolette 77
5. Ted Nolan 74
Most games coached (Islanders)
1. Al Arbour 1,500
2. Mike Milbury 191
3. Terry Simpson 187
4. Jack Capuano 184
5. Scott Gordon 181
They All Made It
With Anders Lee making his NHL debut, all seven players that the Isles drafted in 2009 have made it to the NHL with the Isles.
The others are:
· John Tavares
· Calvin de Haan
· Mikko Koskinen
· Anders Nilsson
· Casey Cizikas
· Anton Klementyev
They Said It
"I was just trying to get the puck to the net, especially in the first period. I was so surprised. I just threw it on net, it happened to go in, and the boys came to congratulate me. It was pretty awesome. My head was spinning at that point. If it wasn't enough to be playing in my first game, that was really exciting."
They Tweeted It
@bookert2116 Huge game for the #isles tonight. Felt good to play a full 60 minutes at home and get the W. Congrats to @leeberr09 on his 1st game and goal!
The Coach
"Our goalie made some big saves when we needed him to."
Howie's Count
Here's a number that Howie Rose likes to refer to from time-to-time. Anders Lee is the seventh player to score his first goal as an Islander this season, joining Brad Boyes, Keith Aucoin, Casey Cizikas, Colin MacDonald and Thomas Hickey and Lubomir Visnovsky. 328 players in Islander history have scored a goal.
As Tavares Goes…
The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 1-0-1 when he has three points, 6-2-0 when he has two points, 9-4-0 when he has one point, and 1-10-2 when Tavares is pointless.
What a Pair!
John Tavares and Matt Moulson have combined for 35 goals this season. Moulson has assisted on 17 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season. Tavares has earned an assist on 8 Moulson goals this season. Since November 2011, Tavares has been on-ice for 40 of Moulson's last 41 goals, earning 26 assists; since November 2010, he has earned 48 assists on Moulson's last 72 goals, while being on ice for 70 of them.
Head of the Class
John Tavares has 241 career points; he is 55 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.
115 NHL Goals
Moulson has 115 career goals (109 as an Islander). While 262 players were selected before the Penguins chose Moulson in the 2003 entry draft, only 16 have more goals. Moulson is tied with Nikolai Zherdev for 17th place.
Leading Ice Men
Andrew MacDonald played 24:37 to lead the Isles. Zach Bogosian led the Jets with 27:02.
In the Circle
The Islanders won 26 of 48 draws. John Tavares won 11 of 17 for the Isles.
Heavy Hitters
The Islanders out-hit Winnipeg 23-17. Matt Martin led the Isles with 7 hits; he has an NHL-leading 180 hits. Colin McDonald added six hits. There were no fights, leaving the season total at 14.
Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 19 blocked shots. Travis Hamonic had five to lead the team.
All–time Winners
The Islanders move four games over all-time NHL .500 (1365-1361-435 in 3,161 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.
Good Start to April
The Isles were 4-2-1 in January and 4-9-1 in February, and 8-5-1 in March. They are 2-0-0 in April.
Ironmen
Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 283 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 196 consecutive games, while Nielsen and Streit have each played in 119.
Kyle Okposo played his 102nd consecutive game. Four other Islanders have played every game this season Travis Hamonic (59 consecutive games), Matt Martin (50), Andrew Mac Donald & Brad Boyes (37).
Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Islander History
1. Billy Harris 576
2. Bob Nystrom 301
3. Matt Moulson 283
4. Denis Potvin 262
Century Club
Mark Streit now has the sixth longest consecutive game streak of any defenseman in Islander history:
1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262
2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220
3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198
4. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136
5. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134
6. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-CURRENT 119
7. Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010 – 2/4/2012 113
8. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110
9. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 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
Anders Lee replaced Marty Reasoner in the lineup and made his NHL debut. Matt Carkner replaced Radek Martinek in the lineup. Eric Boulton was also scratched. Joe Finley, David Ullstrom and Brian Strait are on injured reserve. Jesse Joensuu is skating with the team but has not yet been added to the active roster.
Scoring
The Isles have scored 72 goals in their 18 wins (4.00 per game) and 33 goals in their other 19 games (0-16-3; 1.74 per game). In their 16 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 24 goals (1.50 per game).
