NYISkinny: Eric Hornick's Blog: December 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

The Skinny: Colorado 6, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 39

Colorado 6, Isles 1

The Colorado Avalanche scored four goals in the second period, including two power play goals by Gabriel Landeskog. as they defeated the Islanders 6-1 before a crowd of 17,461 at Pepsi Center.

Josh Bailey had the only Islander goal as he extended his point streak to 11 straight games.

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

09:31 Colorado Patrik Nemeth (2) ASST: Alexander Kerfoot (15), Sven Andrighetto (12) 0-1

2ND PERIOD

05:25 Colorado Matt Nieto (6) ASST: Carl Soderberg (11), Blake Comeau (9) 0-2

12:30 Colorado Carl Soderberg (7) ASST: Colin Wilson (6), Erik Johnson (10) 0-3

16:35 Colorado PPG - Gabriel Landeskog (15) ASST: Nathan MacKinnon (28), Samuel Girard (6) 0-4

18:24 Colorado PPG - Gabriel Landeskog (16) ASST: Nathan MacKinnon (29), Samuel Girard (7) 0-5

3RD PERIOD

12:24 New York Josh Bailey (12) ASST: Brock Nelson (4), Scott Mayfield (8) 1-5

13:04 Colorado Erik Johnson (5) ASST: Gabriel Landeskog (15), Nathan MacKinnon (30) 1-6

The Skinny

The Isles have allowed 45 first period goals (most in the NHL) and have allowed the opening goal in an NHL-high 25 of 39 games…Both Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog had three points… Josh Bailey (12-38-50) regained the team scoring lead from John Tavares; the linemates have combined for 36 points on the last 29 Islander goals... Bailey now has an eleven-game point streak (6-13-19) but Tavares' point streak (4-14-18) ended at nine games and his assist streak ended at eight games… Josh Bailey's 39 assists and 50 points are already the second-highest totals of his career… Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 136 goals in the first 39 games (first time since 1993-94 when they had 139) and allowed 139 goals (highest since 2008-09, when they allowed 141)… The Isles allowed six goals for the fifth time in December; that's the first time they have done that in a calendar month since December 1991…The Isles have lost six straight on the road (0-5-1), including four straight in regulation…The Isles allowed a season-high 48 shots... Sebastian Aho played 15:57 in his NHL debut; he is the first Islander to debut in his draft year since Nino Niederreiter in 2011.

2017 by the Numbers

Calendar Year 2017

Record 46-29-10 102 pts

Games: Jason Chimera/Nick Leddy/Josh Bailey 85

Goals: Anders Lee 44, John Tavares 38, Andrew Ladd 24

Assists: Josh Bailey 62, John Tavares 50, Nick Leddy 45

Points: John Tavares 88, Josh Bailey 82, Anders Lee 73

Other leaders:

PP goals: Anders Lee 13

PP points: Josh Bailey 26

SH goals: John Tavares/Andrew Ladd 2

SH points: John Tavares 4

GW goals: Jordan Eberle/Brock Nelson/Anders Lee 5

OT goals: 8 players with 1

Faceoffs: Casey Cizikas 53.2%

Goaltending:

Greiss: 55 games 26-18-7 .900 3.14 (3 shutouts)

Halak: 31 games 17-11-2 .915 2.77 (1 shutout)

Special Teams

PP 48-266 18.0%

PK 48-228 78.9%

End of a Streak

New Year's Eve had been very, very good for the Isles in recent years. This was the Isles' first regulation loss on New Year's Eve since dropping a 1-0 decision in Chicago 19 years ago. The Isles had gone 10-0-1 in their last 11 games played on December 31st. Other than 12/31/12 (lockout), Isles have played on New Year's Eve every year since 12/31/07.

24 by New Years

Anders Lee is the first Islander since Pat LaFontaine to record 24 goals by the end of the calendar year. LaFontaine did it in both 87-88 and 89-90. Besides LaFontaine, the only other Islanders to do so are Mike Bossy (8 times), Bryan Trottier (3 times) and Anders Kallur (in 1980-81).

December to Remember

Anders Lee led the NHL with 11 goals this month. John Tavares shared the assist lead (16) with Claude Giroux while Josh Bailey went 7-15-22 to lead the league in points

First Time in a Long Time

The Isles earned 102 standings points in calendar year 2017. It is the first time that the Isles have earned at least 100 points in a calendar year since 1983, when they tallied 105.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

Anders Lee played in his 300th Islander game; he is the 72nd skater in club history to do so. Josh Bailey's goal was his 118th, tying Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas for 22nd place.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals nine times at home (8-1-0) and thirteen times overall (12-1-0). The Isles have also scored one shootout winner for a five goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first fourteen times this season (13-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

First Goal

The Isles are 13-1-0 when they score first and are 7-14-4 when they allow the opening goal.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 20-15-4 this season; they were 15-16-8 through 39 games last season and won only 20 of their first 46 games last season (20-17-9). Their 20th win came in Doug Weight's fourth game as Islander head coach.

