The Skinny: Isles 2, Ottawa 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 23

Isles 2, Ottawa 1

Jordan Eberle scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 5:50 to play and Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves as he came within 4:21 of a shutout as the Islanders made this a Thanksgiving weekend to remember with their third straight victory as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 2-1 before a crowd of 17,276 at Canadian Tire Center.  

It was the second goal in as many games for Eberle, whose nine goals have all come in the last 13 games.

Matt Duchene scored his first goal as a Senator but the Sens still suffered their sixth straight loss (0-5-1, including four straight regulation defeats).

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

No Scoring

2ND PERIOD

08:06 New York PPG - Anders Lee (12) ASST: Josh Bailey (23), Nick Leddy (13) 1-0

3RD PERIOD

14:10 New York Jordan Eberle (9) ASST: Nick Leddy (14), Mathew Barzal (17) 2-0

15:39 Ottawa PPG - Matt Duchene (5) ASST: Mark Stone (10), Mike Hoffman (11) 2-1

The Skinny: 

The Isles scored the first goal for the 9th time in 23 games (9-0-0) … The Isles scored a power play goal for the sixth straight game for the first time since February 2016 (6 games) …Josh Bailey leads the team in assists and points (5-23-28) while John Tavares continues to lead in goals and is two points behind Bailey (15-11-26) …  Mathew Barzal's assist extended his point streak to six games; he now has 23 points, which leads all NHL rookies (Vancouver's Brock Boeser point has 22) …An Islander defenseman has earned a point on 11 of the team's last 12 goals.… The Isles improved to 4-3-2 in one-goal games with their first regulation win by a single goal this season; they are 10-4 in games decided by 2+ goals…Nick Leddy recorded his 8th multi-point game of the season; he leads all NHL defenseman in that category…Barzal's 17 assists are already the most by an Islander rookie since 2010-11 (Travis Hamonic 21, Michael Grabner 18)…The Isles are 10-0-0 when leading after two periods…Mike Hoffman recorded his 100th career assist on the Sens' only goal.

The Correction:

I noted yesterday that the Isles had last scored overtime goals in consecutive games on December 22/26, 2007; the Isles also did this on October 18/21, 2010 in Toronto and Tampa Bay.

The Injury

Casey Cizikas suffered a lower body injury early in the second period.  He played one shift late in the second period and did not return for the third.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT

The Isles improve to 7-0-0 on Saturdays; it's the first time since 2006 that they have won seven straight on Saturday (8-0-0 from 1/28 -4/15/2006).

The Isles are 5-0-0 on the road on Saturdays; that matches the club record for successive Saturday road wins in a single season (also 1992-93). Including their victory in New Jersey in game 81 last season, the Isles have won six straight Saturday road games for the first time in their history.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first nine times this season (9-0-0).  It's the first time that the Isles have won at least nine straight games (single season) that they scored first since December 16, 2010 – February 21, 2011 (11-0-0).

The Isles also won the last 5 games that they scored first last season, giving them 14 straight wins when the Isles score first.  This matches the club record – the Isles won 14 straight games when scoring first between January 4 – February 25, 1982, including in 12 games of their 15-game winning streak.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 14-7-2 this season; they were 9-10-4 through 23 games last season and won only 14 of their first 35 games last season (14-15-6).

Passing Jonsson

Josh Bailey's assist on the opening goal was his 334th point, passing Tomas Jonsson for 18th place on the all-time Isles list.  

Chasing Patty

John Tavares has 563 points, leaving him just three points behind Pat LaFontaine for 6th place on the all-time Isles list.

Leddy(ing) the Way

Nick Leddy's assist on the opening goal was his 111th as an Isle, breaking a tie with Roman Hamrlik for 10th place on the all-time defense Iist.

With 21 points in 23 games this season, Leddy is averaging .91 points/game.  The last Islander defensemen to have that high of an average was Marc Andre-Bergeron (21 points/ 23 games =.91 in 2006-07).  No Islander defenseman without the surname of Potvin has ever averaged .91 points/game over a full season (Denis did it 10 times and Jean once).

Top 70 Record

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 218th career win, tying Arturs Irbe for 70th place on the all-time NHL win list.   Next up: John Ross Roach (219) and Ilya Bryzgalov (221).

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 8-2-2 on the season (8-1-2 in his last 11 games).  Greiss has won five straight and is 6-0-1 in his last 7 games.

Fastest to 35

Doug Weight is now 38-19-6 as an NHL coach. On November 18 in Tampa Bay, he reached 35 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 35 Wins by an Islander Coach:

59 – Doug Weight

71 – Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (35-25-7-4)

73 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (35-27-11)

76—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (35-27-10-4)

The Shots

Isles     9-6-9=24

Ottawa 8-8-16=32

The Isles are 4-2-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 10-4-0 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged twice and been successful once.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks -- successful

The opponents have not challenged an Islander goal due to an offside so far this season.

