"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 37
Isles 6, Toronto 3
The Isles scored three goals in each of the first two periods for the first time in nearly five years as they earned a split of the home-and-home series by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 before a sellout crowd of 19,899 at Air Canada Center. Thirteen Islanders (including every forward but Kyle Okposo) recorded points as the Isles matched their season high in goals, and scored six goals on the road for the first time since October 14, 2014 (at NY Rangers). The win pushes the Isles back into 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Rangers.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
02:00 NYI Brock Nelson (13) Wrist shot - ASST: Mikhail Grabovski (12), Ryan Strome (10)1 - 0 NYI
02:39 TOR Brad Boyes (3) Snap shot - ASST: Shawn Matthias (8), Jake Gardiner (9) 1 - 1 Tie
11:51 NYI John Tavares (14) Tip-in - ASST: Josh Bailey (11), Anders Lee (12) 2 - 1 NYI
17:45 NYI Frans Nielsen (13) Backhand shot - ASST: Nick Leddy (11) 3 - 1 NYI
2ND PERIOD
10:57 TOR PA Parenteau (9) Wrist shot - ASST: Peter Holland (9), James van Riemsdyk (13) 3 - 2 NYI
11:25 NYI Nikolay Kulemin (4) Snap shot - ASST: Frans Nielsen (11) 4 - 2 NYI
18:06 NYI Matt Martin (5) Wrist shot - ASST: Casey Cizikas (8), Cal Clutterbuck (3) 5 - 2 NYI
19:20 NYI Anders Lee (5) Tip-in - ASST: Calvin de Haan (5), John Tavares (13) 6 - 2 NYI
3RD PERIOD
16:00 TOR Shawn Matthias (3) ASST: Brad Boyes (8), Peter Holland (10) 6 - 3 NYI
The Skinny:
The Isles killed all four Maple Leafs power plays, as they extended the club record by not allowing a PP goal for the 15th straight game… The Isles have now killed 39 consecutive penalties, matching a streak that ended the 2003-04 season for the longest by an Islander team since at least 1987-88…The last time the Isles scored at least six goals in the first two periods was vs. Pittsburgh in a fight-filled game on February 11, 2011…All three former Islanders (Michael Grabner, Brad Boyes and PA Parenteau) scored goals against the Isles in the back-to-back set…Nikolay Kulemin scored for the second consecutive game after going 30 games without a goal; it was the first time since 1/17 – 1/19/2015 that Kulemin has tallied in consecutive games. ..The Isles scored the first goal for the first time in six games and scored three goals in a road first period for the first time since December 9, 2014 in Minnesota…Brock Nelson tied Mats Zuccarello for the NHL lead with seven 1st period goals…Ryan Strome has assists in three straight games after going pointless in his previous six games…John Tavares has 19 points in 12 career goals at Air Canada Centre (7-12-19), leading all visitors at the ACC in points since he entered the NHL… It's only the Isles' 2nd win vs. an Atlantic Division opponent this season (2-8-2)…The Isles have allowed the fewest PP goals in the NHL (13) and have killed an NHL-leading 87.7% of opponent's power plays…Johnny Boychuk and Calvin deHaan were both +3…John Tavares scored for the first time in six games, while Anders Lee's 40th career goal was his first in 16 games…The Isles matched a season-high in goals (6 vs San Jose on 10/17); in both games the goals came from six different players…Thomas Greiss recorded his 10th win, matching Jaroslav Halak's total…The Isles earned their 20th win of the season; it's only the 11th time in club history that they have done so in December…The Isles clinched their third consecutive winning month to start the season (6-2-3 in October, 7-6-1 in November and 7-4-1 in December)…Jake Gardiner recorded his 100th NHL point.
Longest Isles Streaks without Allowing a PP goal:
· 15 games: CURRENT
· 12 games: 3/3-3/28/2015
· 10 games: 2/18-3/7/1978
Most Consecutive Islander Penalty Kills (since 1987-88)
· 39 CURRENT
· 39 to end 2003-04 season
· 37 November 2005
The Isles have killed 39 straight opposing power plays since the Flyers scored on the first of their five opportunities on Thanksgiving Eve.
First Time in a Long Time – Let's Hear it for the Lefties (Wings)
All 4 Islander left wings (Lee, Kulemin, Nelson, Martin) scored goals in the same game for the first time since March 31, 2011. Check out these names: PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson, Trevor Gillies, Jesse Joensuu did it that night against the Rangers.