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 223 career wins, leaving him two wins shy of Ken Wregget for 67th place on the all-time NHL win list.

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 44-26-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles 8-7-13=28

Colorado 12-23-13=48

The Isles are 6-6-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 14-8-2 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.

A Busy Month

The Isles played 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times). They went 5-8-2 this month.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 20-15-4 overall; 12-3-3 at home and 8-12-1 on the road.

Colorado is 19-16-3 overall; 12-7-1 at home and 7-9-2 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 15-11-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 10-8-1 against the East and 10-7-3 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 12-3-3 at home; they are 5-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves before being replaced after the 2nd period, but falls to 11-10-2 on the season and 5-3-2 in his career against Colorado. Thomas Greiss made 12 saves in relief.

Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves to improve to 6-7-1 on the season and 4-4-3 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time; Colorado was 2-4 in 6:55 of PP time.

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-8-3 when they do not. The Isles are 11-11-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-4-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-10-2 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 7-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 4-3 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end.

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

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

• The Isles are 11-11-4 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (24:06); Colorado: Erik Johnson (23:10)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-13-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

Andrew Ladd led the forwards in ice-time (18:55). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (17-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-1-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 36, Colorado 33 (52%)

John Tavares won 16 of 25 for the Isles; Tyson Jost won 6 of 10 for Colorado.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 9/19; 2nd period 11/26; 3rd period 16/24.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 29/55; Power play 4/6; Penalty kill 3/8.

Hit Count

Isles 16 (Thomas Hickey and Cal Clutterbuck-3)

Colorado 26 (Nikita Zadarov and Gabriel Landeskog-4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 19 shots; Scott Mayfield led the way with six.

For the Corsi Crowd

All situations: Isles 59, Colorado 77.

5-on-5 Isles 50, Colorado 64.

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Scott Mayfield and Mathew Barzal +7

Colorado: Nikita Zadarov +14

Night and Day

The Isles are 18-15-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees. The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 227 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 190 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 188, Nick Leddy 116.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 116

11.Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

(*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), (Johnny Boychuk -IR), Steve Bernier, Dennis Seidenberg, Shane Prince

Total games lost: 97

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored three times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

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

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

12/27- BUF Sabres – Josh Bailey (18:51); tied game, and Isles won in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

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 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 678 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. John Tavares 625

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 256

…

20. Frans Nielsen and Alexei Yashin 119 *** 22. Josh Bailey, Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 26. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 27. Anders Lee 107

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. John Tavares 330

…

13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Billy Harris 259 *** 15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 238

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 586

…

13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 356

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 147 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11. Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 110

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***5. Jaroslav Halak 79 *** 6. Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8. Tommy Salo 62 *** 9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The teams split the season series one game to one (and two points to two).

The home team has won the last eight games between the teams; the Isles are 0 32-1 in their last four trips to Denver, and have scored only three goals in the four games.

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 16-12-2-1 on the season following a 5-0 blanking of Binghamton on Saturday. Tanner Fritz had a goal and two assists to lead the offense, while Christopher Gibson made 19 saves for the shutout. Kyle Burroughs went +3; the defenseman is now +14 on the season to lead the team by a wide margin.

Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 35 points (10-25-35); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 13. Christopher Gibson is 12-6-1 in the nets with 2 shutouts; he has allowed only two goals in his last three starts.

The Sound Tigers visit Wilkes-Barre-Scranton on Wednesday, Rochester on Friday and Toronto on Saturday as they begin a stretch where they'll play 6 of 8 on the road.

Up Next

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2nd –BOSTON AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 6:30PM), WNYM 970AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Islanders open 2018 as they entertain the Bruins at Barclays Center. It's the first of two meetings between the teams in Brooklyn this month and the second meeting this season. The Bruins defeated the Isles 3-1 on December 9th.

The Isles have played very well at Barclays Center over the last 2½ seasons, going 59-26-15 in 100 games, but they are 0-3-0 against the Bruins in Brooklyn. The Isles have gone 1-8-0 in their last 9 home games against the B's.

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

Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Skinny: Winnipeg 4, Isles 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 38

Winnipeg 4, Isles 2

Connor Hellebuyck made 42 saves while Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Islanders 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 15,321 at MTS Center.

The Isles finished with a season-high 44 shots, including 38 in the first two periods, but Hellebuyck stopped all but two of them as he earned his 20th victory of the season.