Career Wins, Active Goalies
Career Wins
19. Nikolai Khabibulin 331
20. Harry Lumley 330
22. Sean Burke 324
23. Miikka Kiprusoff 317
Career Shutouts, Active Goalies
Career Shutouts
18 Clint Benedict 57
19 Evgeni Nabokov 55
20 Bernie Parent 54
20 Ed Giacomin 54
Career Goals as an Islander
21
|
Ray Ferraro
|
116
| |
22
|
Matt Moulson
|
109
| |
23
|
John Tavares
|
107
| |
24
|
Benoit Hogue
|
105
| |
24
|
Ed Westfall
|
105
| |
Career Assists as an Islander
| |||
27
|
Greg Gilbert
|
138
| |
28
|
John Tavares
|
134
| |
29
|
Mark Streit
|
133
| |
30
|
Jason Blake
|
131
| |
31
|
Trent Hunter
|
130
| |
31
|
Frans Nielsen
|
130
| |
33
|
Benoit Hogue
|
124
| |
33
|
Mikko Makela
|
124
| |
Career Games as an Islander (skaters)
25
|
Gerry Hart
|
476
|
26
|
Mariusz Czerkawski
|
470
|
27
|
Radek Martinek
|
463
|
28
|
Trent Hunter
|
459
|
39
|
Randy Wood
|
381
|
40
|
Frans Nielsen
|
356
|
41
|
Dave Scatchard
|
347
|
52
|
Brad Dalgarno
|
321
|
53
|
Josh Bailey
|
318
|
54
|
Ray Ferraro
|
316
|
54
|
Steve Webb
|
316
|
54
|
Richard Park
|
316
|
57
|
Gerald Diduck
|
314
|
58
|
Kyle Okposo
|
308
|
59
|
Mikko Makela
|
307
|
60
|
Gordon Lane
|
304
|
61
|
Arron Asham
|
300
|
61
|
Roman Hamrlik
|
300
|
63
|
Gordon Dineen
|
287
|
64
|
Matt Moulson
|
283
|
65
|
Jeffrey Norton
|
282
|
66
|
John Tavares
|
280
|
67
|
Steve Thomas
|
275
|
67
|
Mark Streit
|
275
|
69
|
Blake Comeau
|
261
|
69
|
Andre St. Laurent
|
261
|
Career Points as an Islander
23
|
David Volek
|
249
|
24
|
John Tavares
|
241
|
25
|
Ray Ferraro
|
238
|
35
|
Anders Kallur
|
211
|
36
|
Matt Moulson
|
207
|
37
|
Marty McInnis
|
198
|
38
|
Wayne Merrick
|
197
|
39
|
Robert Goring
|
195
|
40
|
Jeffrey Norton
|
188
|
40
|
Frans Nielsen
|
188
|
42
|
Lorne Henning
|
184
|
43
|
Kyle Okposo
|
176
|
44
|
Mark Streit
|
172
|
44
|
Randy Wood
|
172
|
46
|
Claude Lapointe
|
171
|
46
|
Jean-Paul Parise
|
171
|
Season Series Stats
The Isles even the season series at one game each (the Isles have three points to the Jets' two). This was the only meeting of the teams on Long Island. They will play their final game as conference rivals on April 20 in Winnipeg.
Happy Anniversary
20 years ago tonight (4-2-93): Pierre Turgeon scored his 50th goal of the season as the Islanders defeated the Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. Turgeon's historic tally came at 3:41 of overtime and stretched the Isles' lead over the Rangers to three points. The Rangers would never recover and would miss the playoffs while the Isles would advance to the Conference Finals.
All-time, the Isles are 11-9-1 on this date.
On The Farm
Ryan Strome scored a goal and added an assist on the game-winning goal to make his professional debut a success, as Bridgeport beat Worcester 4-2. Bridgeport is 28-28-6-5 on the season and will play seven of their final nine games at home. The Sound Tigers are six points out of a playoff spot with nine games to play. Bridgeport will host Worcester at 11AM on Thursday.
Up Next
THURSDAY, APRIL 4th ISLANDERS AT WASHINGTON (7:00PM)
[MSG+ (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM]
[MSG+ (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM]
The Isles head for the road for a single game as they face the Capitals in Washington.
Washington is playing its best hockey of the season, and is 4-1-1 in their last six after a 5-3 win over Carolina on Tuesday drew them within two points of division-leading Winnipeg.
The Isles are 4-0-2 against Washington over the last two seasons and will be looking for a complete sweep of the season series vs. the Caps for the first time since 1980-81.
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.
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