"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 49
Washington 3, Isles 2
The Great 8 did it again. Alex Ovechkin broke a 2-2 tie with 2:40 to play in regulation for his 504th career goal and the Capitals survived a late Islander power play for a 3-2 victory over the Isles before a sellout crowd of 18,506 at Verizon Center.
The Isles fall three points behind the Rangers in the battle for 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey tied the Isles with 48 points, but the Isles have three games in hand.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
01:55 NYI Mikhail Grabovski (9) ASST: Josh Bailey (15), Travis Hamonic (9) 1 - 0 NYI
07:28 WSH T.J. Oshie (16) ASST: Nicklas Backstrom (30) 1 - 1 Tie
2ND PERIOD
18:42 WSH Andre Burakovsky (9) ASST: Jason Chimera (15), Dmitry Orlov (14) 2 - 1 WSH
3RD PERIOD
05:38 NYI Josh Bailey (8) ASST: Marek Zidlicky (11), Brock Nelson (11) 2 - 2 Tie
17:20 WSH Alex Ovechkin (29) ASST: Nicklas Backstrom (31), T.J. Oshie (16) 3 - 2 WSH
The Skinny:
The Isles are 8-9-1 in their last 18; they have outscored opponents 37-19 in the 8 wins (8-0-0), but have been outscored 32-11 in the 10 losses (0-9-1)… The Isles have outscored their opponents 55-41 in the third period this season, including 13-3 over the last seven games…Mikhail Grabovski has goals in three straight games and points in four straight…Andre Burakovsky scored for the 4th straight game… Alex Ovechkin is 28-15-43 in 39 career games against the Isles…The Isles had 71 attempts to Washington's 41; in the last 5 games the Isles have 362 attempts to their opponents 254…The Capitals have not lost consecutive games in regulation time this season…Josh Bailey's goal was his first since December 21st vs. Anaheim…John Tavares had six shots on goal for the second straight game; it's the first time this season that he has had at least six shots in consecutive games…The Isles held Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Capitals leading point-getter, without a point. He had recorded 10 assists in the prior four games…Washington is 27-0-1 when leading after two periods…The Caps have scored a 3rd period goal in 14 straight games, and improve to 13-1-1 in their last 15 home games…Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist; the Isles had gone 13-1-1 the last 15 times Bailey recorded multiple points in a game…Since New Year's Eve, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they score at least one power play goal and are 0-5-1 when they are blanked on the power play.
A Capital Blockade
The Caps blocked 33 shots. It's the most blocks by an Islander opponent since the statistic has been recorded by the NHL. The previous record was 31 (Montreal on 12/7/06 and Toronto on 2/26/09).
The Caps had blocked more than 33 shots only once – on April 9, 2013 in Montreal.
Home Sweet Home
The Isles are 16-8-3 on home-ice (35 points). In the past 28 seasons, the Isles have earned more than 35 points in the first 27 home games only twice (40 in first 27 at home last season and 37 in 27 in 2003-04).
Road Warriors
This was the first game of a 22 game stretch in which the Isles will play 16 games on the road. The Isles are 0-1-0 in this stretch.
4-Feb-16 @ Capitals (Lost 3-2)
6-Feb-16 @ Red Wings
7-Feb-16 Vs Oilers
9-Feb-16 @ Blue Jackets
11-Feb-16 Vs Kings
13-Feb-16 @ Hurricanes
15-Feb-16 Vs Red Wings
18-Feb-16 Vs Capitals
19-Feb-16 @ Devils
23-Feb-16 @ Wild
25-Feb-16 @ Flames
28-Feb-16 @ Oilers
1-Mar-16 @ Canucks
3-Mar-16 @ Jets
6-Mar-16 @ Rangers
8-Mar-16 Vs Penguins
9-Mar-16 @ Maple Leafs
12-Mar-16 @ Bruins
14-Mar-16 Vs Panthers
15-Mar-16 @ Penguins
17-Mar-16 @ Predators
19-Mar-16 @ Stars
The Shots:
Isles 9-5-12=26
Washington 7-7-9=23
Home and Road
The Islanders are 26-17-6 overall; 17-8-3 at home and 9-9-3 on the road.