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

02:32 Winnipeg Shawn Matthias (1) ASST: Adam Lowry (5) 0-1

16:57 Winnipeg Blake Wheeler (10) ASST: Kyle Connor (11), Patrik Laine (12) 0-2

2ND PERIOD

14:46 New York Anders Lee (23) ASST: John Tavares (28), Josh Bailey (38) 1-2

3RD PERIOD

03:01 Winnipeg Kyle Connor (12) ASST: Patrik Laine (13) 1-3

12:03 Winnipeg PPG - Adam Lowry (8) ASST: Jacob Trouba (11), Blake Wheeler (34) 1-4

16:28 New York Anders Lee (24) ASST: Ryan Pulock (5) 2-4

The Skinny

The Isles have allowed 44 first period goals (most in the NHL) and have allowed the opening goal in an NHL-high 24 of 38 games…Anders Lee recorded his 19th career two-goal game (sixth this season) and now shares the NHL lead in goals (24)… Josh Bailey now has an NHL-leading 38 assists … John Tavares (21-28-49) and Josh Bailey (11-38-49) continue to share the team scoring lead; the linemates have combined for 35 points on the last 28 Islander goals... Bailey now has a ten-game point streak (6-12-18) while Tavares has a nine-game streak (4-14-18).. … Josh Bailey's 38 assists and 49 points are already the second-highest totals of his career… Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 135 goals in the first 37 games (first time since 1993-94, when they had 139) and allowed 133 goals (highest since 2008-09, when they allowed 136)… Mathew Barzal saw his five-game point streak and three-game goal streak come to an end…The Isles had 42 shots (vs St. Louis) and 41 shots (in Anaheim) in consecutive games the first week of the season but this was the first time that they had at least 40 shots since then…Manitoba native Ryan Pulock earned an assist on Anders Lee' 2nd goal…Shawn Matthias scored his first goal since early March in his first game back after being scratched in 12 straight games…The Jets are 17-0-1 when leading after two periods…Winnipeg reaches the 50-point mark in their 39th game; it's the fastest they have done so since relocating from Atlanta…Paul Maurice recorded his 617th coaching win, breaking a tie with Jacques Lemaire for 15th place in NHL history…Anders Lee now has 44 goals in 2017; John Tavares led the Isles in calendar year 2016 with 30 goals.

From Jagr to Bailey

Josh Bailey recorded his 38th assist; he is the first NHL winger to accumulate at least 38 assists in the first 38 games since Jaromir Jagr had 46 in the first 38 games in 1995-96. (Thanks, TSN!)

Chasing Tom Kurvers…and a whole bunch of legends

John Tavares now has an assist in 8 straight games. The club record is 9, last done by Tom Kurvers in 1991-92. The others to have done so for the Isles are Stefan Persson, Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier (2x), Mike Bossy and Pat LaFontaine.

24 by New Years

December to Remember

Anders Lee leads the NHL with 11 goals this month. John Tavares is now 5-16-21 this month, while Josh Bailey is 6-15-21. Tavares' 15 assists are the highest total in the league, while Bailey and Tavares share the point lead.

Over the Century Mark

The Isles have earned 102 standings points in calendar year 2017. It is the first time that the Isles have earned 100 points in a calendar year in the Post-Cup era. The Isles last earned 100 points in a calendar year in 1983, when they tallied 105.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

Anders Lee's first goal was his 106th as an Islander, breaking a tie with Ed Westfall and Benoit Hogue for 27th place.

Five's Alive

First Things First

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 20-14-4 this season; they were 15-15-8 through 38 games last season and won only 20 of their first 46 games last season (20-17-9). Their 20th win came in Doug Weight's fourth game as Islander head coach.

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 223 career wins, leaving him two wins shy of Ken Wregget for 67th place on the all-time NHL win list.

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 44-25-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles 19-19-6=44

Winnipeg 12-12-13=37

The Isles are 6-6-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 14-7-2 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.

A Busy Month

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times). They 5-7-2 this month, with one game to play.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 20-14-4 overall; 12-3-3 at home and 8-11-1 on the road.

Winnipeg is 22-11-6 overall; 14-3-1 at home and 8-8-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 15-10-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 10-8-1 against the East and 10-6-3 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 12-3-3 at home; they are 5-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves but falls to 11-9-2 on the season and 7-4-0 in his career against Winnipeg.

Connor Hellebuyck made 42 saves to improve to 20-4-5 on the season and 2-1-0 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play in 6:53 of PP time; Winnipeg was 1-5 in 7:43 of PP time.

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-7-3 when they do not. The Isles are 11-10-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-4-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-9-2 when they do not.

One Goal Games

First Goal

The Isles are 13-1-0 when they score first and are 7-13-4 when they allow the opening goal.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end.

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

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

• The Isles are 11-10-4 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (21:14); Winnipeg: Jacob Trouba (26:31)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-12-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

Josh Bailey led the forwards in ice-time (18:18). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (17-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-1-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 33, Winnipeg 35 (48%).

Casey Cizikas won 10 of 16 for the Isles; Bryan Little won 10 of 17 for Winnipeg.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 9/17; 2nd period 10/23; 3rd period 14/28.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 22/51; Power play 4/8; Penalty kill 7/9.

Hit Count

Isles 18 (Adam Pelech-3)

Winnipeg 16 (Mathieu Perreault-3)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 23 shots; Scott Mayfield led the way with five.

