"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Eastern Conference First Round Game 6
Isles 3, Washington 1 [Series tied, 3 games to 3]
The Old Barn still has life. Nikolay Kulemin broke a 1-1 tie midway through the third period and Cal Clutterbuck added an empty net goal as the Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference First Round series before a sellout crowd of 16,170 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The series is even 3 games to 3, with the decisive game set to be played in the District on Monday at 7:30.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
06:56 NYI John Tavares (2) ASST: Ryan Strome (1), Nick Leddy (4) 1 - 0 NYI
19:55 WSH PPG - John Carlson (1) ASST: Alex Ovechkin (2), Troy Brouwer (2) 1 - 1 Tie
2ND PERIOD
NONE
3RD PERIOD
10:33 NYI Nikolay Kulemin (1) ASST: Nick Leddy (5), John Tavares (4) 2 - 1 NYI
19:07 NYI EN - Cal Clutterbuck (2) ASST: Johnny Boychuk (2) 3 - 1 NYI
The Series
· WED APRIL 15, 2015 ISLANDERS 4, Washington 1
· FRI APRIL 17, 2015 Washington 4, ISLANDERS 3
· SUN APRIL 19, 2015 ISLANDERS 2, Washington 1 (OT)
· TUE APRIL 21, 2015 Washington 2, ISLANDERS 1 (OT)
· THU APRIL 23, 2015 Washington 5, ISLANDERS 1
· SAT APRIL 25, 2015 ISLANDERS 3, Washington 1
· MON APRIL 27, 2015 ISLANDERS @ Washington 7:30pm (MSG+)
The Skinny
Nick Leddy assisted on the first two Islander goals, giving him assists in four straight games; both Leddy and John Tavares were +3 in the game…Kulemin's goal was the first third period goal by the Isles in the third period since an empty-netter in game 1…It was Kulemin's first career playoff goal and his 100th regular season/playoff goal… John Tavares leads the Isles in scoring in the series with 6 points; Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy each has 5; Nicklas Backstrom leads Washington with 6 points...
From the Geniuses at the Elias Sports Bureau
The Isles have scored first in five games of a playoff series for only the 2nd time in team history (they scored first in all five games vs Pittsburgh in 1982)
Daylight Staving Time
The Islanders staved off elimination for the 26th times in 44 tries. Of course the other eighteen times they've ended up on the wrong side of a handshake.
The Isles improve to 13-2 all-time at home in game 6's, losing only to Montreal in 1977 and to Pittsburgh in 2013. They are 7-2 at home when facing elimination in game 6 (and are a perfect 6-0 with an opportunity to clinch a series in game 6).
A Familiar Playoff Foe
This is the 7th meeting of the Isles and Washington in the playoffs (Isles are 5-1 and have won 21 of 36 games)
· 1983 Patrick Division Semi-Finals Isles won series 3-1
· 1984 Patrick Division Finals Isles won series 4-1
· 1985 Patrick Division Semi-Finals Isles won series 3-2
· 1986 Patrick Division Semi-Finals Caps won series 3-0 (Arbour retired thereafter)
· 1987 Patrick Division Semi-Finals Isles won series 4-3 (LaFontaine 4 OT; only playoff series won by anyone other than Arbour)
· 1993 Patrick Division Semi-Finals Isles won series 4-2
· 2015 Eastern Conference First Round Series tied 3-3
Overtime is (Usually) Our Time
The Isles have played more playoff OT games with Washington (9) than any other opponent; their six OT wins vs. Washington matches the six that they have against the Rangers (6-0) for the most against any opponent.
04/13/84
|
Vs
|
Anders Kallur
|
W
|
07:35
|
04/10/85
|
@
|
Alan Haworth
|
L
|
02:28
|
04/11/85
|
@
|
Mike Gartner
|
L
|
21:23
|
04/18/87
|
@
|
Pat LaFontaine
|
W
|
68:47
|
04/20/93
|
@
|
Brian Mullen
|
W
|
34:50
|
04/22/93
|
Vs
|
Ray Ferraro
|
W
|
04:46
|
04/24/93
|
Vs
|
Ray Ferraro
|
W
|
25:40
|
04/19/15
|
Vs
|
John Tavares
|
W
|
00:15
|
04/21/15
|
Vs
|
Nicklas Backstrom
|
L
|
11:09
|
The Isles are the most successful team in Stanley Cup overtime, winning 30 and losing 14, but they have lost seven of their last eight OT games.
