"The Skinny"
Game 47
Isles 3, Montreal 1
Andrew Ladd scored twice, including the winning goal with 12:40 remaining in regulation as the Isles headed into the All-Star Break with a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games, as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 before a crowd of 12,019 at Barclays Center. The win moves the Isles 4 games over NHL .500 for the first time this season and extends their point streak to six games (5-0-1). Josh Bailey also scored for the Isles; it was his 101st career goal.
The Isles remain unbeaten in regulation under Coach Doug Weight (4-0-1). It's the second time in club history that a coach has opened 4-0-1 or better. Peter Laviolette went 9-0-1-1 at the start of the 2001-02 season.
Thomas Greiss made 21 saves for the second straight game as he improved to 8-2-3 in his last 13 games.
The Scoring:
1ST PERIOD
13:07 New York Andrew Ladd (9) ASST: Calvin de Haan (9), Nick Leddy (18) 1-0
2ND PERIOD
14:09 Montreal PPG - Shea Weber (12) ASST: Andrew Shaw (11), Nathan Beaulieu (17) 1-1
3RD PERIOD
07:20 New York Andrew Ladd (10) ASST: John Tavares (20), Nick Leddy (19) 2-1
15:13 New York PPG - Josh Bailey (8) ASST: Anders Lee (8), John Tavares (21) 3-1
The Skinny:
The Isles scored the first goal for the 22nd time in the last 28 games …The Isles are 17-0-4 when leading after two periods.… The Isles improve to four games over NHL-.500 (21-17-9) and remain five points out of the final playoff spot…. The Isles had 42 shots on goal, matching a season high and allowed a season-low 22 shots…Nick Leddy extended his point streak to four games with two assists; he has also moved into the top 20 in scoring among NHL defensemen…Thomas Hickey missed his first game of the season; only five Islanders have played in every game…Calvin deHaan is the only Isles defensemen to play in every game.…John Tavares had two assists for the second straight game, giving him 13 points (8-5-13) in the last 8 games….Andrew Ladd recorded his 24th multi-goal game…Ten of Shea Weber's 12 goals have come on the power play; Weber has two goals vs. the Isles this season after never scoring against the Isles as a Predator.
The Injury
Cal Clutterbuck left the game following the Montreal goal and did not return.
First Time in a Long Time
The Isles have allowed only 8 goals in the last six games. It's the first time since December 18-31, 2002 (7 goals) that the Isles have allowed 8 goals or fewer in a six game period. That 2002 streak is the only other time it has happened in a single season since 1988!
The 49ers
The Isles began the night in a 6-way tie for 11th place with 49 points. Five of the six teams played on Thursday, with the Isles recording the only win (Tampa Bay lost in overtime). The Isles thus now have sole possession of 11 points; they are five points behind the Flyers with three games in hand. The Isles have games in hand on every Eastern Conference team except Ottawa and Toronto.
Good Start for Coach Weight Continues
The Isles are 4-0-1 under Coach Weight; it is their best start EVER following a mid-season coaching change:
The only other Islander coaches to have earned points in their first four games as head coach is Peter Laviolette (who won his first four and went 9-0-1-1 in his first 11 games in 2001).
Countdown to 1,000
Jason Chimera played in his 998th NHL game. 306 skaters and two goalies have played 1000 NHL games; Chimera could reach that mark on February 3rd in Detroit.
#1 is #1 (aka The Greiss is Right)
Thomas Greiss has started 11 of the last 12 games (5-2-3 with a 1.99 GAA and a 93.6 save percentage) and 13 of the last 17 games (8-2-3 with a 1.91 GAA and a 94.1 save percentage). In the last 11 games that he started he has allowed only 22 goals, and 7 of those came in one game. He has allowed two goals or less in 11 of his last 13 games.
Last Long Homestand
The Isles are ending January by playing six straight home games. The Isles are 4-0-1 in this stretch.