For the Corsi Crowd

All situations: Isles 81, Winnipeg 75. The 81 attempts were the most by the Isles since a 1/17/2016 vs. Vancouver (a 2-1 shootout loss); it's the first time since 1/16/2010 (3-2 shootout win vs Buffalo) that each team had at least 75 attempts.

5-on-5 Isles 58, Winnipeg 60

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Jordan Eberle +6

Winnipeg: Mathieu Perreault +13

Night and Day

The Isles are 18-14-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees. The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 226 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 189 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 187, Nick Leddy 115.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 115

11.Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

(*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), (Johnny Boychuk -IR), Anthony Beauvillier, Sebastian Aho, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 94

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored three times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

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

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

12/27- BUF Sabres – Josh Bailey (18:51); tied game, and Isles won in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

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 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 677 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. John Tavares 624

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 256

…

22. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Josh Bailey 117 *** 26. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 27. Anders Lee 107

Assists

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

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. John Tavares 330

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 238

Points

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

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 586

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 355

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 146 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11. Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 79 *** 6. Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8. Tommy Salo 62 ***

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The teams split the season series one game to one (and two points to two).

The Isles had won five straight games in Winnipeg (three in extra time) and this is their first loss in regulation to the Jets in Manitoba since the franchise relocated from Atlanta (7-0-1).

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 15-13-1-1 on the season heading into Saturday's game with Binghamton.

Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 32 points (9-23-32); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 13. Christopher Gibson is 11-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-6-2.

Up Next

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31st –ISLANDERS AT COLORADO 8:00PM

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 7:30PM), WMCA 570AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Isles will wrap up the 2017 portion of the schedule as they conclude the road trip in Denver against the Avs. The Isles defeated the Avs 6-4 at Barclays on November 5th as Mathew Barzal became the first Islander rookie to record five assists.

The home team has won the last seven games between the teams; the Isles are 0-2-1 in their last three trips to Denver, and have scored only two goals in the three games.

New Years Eve has been very, very good for the Isles in recent years. The Isles are 10-0-1 in their last 11 games played on December 31st. Overall the Isles are 16-7-1 on December 31st, going 4-1-0 at home and 12-6-1 on the road. Other than 12/31/12 (lockout), Isles have played on New Year's Eve every year since 12/31/07.

Thomas Greiss is 4-0-0 on New Year's Eve (including 2-0-0 as an Islander).

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

Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Skinny: Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 37

Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)

Mathew Barzal became the first Islander rookie since Thomas Hickey to score an overtime goal as the Islanders rallied from a late 2-1 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 before a crowd of 15,027 at Barclays Center.

Josh Bailey had tied the game following video review with just 69 seconds to play. Bailey and John Tavares, who both entered the final minutes with long point streaks on the line, combined for the tying tally and then both earned off-ice assists on Barzal's winner.

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

No Scoring

2ND PERIOD

03:41 New York Jason Chimera (2) ASST: Cal Clutterbuck (7), Casey Cizikas (6) 1-0

09:43 Buffalo Zemgus Girgensons (3) ASST: Jack Eichel (20), Marco Scandella (10) 1-1

3RD PERIOD

11:33 Buffalo Kyle Okposo (6) ASST: Evander Kane (19) 1-2

18:51 New York Josh Bailey (11) ASST: John Tavares (26) 2-2

OT PERIOD

01:08 New York Mathew Barzal (13) ASST: Josh Bailey (37), John Tavares (27) 3-2

The Skinny

The Isles have gotten four overtime goals from four players this season (Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy, Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal) … Barzal tied the club record for overtime goals by a rookie (1). He is the tenth Islander rookie to score an overtime goal, and the first since Hickey did so in Montreal in 2013…Barzal join Sonny Milano, Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer as NHL rookies who have scored this season in overtime…Josh Bailey passed Jacob Voracek for the NHL lead in assists (37) … Bailey (11-37-48) and John Tavares (21-27-48) remain tied for the team scoring lead; the linemates have combined for 33 points on the last 26 Islander goals... Bailey now has a nine-game point streak (6-11-17), Tavares has an eight-game streak(4-13-17), while Barzal (5-3-8) has a five- game point streak and a three-game goal streak… Josh Bailey's 37 assists and 48 points are already the second-highest totals of his career… Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 133 goals in the first 37 games (first time since 1993-94, when they had also scored ~~130~~ 133) and allowed 129 goals (matching the highest since 2008-09~~2005-06~~, when they allowed 134~~1295~~)…Both teams scored a goal in the third period; the Isles have outscored opponents 47-37 in the final session… Jaroslav Halak improves to 7-1-1 as a starter at Barclays Center…Jason Chimera scored for the second time this season; sixteen of his 20 goals last season came after Christmas… Evander Kane recorded his 20th third period point of the season on Kyle Okposo's goal as he temporarily tied John Tavares for the NHL lead in that category. Tavares' assist on Bailey's goal was John's 21st point in the third period this season… It was Okposo's first career goal against the Isles…The Isles were shorthanded four times for the first time in ten games; the PK improved to 9-9 over the last three games…Zemgus Girgensons has scored four of his 40 NHL goals against the Isles…Jack Eichel recorded a point for the third straight game.

