"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 69
Nashville 4, Isles 2
On St. Patrick's Day, it was three "Ryan's" who scored in the middle period. After Ryan Pulock tied the game with his first NHL goal, Ryan Ellis and Ryan Johansen scored 101 seconds apart and the Nashville Predators went on to defeat the Isles 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 17,113 at Bridgestone Arena.
The loss, only the Isles' third in regulation in their last 13 games (8-3-2) leaves the Isles in third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Isles are 12-4-3 in their last 19 games.
The Isles magic number for clinching a playoff spot remains 19. The Isles are now only one point ahead of Pittsburgh and 5 points ahead of Philadelphia.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
09:15 NSH James Neal (27) Wrist shot - ASST: Calle Jarnkrok (12) 1 - 0 NSH
2ND PERIOD
06:02 NYI Ryan Pulock (1) Snap shot - ASST: John Tavares (30) 1 - 1 Tie
08:13 NSH PPG - Ryan Ellis (8) Slap - ASST: Ryan Johansen (36), Mattias Ekholm (24) 2 - 1 NSH
09:54 NSH Ryan Johansen (12) Wrist shot - ASST: James Neal (19), Anthony Bitetto (5) 3 - 1 NSH
3RD PERIOD
01:55 NYI Brock Nelson (23) Wrist shot - ASST: Thomas Hickey (10) 3 - 2 NSH
19:03 NSH EN - Austin Watson (3) Wrist shot - ASST: Mike Fisher (10), Colin Wilson (17) 4 - 2 NSH
The Skinny:
Ryan Pulock became the 352nd player in Islander history to score a goal. It was also his first NHL point. At just under 21 ½ years old, Pulock is the youngest Islander defenseman to score a goal since Travis Hamonic scored five goals as a 20-year old…John Tavares was held without an attempt on goal, although he did record his 30th assist; Tavares has recorded at least 30 assists in all 6 full NHL seasons he has played. He is the eighth player in Islander history (and the first since Patrick Flatley) to record at least 30-assist seasons…The Isles have allowed at least one goal in nine straight first periods (outscored 11-7) and have trailed 1-0 after the first period of four straight games…The Isles have now outscored opponents 76-54 in the third period…Brock Nelson tallied for his 4th goal in 21 games since the All-Star Break…The Isles have led after one period only once (3/6 at Rangers, 4-3) after the first period of the last 11 games…For the second time in four games, the Isles did not have a power play and the opponent scored on their only chance. That had not happened in at least 28 years prior to Saturday (in Boston) ...The Isles are 1-7-3 in the last 11games in which they have been held without a power play… The Isles have allowed eight power play goals in their last 23 times short (65.2%)...Casey Cizikas missed his first game of the season, ending his consecutive game streak at 99 games…Nashville is 11-1-5 in their last 17 games…Colin Wilson's assist on the empty net goal was his 200th NHL point…Austin Watson's empty-net goal was his first since November 10 in Ottawa; two of his three goals this season have come against the Islanders…Pulock was the 8th Islander defenseman to score a goal this season, one shy of the club record (done six times).
Comeback Kids
The Isles have now earned 15 points (5-18-5) in games that they trailed after 2 periods.
The 5 wins:
4-Dec-15 Vs St. Louis (Trailed 1-0, won 2-1 in a shootout)
14-Jan-16 Vs New York (Trailed 1-0, won 3-1)
9-Feb-16 @ Columbus (Trailed 2-1, won 3-2 in a shootout)
25-Feb-16 @ Calgary (Trailed 1-0, won 2-1 in overtime)
14-Mar-16 Vs Florida (Trailed 2-0, won 3-2)
The Isles won 10 games in 2013-14 when trailing after two periods; it's the only time since 1987-88 that they have won more than five games when trailing after 40 minutes.
Most Points Earned in Games Trailing After 2 Periods
· 17 Washington (7-8-3)
· 17 Ottawa (7-23-3)
· 15 ISLES (5-18-5)
· 15 Philadelphia (5-19-5)
Most Points in The Post-Cup Era through 69 games
· 90 in 2014-15
· 85 in 2015-16
· 78 in 2006-07
Home Sweet Home
The Isles are 21-8-4 on home-ice (46 points), matching their most points through 33 games in the Post-Cup era (46 last season and 46 in 1984-85). The Isles are 13 games over NHL-.500 at home for the first time this season; it's only the 2nd season since 2003-04 that the Isles have been +13 at home at any point.
The Isles are 6-0-1 in their last seven games at home; it's their longest single season point streak at home since November/December 2014.