Busy Stretch

This was the final game of a stretch in which the Isles played 6 games in 10 days, changing cities between each game and playing two sets of three games in four days, with the four road games being played in two sets of back-to-backs.  The Isles went 5-1-0 in this stretch.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 14-7-2 overall; 7-0-2 at home and 7-7-0 on the road.  

Ottawa is 8-8-6 overall; 4-5-5 at home and 4-3-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 4-3-0 in Division games and 10-4-2 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 7-3-0 against the East and 7-4-2 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 7-0-2 at home, matching their best-ever record through 9 home games (7-0-2 in 1978-79 and 8-1-0 in 1984-85).

The Isles are 4-0-2 vs. the Western Conference at Barclays Center this season and are 25-4-5 all-time at Barclays against the West.

Most Points Through 9 Home Games

16- 2017-18

16- 1978-79

16- 1984-85

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves as he improves to 6-5-0 on the season and 7-6-3 in his career against Ottawa.

Craig Anderson made 22 saves but falls to 7-8-3 on the season and 8-7-3 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-5 on the power play; Ottawa was 1-6.  

The Isles are 10-2-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 4-5-2 when they do not.  The Isles are 8-4-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 6-3-2 when they do not.    

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 13-2-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-5-2 when they do not.  This was the Isles' first win while scoring 2 goals or fewer since a 2-1 overtime win in Nashville late last season.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 4-3-2 in games decided by a single goal including 1-3 in regulation. They are 2-1 in games decided in overtime and are 1-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-0 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal 

The Isles are 9-0-0 when they score first and are 5-7-2 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 3-2-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-2-0 on the back-end.  The next back-to-back set is December 5th in Florida and December 6th in Tampa Bay.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-2-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 4-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 7-5-2 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: John Tavares (23:10); Ottawa: Erik Karlsson (26:48)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (7-5-0), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (13-5-2), Josh Bailey (1-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 26, Ottawa 28 (48%). 

Casey Cizikas won 5 of 7 for the Isles; Matt Duchene won 9 of 15 for Ottawa.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/19; 2nd period 6/19; 3rd period 10/16.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 18/33; Power play 3/9; Penalty kill 5/12.

Hit Count

Isles 12 (Cal Clutterbuck -3) 

Ottawa 16 (Bobby Ryan and Gabriel Dumont had 3)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 2: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 13 shots; Adam Pelech led the team with three. 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 47, Ottawa 58 (including 15-0 Ottawa in the final 5:50 after Eberle's goal)

5-on-5 Isles 34, Ottawa 30

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Johnny Boychuk +9

Ottawa: Three with +3

Night and Day 

The Isles are 13-7-1 in night games and 1-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next one is December 23rd vs. Winnipeg (1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 211 (including 106 for the Capitals); Jordan Eberle 174(including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 172, Calvin deHaan 108. 

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Shane Prince-IR), Dennis Seidenberg, Ryan Pulock, Anthony Beauvillier

Total games lost: 51.

Late Hero

The Isles have scored once in the final minute of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 662 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris 623 *** 12. Stefan Persson 622 *** 13. John Tavares 610

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 250

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 26. Josh Bailey 111

…

29. Anders Kallur 101*** 30. Trent Hunter 99 ***31. Anders Lee 96

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 7. Brent Sutter 323 *** 8. Stefan Persson 317 *** 9. John Tavares 313

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 ***18. Josh Bailey 223

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 7. John Tavares 563

…

17. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 18. Josh Bailey 334

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Roland Melanson 136 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 135 *** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 104

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Rollie Melanson 77 *** 6. Jaroslav Halak 74*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss 57

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and two points to none).  The teams will meet again on January 4th in Ottawa and Friday in Brooklyn and on March 27th in Ottawa.

The Isles are 7-3-1 in their last 11 visits to Ottawa, including a 3-1 record in overtime/shootouts.  

On the Farm

Travis St. Denis scored his 6th goal of the season with 10.0 seconds to play to force overtime but Bridgeport fell 5-4 in extra time to Lehigh Valley on Saturday. The OT loss extends the Sound Tigers' point streak to five games (4-0-1-0) but ends their four-game winning streak.  Bridgeport is now 10-7-1-0 on the season and 7-2-1-0 in their last ten games. 

Tanner Fritz had a goal and an assist; he continues to lead Bridgeport with 18 points (4-14-18); Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 8.  Kristers Gudlevskis made 19 saves but is charged with the OT loss.

The "3-in-3" weekend concludes in Hershey on Sunday at 5:00. 

Up Next

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28th –VANCOUVER AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM 

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 6:30PM), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM]

The Isles look to extend the winning streak to four games as they entertain the Vancouver Canucks in the final game of the Canucks' metro-area tour.  Vancouver dropped a 3-2 game in New Jersey on Friday and visits Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.

The Isles have won three straight from Vancouver and are 3-0-1 in the last four against the Canucks; the three-game win streak is the Isles' longest against the Canucks since they won five straight between October 1987 and October 1988.

This will be the first meeting between rookies Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser.  Barzal has a 1-point lead in the rookie scoring race over Boeser heading into Vancouver's game on Sunday.

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