December to Remember

John Tavares is now 5-15-20 this month, while Josh Bailey is 6-14-20. The 20 points lead the NHL this month; Tavares' 15 assists are also the highest total in the league. Mathew Barzal leads all rookies with 12 points this month and his 7 goals are tied with Brock Boeser for the high total…Anders Lee leads the NHL with 9 goals this month.

Hitting the Century Marks

The Isles have now earned 100 standings points in calendar year 2017. It is the first time that the Isles have earned 100 points in a calendar year in the Post-Cup era. The Isles last earned 100 points in a calendar year in 1983, when they tallied 105.

This was the Isles' 100th regular season game at Barclays Center. The Isles are 59-26-15 all-time in Brooklyn.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

John Tavares recorded two assists, leapfrogging Patrick Flatley for 6th place. Tavares played in his 624th game, passing Billy Harris for 11th place.

Josh Bailey's tying goal was his 117th as an Islander, breaking a tie with Ray Ferraro for 25th place.

Five's Alive

First Things First

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 20-13-4 this season; they were 15-15-7 through 37 games last season and won only 20 of their first 46 games last season (20-17-9). Their 19th win came in Doug Weight's fourth game as Islander head coach.

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 223rd career win, which leave him two wins shy of Ken Wregget for 67th place on the all-time NHL win list.

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 44-24-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles 14-12-7-1=34

Buffalo 11-11-14-1=37

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 14-7-2 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.

Home for the Holidays

This was the final game of a five game homestand. The Isles went 3-1-1 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 - Vs. Ducks L 4-5 (OT)

12/23 – Vs. Jets W 5-2

12/27 – Vs. Sabres W 3-2 (OT)

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times). They 5-6-2 this month, with two games to play.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 20-13-4 overall; 12-3-3 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.

Buffalo is 9-21-7 overall; 5-10-2 at home and 4-11-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 15-9-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 10-8-1 against the East and 10-5-3 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 12-3-3 at home; they are 5-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves to improve to 11-8-2 on the season and 10-2-0 in his career against Buffalo.

Robin Lehner made 31 saves; he is 8-14-5 on the season and 3-4-2 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Buffalo was 0-4 in 8:00 of PP time.

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-6-3 when they do not. The Isles are 11-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-4-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 19-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.

One Goal Games

First Goal

The Isles are 13-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-4 when they allow the opening goal.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end.

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

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

• The Isles are 11-9-4 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Johnny Boychuk (24:47); Buffalo: Rasmus Ristolainen (27:12)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (17:08). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (17-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 24, Buffalo 33 (42%).

John Tavares won 10 of 17 for the Isles; Evan Rodrigues won 8 of 11 for Buffalo.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 7/16; 2nd period 9/18; 3rd period 7/22; Overtime 1-1.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 18/41; Power play 3/5; Penalty kill 3/11.

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Dennis Seidenberg -6)

Buffalo 18 (Jordan Nolan and Zemgus Girgensons -4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 15 shots; Thomas Hickey, Casey Cizikas, and Adam Pelech led the way with three.

For the Corsi Crowd

All situations: Isles 57, Buffalo 62

5-on-5 Isles 42, Buffalo 45

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Andrew Ladd +8

Buffalo: Nathan Beaulieu +8

Night and Day

The Isles are 18-13-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees. The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 225 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 188 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 186, Nick Leddy 114.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 114

11.Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

(*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), Ryan Pulock, Steve Bernier, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 91

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored three times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

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

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

12/27- BUF Sabres – Josh Bailey (18:51); tied game, and Isles won in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

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 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 676 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. John Tavares 623

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 256

…

22. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Josh Bailey 117 *** 26. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

Assists

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

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. John Tavares 329

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 237

Points

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

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 585

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 354

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 145 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11. Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 79 *** 6. Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8. Tommy Salo 62 ***

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series two games to none (and four points to one). The teams will conclude the season series on February 8th in Buffalo.

The Isles are 10-1-5 in the last 16 games between the teams; Buffalo's only regulation win came on November 1, 2015 in Brooklyn by a 2-1 score.

On the Farm

Tanner Fritz and Scott Eansor each scored a goal and added an assist while Joshua Ho-Sang helped set up a power play goal for Michael dal Colle as Bridgeport defeated Hershey 3-1 on Wednesday to improve to 15-13-1-1 on the season.

Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 32 points (9-23-32); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 13. Christopher Gibson is 11-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-6-2.

The Sound Tigers play only once in the next seven days; they'll entertain Binghamton on Saturday.

Up Next

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29th –ISLANDERS AT WINNIPEG 8:00PM

[MSG+2 (Islanders pre-game at 7:30PM), WNYM 970AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Isles will wrap up the 2017 portion of the schedule on the road, and they begin a two-game road trip in Winnipeg.