The Isles have clinched an above NHL-.500 finish at home. It is the first time since 2005-06 and 2006-07 that the Isles have recorded successive home seasons above NHL-.500.
Road Warriors
The Isles are 17-14-5 on the road this season. In the Post-Cup era, the Isles have earned more than 39 points in the first 36 road games only twice (44 in first 36 on road last season and 40 in first 36 in 2001-02).
This was the 13th game of a stretch in which the Isles are playing 12 out of 14 games on the road for only the 2nd time in their history. From November 11 – December 9, 2009 (John Tavares' rookie season), the Isles went 5-7-2 in a stretch in which they played 12 of 14 on the road.
19-Feb-16 @ Devils (Won 1-0)
23-Feb-16 @ Wild (Won 4-1)
25-Feb-16 @ Flames (Won 2-1 OT)
28-Feb-16 @ Oilers (Lost 3-1)
1-Mar-16 @ Canucks (Won 3-2)
3-Mar-16 @ Jets (Won 4-3 OT)
6-Mar-16 @ Rangers (Won 6-4)
8-Mar-16 Vs Penguins (Won 2-1)
9-Mar-16 @ Maple Leafs (Lost/SO 4-3)
12-Mar-16 @ Bruins (Lost 3-1)
14-Mar-16 Vs Panthers (Won 3-2)
15-Mar-16 @ Penguins (Lost/SO 2-1)
17-Mar-16 @ Predators (Lost 4-2)
19-Mar-16 @ Stars
Isles 6-14-2=22
Nashville 12-11-9=32
Home and Road
The Islanders are 38-22-9 overall; 21-8-4 at home and 17-14-5 on the road.
Nashville is 36-22-13 overall; 18-10-6 at home and 18-12-7 on the road.
By Division
The Isles are 13-5-4 in Division games and are 25-17-5 in games against other divisions. They are 6-11-3 vs. the Atlantic Division, 9-3-1 vs. the Central Division, and 10-3-1 vs. the Pacific Division.
The Isles are 34-11-4 since the start of last season against the Metropolitan Division.
How The West is Won
The Isles are 19-6-2 against the Western Conference, including 12-0-2 at home. The Isles have the most wins of any Eastern Conference team against the Western Conference (Tampa Bay is 15-10-2 and the Rangers are 16-8-2, entering their game in Los Angeles tonight).
The Isles are guaranteed to finish with at least the 2nd-best record of an Eastern team vs. the West. (Washington is 14-5-3 and still has 6 games left against the West)
The Isles' only remaining game against the West is Saturday in Dallas.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 28 saves but falls to 19-8-4 on the season. He is 3-3-0 in his career against Nashville.
Pekka Rinne made 20 saves in his NHL-leading 58th game to improve to 29-19-10; Rinne is 4-3-1 in his career against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Islanders were 0-0 on the power play, while Nashville was 1-1.
The Isles have now allowed 30 power play goals, one more than Carolina. It's the first time in weeks that the Isles have not allowed the fewest power play goals in the NHL.
The Isles are 23-5-4 when they score at least one power play goal and 15-17-5 when they do not. The Isles are 12-11-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 26-11-6 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 31-3-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 7-19-8 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 17-6-9 in games decided by a single goal including 9-6-0 in regulation. They are 4-4 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 6-5 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.
First Goal
The Isles are 25-5-4 when they score first and are 13-17-5 when they allow the opening goal.
Second to The One
Jack Capuano, the 2nd winningest coach in Islander history, is 203-170-55 behind the Islander bench. Among the 9 New York area teams, only the Yankees' Joe Girardi has led his team longer than Capuano.
Most games coached (Islanders):
1. Al Arbour 1,500
2. Jack Capuano 428
3. Mike Milbury 191
4. Terry Simpson 187
5. Scott Gordon 181
Most wins by Islander coaches:
1. Al Arbour 740
2. Jack Capuano 203
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. His 203 wins is now 71st all-time. (Tied/69 – Gerry Cheevers and Todd Richards 204)
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 4-4-4 on the front-end and 7-2-3 on the back end of back-to-backs this season. The next back-to-back set will on March 25th in Tampa Bay and March 26th in Carolina.
Tired vs. Rested
· The Isles are 3-1-0 when both teams played the night before.
· The Isles are 5-3-0 when they are rested and their opponents are not.