Washington is 36-9-4 overall; 19-4-2 at home and 17-5-2 on the road.
Metropolitan Hockey Club, Inc.
The Isles are 9-4-2 in Division games and are 17-13-4 in games against other divisions. They are 4-9-2 vs. the Atlantic Division, 7-2-1 vs. the Central Division, and 6-2-1 vs. the Pacific Division.
The Isles are 30-10-3 since the start of last season against the Met.
In the Nets
Jaroslav Halak made 20 saves but falls to 12-10-4 on the season. Halak is 6-6-0 in his career against Washington.
Braden Holtby made 24 saves to improve to 31-5-3 on the season. Holtby is 9-1-2 in his (regular season) career against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-2 on the power play, while Washington was 0-2. The Isles are 9-9 on the penalty kill in their last three road games.
The Isles are 16-3-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-14-3 when they do not. The Isles are 8-7-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 18-10-5 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 22-2-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-15-6 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 10-6-6 in games decided by a single goal including 5-6-0 in regulation. They are 2-3 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 5-4 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.
First Goal
The Isles are 16-4-2 when they score first and are 10-13-4 when they allow the opening goal.
Second to The One
Jack Capuano, the 2nd winningest coach in Islander history, is 191-165-52 behind the Islander bench. Among the 9 New York area teams, only the Yankees' Joe Girardi has led his team longer than Capuano. With 191 wins, Capuano has now won as many as any Islander other than Al Arbour has coached:
Most games coached (Islanders):
1. Al Arbour 1,500
2. Jack Capuano 408
3. Mike Milbury 191
4. Terry Simpson 187
5. Scott Gordon 181
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1. Al Arbour 740
2. Jack Capuano 191
3. Terry Simpson 81
4. Peter Laviolette 77
5. Ted Nolan 74
Capuano is the 86th coach in NHL history to coach at least 400 games. He is 75th all-time with 191 wins, three fewer than Bob Gainey and five fewer than Cecil Hart and Fred Creighton.
They Tweeted It
@BenRaby31 #Caps Alex Ovechkin now has 9 game-winning-goals vs. #Islanders- his highest total versus any opponent (cc @ehornick) #NYI @washcaps
@4Isles4Life The ONLY thing that upsets me about tonites loss is dropping in the standings. #isles played well, Caps got the bounce in the 2nd
@SeanTierneyTSS #Isles vs #Caps possession battle. WSH was buried in this one. Hamonic and De Haan at the top again. #NYIvWSH pic.twitter.com/bcbdc6hakz
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-3-3 on the front-end and 5-2-1 on the back end of back-to-backs this season. The next back-to-back set will be February 6th in Detroit and February 7th vs. Edmonton.
Tired vs. Rested
· The Isles are 2-1-0 when both teams played the night before.
· The Isles are 4-2-0 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: Nick Leddy (24:11); Washington: Karl Alzner (23:35)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (16-3-3), Johnny Boychuk (4-3-0), Calvin deHaan (1-2-1), Nick Leddy (4-7-2), John Tavares (0-1-0), Tied (0-1-0)
John Tavares led the Isles forwards with 20:36 of ice-time. Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-13-5), Ryan Strome (2-0-0), Kyle Okposo (1-2-1), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Frans Nielsen (3-0-0), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Tied (1-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 27, Washington 24 (53%).
John Tavares won 11 of 16 for the Isles; Zach Sill won 5 of 8 for Washington.
The Isles won 11 of 17 draws in the middle period but won only 16 of 34 draws in the other 40 minutes.
The Isles won 20 of 41 draws at even strength, 4 of 7 on the power play and 3 of 3 on the penalty kill.
Heavy Hitters
Isles 25, Washington 23. Matt Martin led the Isles with 7 hits, extending his NHL-leading total to 237. Martin has recorded at least 200 hits in six straight seasons.