What a Year(s)
The Isles earned 97 points in calendar year 2014. With their win tonight, they have earned 95 points in calendar year 2015 (with 1 game to play).
Out With the Old, In With the New
This was the first game of a stretch in which the Isles will play five games in eight days which will take the calendar into 2016. The Isles are 1-1-0 in this stretch.
27-Dec-15 Vs Maple Leafs (Lost 3-1)
29-Dec-15 @ Maple Leafs (Won 6-3)
31-Dec-15 @ Sabres
2-Jan-16 @ Penguins
3-Jan-16 Vs Stars
The Shots:
Isles 7-8-6=21
Toronto 12-13-8=33
Home and Road
The Islanders are 20-12-5 overall; 12-6-2 at home and 8-6-3 on the road.
Toronto is 13-15-7 overall; 6-6-5 at home and 7-9-2 on the road.
By Division
The Isles are 7-0-2 in Division games and are 13-12-3 in games against other divisions. They are 2-8-2 vs. the Atlantic Division, 5-2-1 vs. Central Division, and 6-2-0 vs. the Pacific Division.
The Isles finished last season 21-6-3 against the Met and 26-22-4 against other Divisions.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 30 saves as he improves to 10-5-2; he is 2-1-0 in his career against Toronto, only six goals in the three games.
Jonathan Bernier made nine saves over the first 40 minutes as he falls to 3-10-3 on the season and 3-3-2 in his career against the Isles. James Reimer made six saves in the third period.
Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-4 on the power play while Toronto was also 0-4.
The Isles have killed all 35 opponent power plays in their franchise-record 15 game streak of not allowing power play goals; it's the second time this season (October 15- November 1) that the Isles killed all opposing power plays in at least nine consecutive games.
The Isles' power play has scored only once in 25 attempts over the last seven games.
The Isles are 10-3-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-9-2 when they do not. The Isles are 5-5-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 15-7-4 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 17-2-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-10-5 when they do not. The Isles were 40-8-4 when they scored at least three goals (including SO winners) last season.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 8-5-5 in games decided by a single goal including 3-5-0 in regulation. They are 2-3 in games decided in overtime and are 3-2 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.
First Goal
The Isles are 13-3-2 when they score first and are 7-9-3 when they allow the opening goal. The Isles had allowed the first goal in five straight games before tonight.
Second to The One
Jack Capuano is the 2nd winningest coach in Islander history. Capuano is 185-160-51 behind the Islander bench and will coach his 400th game on January 7th vs Washington. Among the 9 New York area teams, only the Giants' Tom Coughlin and the Yankees' Joe Girardi have led their respective teams longer than Capuano.
Most games coached (Islanders):
1. Al Arbour 1,500
2. Jack Capuano 396
3. Mike Milbury 191
4. Terry Simpson 187
5. Scott Gordon 181
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1. Al Arbour 740
2. Jack Capuano 185
3. Terry Simpson 81
4. Peter Laviolette 77
5. Ted Nolan 74
They Tweeted It
@TFLINY Kuuuuuulemin!!! 4-2 #Isles This is a potentially crazy game here 😜 (Yup)
@MeaMea13 @NYIslanders THANK YOU for winning tonight Helped my family continue to celebrate my mom being cancer free today #Isles (Awesome news! #HockeyFightsCancer)
@CJuristo #isles what a great game by the isles tonight give yourselves a pat on the back your all awesome and back on track❤L.G.I.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-2-3 on the front-end and 4-2-1 on the back end of back-to-backs this season. The next back-to-back set will be January 2nd in Pittsburgh and January 3rd vs. Dallas.
Tired vs. Rested
· The Isles are 1-1-0 when both teams played the night before.
· The Isles are 2-2-0 when they are rested and their opponents are not.
· The Isles are 3-1-1 when their opponents are rested and the Isles are not.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Travis Hamonic (24:11); Toronto: Matt Hunwick (21:50)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (12-2-3), Johnny Boychuk (4-3-0), Calvin deHaan (0-0-1), Nick Leddy (4-5-1), John Tavares (0-1-0), Tied (0-1-0)
John Tavares led the Isles forwards with 20:02 of ice-time. Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (13-9-4), Ryan Strome (2-0-0), Kyle Okposo (0-1-1), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Frans Nielsen (2-0-0), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Tied (0-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 32, Toronto 26 (55%).
John Tavares won 12 of 18 and Mikhail Grabovski won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Peter Holland won 6 of 10 for Toronto.