The Isles defeated Winnipeg 5-2 behind a Mat Barzal hat trick on Saturday and will be looking to sweep the season series for the second time in three seasons.

The Isles have won five straight games in Winnipeg (three in extra time) and have not lost in regulation to the Jets in Manitoba since the franchise relocated from Atlanta (7-0-1).

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

Sunday, December 24, 2017

“The Skinny” on Young Mr. Barzal : All I want for Christmas is a #MatTrick

Last night I showed the following in The Skinny:

Youngest Isles Hat Tricks by a Rookie (revised)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs. Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs. Caps)

4. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

John Tavares had two hat tricks as a "younger" 20-year-old than Barzal, but both were in his sophomore season.

With help from an "Elias Says" note today, I can now remove the "by a rookie" qualifier as follows:

Youngest Hat Tricks by an Islander (revised)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs. Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs. Caps)

4. John Tavares (20 years, 33 days on 10/23/10 vs. Panthers)

5. John Tavares (20 years, 117 days on 1/15/11 vs. Sabres)

6. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

7. Bryan Trottier (20 years, 260 days on 4/3/77 vs. Rangers)

(Mike Bossy's first NHL hat trick came in his 48th NHL game, on February 4, 1978 vs. Washington – it was 13 days after his 21st birthday)

Barzal was also named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week. He is the first Islander rookie to be one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week since Michael Grabner, who did so in the week ending February 13, 2011. Grabner completed a hat trick on February 13, 2011 in overtime – it was the last hat trick by an Islander rookie until Barzal turned the trick on Saturday.

Hat Tricks by Islander Rookies (birthdate in parenthesis):

· Mathew Barzal 12/23/17 vs Winnipeg (5-26-97)

· Michael Grabner 2/13/11 at Buffalo (10-5-87)

· Niklas Anderson 2/4/96 vs Dallas (5-20-71)

· Pat LaFontaine 3/3/84 at Toronto (2-22-65)

· Mats Hallin 3/19/83 vs. Philadelphia (3-19-58)

· Brent Sutter 2/2/82 vs. Washington (6-10-62)

· Mike Bossy 2/4/78 vs. Washington (1-22-57)

· Bryan Trottier 10/11/75 vs. Los Angeles (7-17-56)

· Bob Nystrom 1/31/74 at Los Angeles (10-10-52)

· Bob Cook 3/3/73 vs. Vancouver (1-6-46)

· Germain Gagnon 11/1/72 vs. California (12-9-42)

Bob Cook’s hat trick will always have a special meaning to me – it came in the first NHL game I ever saw – Stick Night at the Coliseum! I wrote more about that night here:

http://www.nyiskinny.com/2015/03/it-happened-at-coliseum-on-march-3rd.html

It Happened at the Coliseum … on MARCH 3rd

All the numbers on the New York Islanders from the team's long-time television statistician.

Enjoy the break! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(This post was revised to correct Pat LaFontaine's birth year)

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

Saturday, December 23, 2017

The Skinny: Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 36

Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

Mathew Barzal became the first Islander rookie since Michael Grabner to record a hat trick, each set-up by Jordan Eberle, as the Islanders defeated the Winnipeg 5-2 before a crowd of 13,589 at Barclays Center.

Andrew Ladd also earned two assists on the Barzal tally as the entire line were selected as the Three Stars. The win guarantees the Islanders (19-13-4, but only 4-6-2 in December) will spend the Christmas break in a playoff spot.

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

01:31 New York PPG - Anders Lee (22) ASST: Josh Bailey (36), Nick Leddy (20) 1-0

02:20 New York Mathew Barzal (10) ASST: Jordan Eberle (13), Andrew Ladd (8) 2-0

13:42 Winnipeg Tucker Poolman (1) ASST: Ben Chiarot (3), Nikolaj Ehlers (12) 2-1

19:24 New York Mathew Barzal (11) ASST: Jordan Eberle (14), Johnny Boychuk (6) 3-1

2ND PERIOD

No Scoring

3RD PERIOD

11:22 New York Mathew Barzal (12) ASST: Jordan Eberle (15), Andrew Ladd (9) 4-1

15:01 New York Anthony Beauvillier (4) ASST: John Tavares (25) 5-1

18:24 Winnipeg Adam Lowry (7) ASST: Kyle Connor (10), Joel Armia (9) 5-2

The Skinny (through Saturday afternoon)