· The Isles are 4-1-3 when their opponents are rested and the Isles are not.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Travis Hamonic (24:00); Nashville: Shea Weber (25:12)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (23-5-6), Johnny Boychuk (5-3-0), Calvin deHaan (2-3-1), Nick Leddy (6-8-2), John Tavares (0-2-0), Tied (0-1-0)
Kyle Okposo led the forwards with 22:19 of ice time. Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (26-17-8), Ryan Strome (2-0-0), Kyle Okposo (2-3-1), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Frans Nielsen (4-0-0), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Tied (1-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 33, Nashville 28 (54%)
Frans Nielsen won 10 of 16 for the Isles; Mike Ribiero won 7 of 10 for Nashville.
The Isles won 25 of 43 in the first two periods but only 8 of 18 in the third period.
The Isles won 32 of 60 draws at even strength, 0 of 0 on the power play and 1 of 1 on the penalty kill.
Heavy Hitters
Isles 19, Nashville 30. Matt Martin led the Isles with five hits to extend his NHL-leading total to 328. It's the 4th time in his career that he has recorded 300 hits and the 13th time in NHL history a player has had at least 300 hits, tying Cal Clutterbuck's NHL-record for 300-hit seasons (Hits first recorded in 2005-06).
Fights
There were no fights. Season total – 19 (Martin-10, Lee-2, Bernier, Boychuk, Cizikas, Hamonic, Leddy, Okposo, Strait).
Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 13 blocked shots, including four from Calvin deHaan.
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 43, Nashville 63. 5-on-5: Isles 43, Nashville 61. Nashville had 29 attempts in the first period to the Isles' 11.
The Corsi stat measures shots attempted, both for and against (including blocks).
Anders Lee led the Isles with a +1 5-on-5 Corsi rating; Lee also had a club-leading 52% Corsi For percentage. Shea Weber led Nashville with a +17 5-on-5 Corsi rating.
Ironmen
Five Islanders have played every game this season:
· Nikolay Kulemin -219 (68 for Maple Leafs and 151 for the Isles)
· Anders Lee - 145 (all for Isles)
· Nick Leddy – 79 (all for Isles)
· Matt Martin – 69 (all for Isles)
· Frans Nielsen – 69 (all for Isles)
Missing Men
Adam Pelech is on injured reserve. Ryan Pulock, Brock Nelson and Shane Prince replaced Brian Strait, Mikhail Grabovski (injured) and Casey Cizikas (injured) in the lineup. Marek Zidlicky (injured) and Eric Boulton were also scratched.
The Isles have lost 174 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 and Frans Nielsen 594***
16. Ken Morrow 550 *** 17. Duane Sutter 547 *** 18. Josh Bailey 544 *** 19. Lorne Henning 543 ***
20. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 21. Tomas Jonsson 532 *** 22. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 23. Kyle Okposo 516 *** 24. Dave Lewis 514 *** 25. Mick Vukota 510 *** 26. Rich Pilon 509 *** 27. John Tavares 498
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310
….
9. Derek King 211 *** 10. John Tonelli 206*** 11. John Tavares 200
…
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 136 *** 18. Jason Blake 127 *** 19. Duane Sutter 121 *** 20. Alexei Yashin 119 *** 21. Frans Nielsen, Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson, and Steve Thomas 118
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. John Tavares 257*** 15. Tomas Jonsson 249***16. Frans Nielsen 225 *** `17. Kyle Okposo 223
…
25. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 26. David Volek 154 *** 27. Josh Bailey 153
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052
…
10. Derek King 499 *** 11. Pat Flatley 488 *** 12. John Tavares 457***13. Billy Harris 443 ***14. Stefan Persson 369 *** 15. Kyle Okposo 359 *** 16. Frans Nielsen 343
…
24 Jason Blake & Steve Thomas 258 *** 26. David Volek 249 *** 27. Josh Bailey 246
Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series 1 game to 1 and 2 points to 2.
Despite the loss, the Isles are 4-1-0 in their last 5 games against Nashville.
On The Farm
Bridgeport is 34-23-3-3 on the season after defeating Springfield 4-2 on Wednesday with four goals in the third period.
The Sound Tigers, who moved into a tie for 3rd place in the Atlantic Division with Providence, host Portland (7pm Saturday) and Albany (5pm Sunday) this weekend.
Up Next
SATURDAY, MARCH 19th–ISLANDERS AT DALLAS 8:00PM
[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:30), 91.5 WNYE-FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
The Isles will look to sweep the season series as they head to Dallas in the final game of this road trip and the final game of a stretch in which they have played 12 of 14 on the road.
The Isles defeated Dallas 6-5 in Brooklyn in early January; Cal Clutterbuck's shorthanded goal midway through the third gave the Isles a 6-3 lead and eventually proved to be the game winning goal.
These teams have played some high-scoring games in recent years, with the Isles outscoring Dallas 26-18 during their current 4-0-1 streak against the Stars.
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 http://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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