The Isles are 16-7 in 23 overtime games played at the Coliseum and are 14-7 on the road.
Playoffs All-time
The Isles fall to 139-113 in 252 all-time playoff games. They are 80-41 at home and 59-72 on the road. The Isles were 77-32 in home playoff games from 1975 to 2002, but this was only their third win in their last 12 home games.
Year of the Fan:
The Isles sold-out 27 of their 41 regular season home dates this season and have also sold out their three home playoff dates. Counting regular season and playoffs together, the Isles have sold out 14 straight games and have drawn at least 15,000 fans 35 times this season (32 regular season and 3 playoff).
Home Sweet Home
The Isles went 25-14-2 on Coliseum ice, equaling their most home wins since 1984-85 (they finished 25-11-4-1 in 2003-04 and went 26-11-3 in 1984-85).
The Isles went 831-610-224 in 1,665 regular season games all-time at the Coliseum.
Road Warriors
The Isles finished the regular season 22-14-5 on the road, including 6-2-4 in their last 12. The Isles have won at least 20 road games in consecutive seasons for the second time in franchise history (1981-82 and 1982-83).
The Shots:
Isles 9-17-12=38
Washington 16-10-13=39
The Caps have outshot the Isles 195-188 through six games of this series. The team with more shots has won four of the six games.
The Isles outshot 61 of their 82 opponents in the regular season and have outshot the Caps three out of six times in this series. The 61 times outshooting their opponent is the highest total in the NHL this season.
In the Nets
Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves and improves to 3-3 in this series. He is 13-14 all-time in playoff games.
Braden Holtby made 35 saves to fall to 2-3 in this series and 12-14 all-time in playoff games.
Halak is now 6-1 in his career with a 1.72 GAA & a .956 SV% when his team is facing elimination.
Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-1 on the power play with 0 shots, while Washington was 1-3 with 8 shots.
For the series, the Isles are 0-13 (with 22 shots) while the Caps are 2-13 (with 25 shots).
The Isles are the only team in this year's playoffs who have not scored a power play goal.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles went 40-8-4 in the regular season when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 7-20-3 when they did not.
In the playoffs, the Isles are 2-1 when scoring at least three goals and 1-2 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 1-2 in playoff games decided by a single goal; they are 0-1 in games decided in regulation and are 1-1 in games decided in overtime. They are also 1-0 in games decided by two goals, where the second goal is an empty net goal.
First Goal
The Isles are 3-2 when they score first and are 0-1 when they allow the opening goal.
Coach Cappy
Jack Capuano is now 5-7 in playoff games behind the Islander bench. Among the 9 New York teams, only the Giants' Tom Coughlin and the Yankees' Joe Girardi have led their respective teams longer than Capuano.
Capuano is only the 4th Isles coach to lead at least 2 Islander teams to the playoffs, joining Al Arbour, Terry Simpson, and Peter Laviolette.
Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:
· Al Arbour 123
· Terry Simpson 9
· Jack Capuano 5
· Peter Laviolette 4
· Ted Nolan 1
· Steve Stirling 1
Most playoff games coached (Islanders):
· Al Arbour 209
· Terry Simpson 20
· Jack Capuano 12
· Peter Laviolette 12
· Steve Stirling 5
· Ted Nolan 5
Most playoff series wins:
· Al Arbour 29
· Terry Simpson 1
Most overtime wins/overtime record:
· Al Arbour 26 (26-9)
· Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)
· Jack Capuano 1 (1-3)
· Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)
· Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)
They Said It
John Tavares: "We knew we had to win to keep going. That's all it really comes down to. It's our last year here and we don't want it to end. Now, we have an opportunity to keep playing."
Nikolay Kulemin: "I saw John get hit badly and then open space. There was a chance to score, so I took it."
Johnny Boychuk: ""We have some work ahead of us. It'll be a challenge. I think we're up for it."