The Isles won 16 of 22 draws in the first period but only 16 of 36 in the final 40 minutes.
The Isles won 28 of 46 draws at even strength, 3 of 7 on the power play and 1 of 5 on the penalty kill.
Heavy Hitters
Isles 24, Toronto 25. Casey Cizikas led the Isles with 5 hits while Matt Martin added four.
Fights
There were no fights. Season total – 9 (Martin-5, Boychuk, Bernier, Leddy, Okposo). (Toronto has been involved in only 2 fights this season, fewest in the NHL)
Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 21 blocked shots; Travis Hamonic led the way with 4.
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 42, Toronto 75 (Including 56-28 Toronto through 2 periods) Even-Strength: Isles 35, Toronto 61.
The Corsi stat measures shots attempted, both for and against (including blocks).
Three Isles shared the club lead with a +3 even-strength Corsi rating; Anders Lee and Johnny Boychuk had a club-leading 54% Corsi For percentage. Shawn Mathias and Brad Boyes led Toronto with a +13 rating.
Ironmen
· Nikolay Kulemin -187 (68 for Toronto and 119 for the Isles)
· Brock Nelson -172 (all for Isles)
Missing Men
Jean-Francois Berube and Jaroslav Halak are on injured reserve. Marek Zidlicky replaced Brian Strait in the lineup; Steve Bernier and Eric Boulton were also scratched. Christopher Gibson served as the back-up goalie for the 2nd straight game.
The Isles have lost 73 games this season due to injury/illness.
All-time Islander Leader Board:
John Tavares has:
· 188 goals (11th all-time, 18 behind John Tonelli and 23 behind Derek King)
· 240 assists (15th all-time, 9 behind Tomas Jonsson and 19 behind Billy Harris)
· 428 points (13th all-time and 15 behind Billy Harris)
· 466 games played (30th among Islander skaters all-time and 4 behind Mariusz Czerkawski)
Kyle Okposo has:
· 125 goals (18th all-time and 2 behind Jason Blake)
· 206 assists (17th all-time and 3 behind Frans Nielsen)
· 331 points (tied-17th all-time with Ziggy Palffy and 2 behind Tomas Jonsson)
· 485 games played (27th among Islander skaters all-time and 8 behind Ed Westfall)
Frans Nielsen has:
· 112 goals (25th all-time, and 4 behind Ray Ferraro)
· 209 assists (16th all-time and 28 behind John Tavares)
· 321 points (19th all-time, 10 behind Ziggy Palffy and 10 behind Kyle Okposo)
· 562 games played (15th among Islander skaters all-time and 32 behind John Tonelli)
Josh Bailey has:
· 148 assists (27th all-time and 2 behind Mariusz Czerkawski)
· 236 points (28th all-time, 1 behind Travis Green and 2 behind Ray Ferraro)
· 512 games played (23rd among Islander skaters and 33 behind Dave Lewis)
Season Series Stats
The season series is even 1 game to 1 and 2 points to 2. The teams will play again in Toronto on March 9th, with the Isles having an opportunity to take 2 of 3 from the Leafs for the fourth straight season.
On The Farm
The Sound Tigers wrapped up 2015 with a pair of 1-goal wins, winning 2-1 at Lehigh Valley on Saturday and 4-3 vs. Providence on Sunday. Christopher Gibson made 21 saves for the win on Saturday; Mike Halmo had a pair of goals on Sunday.
Bridgeport is now 18-12-2-1 and they next play on New Year's Day in Springfield before returning home to host Rochester on Saturday and Hershey on Sunday.
Up Next
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31st—ISLANDERS AT BUFFALO 6:00PM
[MSG+ (Isles Pre-game at 5:30), 91.5 WNYE-FM. 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Isles wrap up 2015 with a New Year's Eve matchup with the Sabres.
This is the 5th time the Isles will spend New Year's Eve in Buffalo:
31-Dec-82 @ Buffalo 1 5 L
31-Dec-89 @ Buffalo 4 2 W
31-Dec-95 @ Buffalo 5 2 W
31-Dec-95 @ Buffalo 5 2 W
31-Dec-02 @ Buffalo 1 0 Wot
Isles have done well on New Year's Eve in recent years, winning the last 4, and going 8-0-1 in last 9. Overall the Isles are 14-7-1 on December 31st, going 4-1-0 at home and 10-6-1 on the road. Other than 12/31/12 (lockout), Isles have played on New Year's Eve every year since 12/31/07.
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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