Mathew Barzal tied the club record for goals by a rookie (3) with his first NHL hat trick. It was also his first career multi-goal game. Barzal is the first Islander rookie with a hat trick since Michael Grabner (2-13-11 vs. Buffalo) and the youngest Islander rookie with a hat trick since Pat LaFontaine (3-3-84 vs Toronto) … Barzal is the first Islander to record a hat trick against the (current) Jets since the franchise relocated from Atlanta; the Isles' last hat trick against "Winnipeg" was by Ziggy Palffy in 1996…Jordan Eberle record his first three assist game as an Islander, tying his career high…The Isles have recorded two hat tricks this month (Bailey on 12/13 vs. Columbus); it's the first time since February, 2011 (Grabner and Matt Moulson) that two different Isles have recorded hat tricks in a calendar month…Josh Bailey tied Jacob Voracek for the NHL lead in assists (36); an NHL-leading 18 of those assists have come on the power play. Bailey has points on 21 of the Isles' 28 power play goals….After trailing 2-0 in four of the last five games (and being outscored 11-3 in those first periods), the Isles struck for 2 goals in the first 2:20. It was the earliest two Islander goals since October 20, 2005, when Miro Satan and Jason Blake scored in the first 1:55 in a game against the Rangers and only the 13th time in club history the Isles have scored twice in the first 2:20 … Josh Bailey (10-36-46) and John Tavares (21-25-46) remain tied for the team scoring lead; the linemates have combined for 29 points on the last 23 Islander goals... Bailey now has an eight-game point streak (5-10-15), Tavares has a seven-game streak(4-11-15), Barzal (4-3-7) and Eberle (1-5-6) each have four game streaks… Josh Bailey's 36 assists and 46 points are already the second-highest totals of his career…For the seven time in the last eight games, the score was 2-0 at some point …The Isles improve to 22.8% on the power play; the Isles haven't finished a season with a 20% power play efficiency since the 1993-94 season; at home they are even better: 28.1%...Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 130 goals in the first 36 games (first time since 1993-94, when they had also scored 130) and allowed 127 goals (the highest since 2005-06, when they allowed 1295)…The Isles outscored the Jets 2-1 in the third period; they have outscored opponents 46-36 in the final session… Anthony Beauvillier recorded his first goal since December 1st against Ottawa…Jaroslav Halak improves to 6-2-1 as a starter at Barclays Center this season…Tucker Poolman scored his first NHL goal…It was the Jets' 11th regulation loss; 8 of them have been by three goals or more…The Isles remain perfect in games they lead after one period (11-0-0) and two periods (14-0-0)…The Isles improve to 9-1-0 on Saturday; they are 10-12-4 the rest of the week…Paul Maurice coached his 1,402nd game, passing Ron Wilson for 8th in NHL history.

Youngest Isles Hat Tricks by a Rookie (revised to fix Patty's birth year)

1. Pat LaFontaine (19 years, 10 days on 3/3/84 vs Maple Leafs)
2. Bryan Trottier (19 years, 86 days on 10/11/75 vs. Kings)

3. Brent Sutter (19 years, 237 days on 2/2/82 vs Caps)

4. Mathew Barzal (20 years, 211 days on 12/23/17 vs. Jets)

John Tavares had two hat tricks as a "younger" 20-year-old than Barzal, but both were in his sophomore season.

No Goals in the Second Period

The Isles have scored 45 goals and allowed 45 goals in the second period. This was only the second time this season that neither team scored in the middle session and only the 4th time since Doug Weight became the Isles head coach in January.

Leading goal scorers in NHL (through Saturday afternoon)

1. Alex Ovechkin 23

Nikita Kucherov 23

3 Anders Lee 22

4 John Tavares 21

21 Club

Anders Lee has 22 goals and John Tavares has 21; they are the first Islanders to score 21 goals in 25 years to score 21 goals before Christmas (Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93) while Lee is the first to score 22 by Christmas since Pat LaFontaine in 1989-90.

40-40 Club

The Isles have allowed 40 shots on goal in each of the last two games, both at home. The last time the Isles allowed at least 40 shots in consecutive games, both at home, was on March 29 – April 1, 2008.

Casey on the Draw

Casey Cizikas has won 73 of 106 draws over the last five games (69%), including 15 of 22 today.

Casey is a team-best 55.2% on draws – the highest by a regular Islander center since Zenon Konopka (57.7 in 2010-11). Konopka (52.3 in 2010-11) was also the last regular Isle center to win at least 50% of his draws while shorthanded; Cizikas has won 46 of 96 shorthanded this season.

Moving On Up (Isles lists)

John Tavares recorded one assist, leaving him just one assist behind Patrick Flatley for 6th place. Tavares played in his 623rd game, passing Stefan Persson and tying Billy Harris for 11th place.

Josh Bailey played in his 675th game, still 9th among skaters, but breaking a tie with Billy Smith (674).

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 78th win, breaking a tie will Roland Melanson for 5th place.

Five's Alive

First Things First

The Isles have scored first thirteen times this season (12-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

A Favorable Comparison

The Isles are 19-13-4 this season; they were 15-15-6 through 36 games last season and won only 19 of their first 44 games last season (19-17-8). Their 19th win came in Doug Weight's second game as Islander head coach.

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 222nd career win, passing Ilya Bryzgalov for 68th place on the all-time NHL win list.