They Tweeted It
@mattmoro13 Cool to hear @WRHUSports call of the Kulemin goal on @FOXSportsLive. Kinger spectacular as always #Isles
@bigpeach65 I finally have my islanders moment, couldn't be happier, worth every penny! #beLIeve #isles #rockthebarn
@islesfan28 Great job by defense today. Kudos to Strait, Donovan and Mayfield for holding their own. #isles
@Ryan_Wombat91 Nick Leddy has quietly got himself 5 points #isles
@Dyannot What a great game today! They played hard and for 60 min. Happy to have been there! BeLIeve.
The Coach
"We respect them, but we don't fear anybody. That has been our attitude all year. We just keep coming. We're not going to go away."
Leading Ice Men
Nick Leddy led all Isles with 28:59 of ice-time. John Carlson led Washington in ice-time with 25:17.
Isles playoff record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (2-3)
Kyle Okposo led Isles forwards with 16:55 of ice-time. Isles playoff record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (2-1), Kyle Okposo (1-1), Nikolay Kulemin (0-1).
In the Circle
The Islanders won 33 of 73 draws (45%). Mikhail Grabovski won 9 of 13 draws for the Isles but his teammates won only 24 of 60; Jay Beagle won 15 of 19 for Washington. The Isles won 30 of 54 draws in the first and third periods, but lost 16 of 19 in the middle period. The Isles won 0 of 1 draws on the power play and 6 of 8 draws on the penalty kill.
Face-offs Game by Game:
· Game 1: Isles 23, Caps 39
· Game 2: Isles 27, Caps 28
· Game 3: Isles 29, Caps 30
· Game 4: Isles 32, Caps 33
· Game 5: Isles 18, Caps 31
· Game 6: Isles 33, Caps 40
· Series: Isles 162, Caps 201
The Caps have won the face-off battle in all 6 games, although the difference was only one face-off in games 2, 3, and 4.
Jay Beagle has won 46 of 69 draws in the season (66.7%, best in the playoffs); Overall, Washington has won 55.4% of the draws.
Heavy Hitters
The Isles out-hit Washington 46-32. Matt Martin led the Isles with 11 hits while Cal Clutterbuck added 7; Alex Ovechkin had 5 hits for Washington.
There were no fights in the game. The only fight of the series came in game 5 when Anders Lee fought Tom Wilson.
Hits Game by Game:
· Game 1: Isles 36, Caps 46
· Game 2: Isles 38, Caps 59
· Game 3: Isles 44, Caps 43
· Game 4: Isles 50, Caps 38
· Game 5 Isles 49, Caps 49
· Game 6 Isles 46, Caps 32
· Series: Isles 263, Caps 267
Martin now has 45 hits in the series, which leads the NHL in the post-season. Martin has led the league in hits in each of the last 4 regular seasons.
Giving Up the Body
The Isles were credited with 14 blocked shots; Johnny Boychuk led the team with 6.
For the Corsi Crowd
The Isles finished with a total Corsi advantage of 66-65, including 24-15 in the second period. The Corsi stat measures shots attempted, both for and against (including blocks).
Matt Martin led the Isles with a +9 even-strength Corsi rating; Martin was on-ice for a team-leading 68% of Corsi For events. John Carlson led Washington with a +11 rating.
Total Corsi Game by Game:
· Game 1: Isles 65, Caps 55
· Game 2: Isles 51, Caps 82
· Game 3: Isles 76, Caps 57
· Game 4: Isles 78, Caps 66
· Game 5: Isles 60, Caps 67
· Game 6: Isles 66, Caps 65
· Series: Isles 396, Caps 392
Missing Men
Matt Donovan, Scott Mayfield, Brock Nelson and Colin McDonald replaced Calvin deHaan (injured), Griffin Reinhart, Anders Lee and Tyler Kennedy in the lineup.
Injured: Lubomir Visnovsky, Travis Hamonic and Calvin deHaan.
Healthy extras: Colin McDonald, Eric Boulton, Michael Grabner, Anders Lee, Tyler Kennedy and Griffin Reinhart. Additionally, Ryan Pulock, Matt Carkner, Kael Mouellierat, Johan Sundstrom and Kevin Poulin were recalled from Bridgeport following the end of the Sound Tigers' season; all were scratched.
