The Skinny on "Overtime is Our Time"

The Isles improved to 8-0 in extra time last night with their 3-2 OT win over Ottawa.  The Isles have score three overtime goals this season and won five other games in shootouts.  Jaro Halak has won six of them; Chad Johnson the other two. The Isles are 4-0 at home and 4-0 on the road.

In fact, the Isles have won 10 consecutive extra time games, dating back to the final two games of last season:

11-Apr-14	@	New Jersey	3	2	Wso
13-Apr-14	@	Buffalo	4	3	Wso
16-Oct-14	Vs	San Jose	4	3	Wso
5-Nov-14	@	Anaheim	3	2	Wot
6-Nov-14	@	Los Angeles	2	1	Wso
14-Nov-14	@	Florida	4	3	Wso
21-Nov-14	@	Pittsburgh	5	4	Wso
24-Nov-14	Vs	Philadelphia	1	0	Wso
26-Nov-14	Vs	Washington	3	2	Wot
2-Dec-14	Vs	Ottawa	3	2	Wot

Since the NHL decreed in 2005 that every game must have a winner, the Isles had never won more than 5 consecutive OT/SO games (1/2/10-2/9/10, all in shootouts) prior to the current streak (and had never started a season by winning more than 3 consecutive OT/SO games).

The Isles have played 13 consecutive games without allowing an overtime goal, dating back to a loss in Edmonton on March 6th on a Taylor Hall goal.  That totals exactly 60:00 of shutout hockey, but they have scored only three times themselves (all this season).  Hall's goal is the only OT goal the Isles have allowed in calendar year 2014, a year in which the Isles are now 17-4 in extra time.

The "Overtime is Our Time" saying was popular on bumper stickers in the 70s/80s.  Between 1977- 1984, the Isles went a remarkable 19-3 in playoff overtimes.  After allowing OT goals to Washington on consecutive days in 1985 (the Isles would rebound to win the series), the Isles would not allow another OT goal until 1993, scoring 8 times themselves (including three times in double overtime and once in quadruple overtime)

Do you remember?

04/18/87	@	Pat LaFontaine	W	Wsh	68:47
04/06/88	Vs	Pat LaFontaine	W	NJ	06:11
04/10/88	@	Brent Sutter	W	NJ	15:07
04/09/90	Vs	Brent Sutter	W	NYR	20:59
04/20/93	@	Brian Mullen	W	Wsh	34:15
04/22/93	Vs	Ray Ferraro	W	Wsh	04:46
04/24/93	Vs	Ray Ferraro	W	Wsh	25:40
05/14/93	@	David Volek	W	Pit	05:16

The streak would end when Montreal's Stephan LeBeau scored at 26:21 of OT on 5/18/93.   By that point, the Isles had put together 207:22 of shutout hockey in sudden death.

Ironically, not only did Volek's goal give the Isles their most recent playoff series win, it is also their most recent playoff overtime goal. (They are 0-6 since then)  The night of Volek's goal, SportsChannel ran this feature in the intermission leading to overtime, showing all 28 OT goals the Isles scored prior to that night:

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