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 9-5-2 on the season, including 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 43-24-8 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Florida, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight (40-20-6)

80– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 (40-28-8-4)

82 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 (40-30-12)

86—Steve Stirling 2003-04 (40-31-11-4)

The Shots

Isles 12-7-10=29

Winnipeg 12-10-18=40

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 13-7-2 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.

Home for the Holidays

This was the second game of a five game homestand. The Isles are 2-1-1 in this stretch:

12/16- Vs. Kings W 4-3 (OT)

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 - Vs. Ducks L 4-5 (OT)

12/23 – Vs. Jets W 5-2

12/27 – Vs. Sabres

The Isles are playing 15 games this month, matching their record for most December games (done several other times).

Home and Road

The Islanders are 19-13-4 overall; 11-3-3 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.

Winnipeg is 20-11-6 overall; 12-3-1 at home and 8-8-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 14-9-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 9-8-1 against the East and 10-5-3 against the West. The Isles have beaten each of the top 3 teams in each Western Division (including San Jose twice).

Our House

The Isles are 11-3-3 at home; they are 4-2-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves to improve to 10-8-2 on the season and 7-3-0 in his career against Winnipeg.

Steve Mason made 24 saves but falls to 2-6-1 on the season and 9-4-3 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 2:44 of PP time; Winnipeg was 0-3 in 4:29 of PP time.

The Isles are 12-7-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not. The Isles are 11-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-4-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 18-5-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-8-2 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 6-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 3-3 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

First Goal

The Isles are 12-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-4 when they allow the opening goal.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 4-3-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-4-0 on the back-end.

The next back-to-back set is January 4th in Philadelphia and January 5th vs. Pittsburgh.

Tired vs. Rested

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

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

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

• The Isles are 10-9-4 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:49); Winnipeg: Jacob Trouba (24:07)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (11-11-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

Andre Ladd led the forwards in ice-time (17:08). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-10-4), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0), Andrew Ladd (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 33, Winnipeg 26 (56%).

Casey Cizikas won 15 of 22 for the Isles; Mark Schiefele won 10 of 18 for Winnipeg.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 13/24; 2nd period 13/21; 3rd period 7/14.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 29/53; Power play 3/3; Penalty kill 1/3.

Hit Count

Isles 30 (Cal Clutterbuck -6)

Winnipeg 26 (Brandon Tanev and Mathieu Perreault -4)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 4: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots; Nick Leddy led the way with four.

For the Corsi Crowd

All situations: Isles 44, Winnipeg 71 (including 47-20 in Winnipeg's favor in the final 34 minutes).

5-on-5 Isles 38, Winnipeg 61

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Andrew Ladd +1

Winnipeg: Mathieu Perreault +14

Night and Day

The Isles are 17-13-3 in night games and 2-0-1 in matinees. The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season, will play six matinees this season; the next ones are January 7th vs New Jersey and January 13 at the Rangers (both 1pm).

Ironmen

Jason Chimera – 224 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 187 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 185, Nick Leddy 113.

Century Club

Nick Leddy has joined a select group of defensemen in Islander history who have played at least 100 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

9. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

10. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 113

Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

(*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), Dennis Seidenberg, Steve Bernier, Alan Quine

Total games lost: 89

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

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

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

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 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 675 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris and John Tavares 623

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 256

…

22. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro and Josh Bailey 116 *** 27. Benoit Hogue, Ed Westfall and Anders Lee 105

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. John Tavares 327

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 236

Points

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

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 583

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 352

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 144 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11. Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 109

Wins (Goalie)

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

5. Jaroslav Halak 78 *** 6. Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8. Tommy Salo 62 ***

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and two points to none). The teams will conclude the season series on Friday in Winnipeg.

The Isles have won 5 of the last 6 games between the teams. Since the Jets relocated from Atlanta, the Isles are only 4-4-0 at home against Winnipeg, but they are 7-0-1 in Manitoba.

On the Farm

Bridgeport split a pair of games this weekend to reach the Christmas break with a 14-13-1-1 record

On Friday, Bridgeport dropped a 5-2 decision in Springfield. The Sound Tigers rebounded to defeat Hartford 5-1 on Saturday. Seven different Sound Tigers scored in the two games; Michael dal Colle had three assists, giving him six points in the last six games (1-5-6).

Tanner Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 30 points (8-22-30); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 12. Christopher Gibson is 10-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-6-2.

Bridgeport returns to action at home on Wednesday against Hershey.

Up Next

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27th –BUFFALO AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM

[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 12:30PM), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM]

The Isles conclude the homestand as they entertain the Buffalo Sabres in the first game after the Christmas break.

The Isles defeated the Sabres 6-3 in the home opener; each team scored twice shorthanded in that game—the only time that has happened in Islander history.

The Isles have won the last three meetings, outscoring Buffalo 15-6; the Isles are 4-0-2 in their last six vs. Buffalo and are 9-1-5 in their last 15 games against the Sabres.

The season series concludes on February 8th in Buffalo.

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