The Isles have lost 13 games this post-season due to injury/illness.
It Happened at the Coliseum … on APRIL 25th
37 years ago tonight (1978) – Bob Nystrom scored the first of his franchise-record four overtime goals as the Islanders took a 3-2 lead in their quarter-final series with a 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After a scoreless first period, Ian Turnbull gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Denis Potvin knotted the game for the Isles at 13:39 of the middle session.
Neither team scored in the final 26 minutes of regulation, or in the first eight minutes of the overtime.
Nystrom's goal at 8:02 of the extra session, over the left shoulder of Toronto goaltender Mike Palmateer, gave the Isles the victory and a 3-2 lead in the series. "I know it's something I'll carry with me for a long time", Nystrom told Newsday's Joe Gergen.
Both Palmateer and Islander goalie Chico Resch were sensational in net. "Those two bleepin' pipsqueaks looked more like they were 6'4" and 250 pounds", noted Denis Potvin.
The Isles outshot the Leafs 40-30, as they "held serve" in the series. 8:02 proved to be a lucky time for the Isles; Denis Potvin's overtime goal against the Rangers in 1979 was also scored at 8:02
Despite being the home team and breaking a 2-2 tie in the series, the Isles lost game 6 on the road and game 7 at home – the Isles need the 2015 Capitals to follow that formula.
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Also on this date: (1985) – Mike Bossy scored his 82nd playoff goal, tying Maurice Richard's then-Stanley Cup record, as the Isles staved off elimination with a 6-2 win over Philadelphia. Bossy also had two assists as the Isles built a 4-0 lead and coasted to the win.
All-time, the Isles have played no regular season and three playoff games on April 25th at the Coliseum; they have compiled a 3-0 playoff record on this date at 1255 Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale.
On The Farm
The Sound Tigers finished their season with a record of 28-40-7-1. Kael Mouellierat led the Tigers in goals with 24 this season, while Alan Quine led in assists (38) and points (61). Colton Gillies led Bridgeport in +/- with a +4 rating.
Rookie defensemen Griffin Reinhart went 7-15-22 in 59 games, while fellow first round pick Ryan Pulock went 17-12-29. Pulock led the Sound Tigers, all AHL rookies and all AHL defensemen with 13 power play goals.
Kevin Poulin finished the season with a 16-21-7 record and a 2.87 GAA.
Up Next
Eastern Conference First Round – Game 7
MONDAY, APRIL 27th – ISLANDERS AT WASHINGTON 7:30pm
[MSG+/MSG [Isles Pre-game at 7:00], 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
[MSG+/MSG [Isles Pre-game at 7:00], 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has hosted 1,786 games (regular season/playoffs). For there to be at least 1,787, the Isles will need to defeat Washington on Monday in Game 7.
This will be the 3,589th game in Isles history (regular season/playoffs) but only the 8th game 7:
26-Apr-75
|
@
|
Pittsburgh
|
QF
|
1975
|
1
|
0
|
W
|
13-May-75
|
@
|
Philadelphia
|
SF
|
1975
|
1
|
4
|
L
|
29-Apr-78
|
Vs
|
Toronto
|
QF
|
1978
|
1
|
2
|
L
|
18-Apr-87
|
@
|
Washington
|
DSF
|
1987
|
3
|
2
|
W
|
02-May-87
|
@
|
Philadelphia
|
DF
|
1987
|
1
|
5
|
L
|
14-May-93
|
@
|
Pittsburgh
|
DF
|
1993
|
4
|
3
|
W
|
30-Apr-02
|
@
|
Toronto
|
CQF
|
2002
|
2
|
4
|
L
|
The Isles are 3-4 all-time in Game 7 (0-1 at home, 3-3 on the road). The Isles have played 4 other winner-take-all games (1975 game 3 vs. Rangers, 1982 game 5 vs. Pittsburgh, 1984 vs. the Rangers, 1985 game 5 vs. Washington) and won them all.
Washington is 3-9 all-time in game 7.
This will be the second time the Isles and Caps have met in a game 7, with Pat LaFontaine's Easter Epic game being the only previous meeting.
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 & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.
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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