Fights
There were no fights. Season total – 11 (Martin-6, Bernier, Boychuk, Leddy, Lee, Okposo).
Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 15 blocked shots; Thomas Hickey led the team with 3.
Washington blocked 33 Isles shots; it was the most blocks by a home team in the NHL this season (Colorado had 41 in a game in Anaheim; Vancouver blocked 34 in a game in Dallas).
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 71, Washington 41. 5-on-5: Isles 58, Washington 34.
The Corsi stat measures shots attempted, both for and against (including blocks).
Travis Hamonic led the Isles with a +18 5-on-5 Corsi rating; Nikolay Kulemin had a club-leading 75% Corsi For percentage. Michael Latta led Washington with a +3 5-on-5 Corsi rating.
Ironmen
· Nikolay Kulemin -199 (68 for Maple Leafs and 131 for the Isles)
· Brock Nelson -184 (all for Isles)
· Anders Lee -125 (all for Isles)
Missing Men
Adam Pelech, Eric Boulton and Johnny Boychuk are on injured reserve. Brian Strait replaced Scott Mayfield in the lineup; Steve Bernier and JF Berube were scratched.
The Isles have lost 114 games this season due to injury/illness.
Missing a Piece (or two)
The Isles are 13-15-2 over the last two seasons in games in which they are missing Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic or Nick Leddy, including 5-5-1 this season. They are 5-4-1, including 2-1-1 this season, when two of the three miss a game.
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900
….
12. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 13. Garry Howatt 596 *** 14. John Tonelli 594 *** 15. Frans Nielsen 574
…
20. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 21. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 22. Josh Bailey 524 *** 23. Dave Lewis 514 *** 24. Mick Vukota 510*** 25. Rich Pilon 509 *** 26. Kyle Okposo 497 *** 26. Ed Westfall 493***28. Radek Martinek 479*** 29. John Tavares 478
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310
….
9. Derek King 211 *** 10. John Tonelli 206*** 11. John Tavares 191
…
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 129 *** 18. Jason Blake 127 *** 19. Duane Sutter 121 *** 20. Alexei Yashin 119 *** 21. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 ***
24. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 25. Frans Nielsen 114
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 ***
…
11. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 12. Bob Nystrom 278 *** 13. Billy Harris 259 *** 14. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 15. John Tavares 246 *** 16. Frans Nielsen 214 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 212
…
25. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 26. David Volek 154 *** 27. Josh Bailey 152
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052
…
10. Derek King 499 *** 11. Pat Flatley 488 *** 12. Billy Harris 443 *** 13. John Tavares 437 ***
14. Stefan Persson 369 *** 15. Kyle Okposo 341 *** 16. Pierre Turgeon 340
17. Tomas Jonsson 333 *** 18. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 19. Frans Nielsen 328
…
24 Jason Blake & Steve Thomas 258 *** 26. David Volek 249 *** 27. Josh Bailey 241
Season Series Stats
Washington leads the season series 2 games to 0 and 4 points to 0. The teams will meet again on February 18th in Brooklyn and then finish the season series on April 5th in Washington.
The Isles are 3-4-3 in the last 10 games vs. Washington (0-2-1 in the last 3).
On The Farm
Bridgeport is 23-19-2-1 after sweeping three games last week to run their winning streak to four games. Bracken Kearns headed into the All-Star Break with 35 points and a +13 rating. Joe Whitney (now out injured) leads the team with 14 goals. The Sound Tigers begin their second half on Friday vs. Lehigh Valley, and then visit Wilkes Barre-Scranton on Saturday.
Up Next
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6th – ISLANDERS AT DETROIT 2:00PM
[MSG+2 (Pre-game at 1:30), 91.5 WNYE-FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Isles conclude this-two game road trip as they visit Detroit on Saturday afternoon in the front-end of a back-to-back set.
The Red Wings defeated the Isles 4-2 in the final game before the All-Star Break.
This is the Isles' only visit to Detroit this season; the Isles had won 5 straight in the Motor City before dropping a 4-1 decision last January 31st.
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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