1/19 vs Stars (W 3-0)
1/21 vs. Kings (W 4-2)
1/22 vs. Flyers (L/OT 3-2)
1/24 vs. Blue Jackets (W 4-2)
1/26 vs. Canadiens (W 3-1)
1/31 vs. Capitals
Following this homestand, the Isles will play 22 of their final 34 on the road and will not have a homestand longer than two games.
The Shots
Isles 14-16-12=42
Montreal 4-9-9=22
The Isles are 11-4-3 when they outshoot their opponents and 2-2-0 when the shots are even but are 8-12-5 when they are outshot.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 21-17-9 overall; 15-8-5 at home and 6-9-4 on the road.
Montreal is 29-14-7 overall; 17-5-3 at home and 12-9-4 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 5-7-2 in Division games and 165-11-6 in games versus other divisions (6-6-3 vs. Atlantic, 4-2-1 vs. Central and 6-3-2 vs. Pacific). The Isles are 11-13-5 against the East and 10-5-3 against the West.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 21 saves to improve to 14-7-3 on the season and 1-3-0 in his career against Montreal.
Carey Price made 39 saves but falls to 22-10-5 on the season and 11-4-3 in his career against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Isles went 1-4 on the power play, while Montreal was 1-3.
The Isles are 8-5-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-12-4 when they do not. The Isles are 7-9-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-8-4 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 20-4-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-13-7 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 6-6-9 in games decided by a single goal including 3-6-0 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 1-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 2-1 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.
First Goal
The Isles are 16-4-7 when they score first and are 5-12-3 when they allow the opening goal.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 4-3-1 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 2-3-3 on the back-end.
The Isles will play 16 sets of back-to-backs this season. The next back-to-back set will be on February 3rd in Detroit and February 4th at home against Carolina.
Tired vs. Rested
· The Isles are 1-1-2 when both teams played the night before.
· The Isles are 5-3-2 when they are rested and their opponents are not.
· The Isles are 1-2-1 when their opponents are rested and the Isles are not.
· The Isles are 14-11-4 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Johnny Boychuk (22:43); Montreal: Shea Weber (24:56)
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Travis Hamonic (5-0-0), Nick Leddy (11-13-7), John Tavares (2-1-0), Johnny Boychuk (2-3-1), Dennis Seidenberg (1-0-1)
John Tavares led the Isles forwards with 20:49 of ice-time. Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (14-9-7), Josh Bailey (4-5-2), Casey Cizikas (1-0-0), Cal Clutterbuck (0-1-0), Brock Nelson (1-2-0), Shane Prince (1-0-0).
Face-offs
Isles 31, Montreal 25 (55%).
Alan Quine won 8 of 13 for the Islanders; Philip Danault won 5 of 9 for Montreal.
The Isles won 24 of 41 in the final two periods after winning only 7 of 15 draws in the first period.
The Isles won 25 of 47 draws at even strength, 5 of 5 on the power play and 1 of 4 on the penalty kill.
Hit Count
Isles 17, Montreal 13. Cal Clutterbuck led the Isles with five hits (before leaving the game following Weber's goal); No Canadien had more than two.
Fights
There were no fights. Season total – 9: (Boychuk 1, deHaan 1, Hamonic 3, Mayfield 1, Hickey 1, Strome 1, Chimera 1).
Blocked Shots
The Isles were credited with 13 blocked shots, including five from Calvin deHaan. deHaan is tied with Erik Karlsson (127 blocks) for 2nd place in the NHL, two behind Kris Russell.
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 61, Montreal 40 (It's the fewest attempts against the Isles since last February 4th in Washington and the +21 is the highest differential since 12/15/15 vs. Florida)
5-on-5 Isles 45, Montreal 32
5-on 5 leaders:
Isles: Andrew Ladd +11; Anders Lee 78%
Montreal: Brian Flynn +2
Ironmen
Jason Chimera – 153 (including 106 for the Capitals); Josh Bailey 114
Scratches
Shane Prince, Thomas Hickey (injured), Stephen Gionta
Injured Reserve: Travis Hamonic
Total games lost: 84
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900
….
12. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 13. Josh Bailey 604 *** 14. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 15 Garry Howatt 596 *** 16. John Tonelli 594 *** 17. John Tavares 557
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310
…
7. Bob Bourne 238 *** 8. Bob Nystrom 235 **** 9. John Tavares 226
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553
…
9. Bob Bourne 304 *** 10. Derek King 288 *** 11. John Tavares 285
…
18. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 19. Ed Westfall and Josh Bailey 181
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052
…
8. Bob Bourne 542 *** 9. Bobby Nystrom 513 *** 10. John Tavares 511
…
21. Duane Sutter 292 *** 22. Alexei Yashin 290 *** 23. Ed Westfall 286 *** 24 Josh Bailey 282
Last Minute Heroes
The Isles have scored twice in the final minute of regulation to either tie or win a game:
· 11/25 – SJ Sharks -- Nick Leddy (19:02); tied game, but Isles lost in regulation
· 11/30 – Pit Penguins – Anders Lee (19:33); Game Winning goal
Fit to Be Tied
The Isles have allowed the final goal of regulation in 10 of their 12 games that have gone to overtime this season, including three in the final minute:
· 10/16 – Ana Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf (19:00); Isles won in OT
· 11/3 – Phi Flyers – Jakob Voracek (19:02/PP); Flyers won in SO
· 11/12 – Fla Panthers – Jonathan Marchessault (19:46); Panthers won in OT
Late Losses
The Isles have been tied in the third period in 11 of their 17 regulation losses (and 20 of their 26 overall losses) but have allowed the lead goal in the final 3 minutes of regulation five times:
· 10/18 – SJ Sharks - Joe Pavelski (17:49)
· 10/26 – Mtl Canadiens - Shea Weber (17:03)
· 10/27 – Pit Penguins - Sidney Crosby (17:35)
· 11/23 – LA Kings – Dwight King (17:07)
· 11/25 – SJ Sharks – Patrick Marleau (19:37)
Season Series Stats
The season series is tied one game to one (and two points to two). The remaining meeting is in Montreal on February 23rd.
Tonight's win broke lengthy losing streaks against Montreal: 0-7-0 overall and 0-5-1 at home.
On The Farm
The Sound Tigers are 23-15-1-1 this season following a 1-0 overtime win over Providence in the fourth game of an 8- game homestand. Ryan Pulock scored the winning goal; Jaroslav Halak recorded the shutout as he improves to 4-1-2 in the AHL this season.
Bracken Kearns leads the Sound Tigers in both goals and points (16-19-35). Rookie Devon Toews leads the team with 21 assists and is tied for second on the team in points (4-21-25). Ryan Pulock leads the defense with 6 goals (6-9-15 in only 19 games).
Bridgeport hosts Hartford on Friday and Lehigh Valley on Saturday, before the AHL has its All-Star Break on Sunday/Monday.
Up Next
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31st –WASHINGTON AT ISLANDERS - 7:00PM
[MSG+ (Isles pre-game at 6:30), WNYM 970, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 WRCN]
Following the All-Star Break, the Isles return to action for their 5th and final meeting of the season with the Washington Capitals.
The Caps improved to 33-10-6 with their win in New Jersey on Thursday and now hold a 4-point lead as they look to repeat as President's Trophy winners. However, two of the Caps' ten losses have come to the Isles, who have outscored the Caps by a 10-9 score this season.
And Finally….
This one is for Evan. The day before my younger son was born (2/21/00), the Isles lost to Detroit 2-0 in a President's Day matinee to fall to 969-922-309 (or 47 games over NHL .500) With the win tonight, they are 1518-1471-476 (or 47 games over NHL .500) for the first time since.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 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
