The Skinny: Detroit 6, Isles 3

“The Skinny”

By Eric Hornick

Game 34

Detroit 6, Isles 3 

Trevor Daley broke a 3-3 tie with 9:57 to play and both Dylan Larkin and Henrik Zetterberg had three assists as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Islanders 6-3 before a crowd of 10,511 at Barclays Center.

The Islanders had taken a 3-2 lead late in a dominating 2nd period on power play goals from Ryan Pulock and Josh Bailey, but Anthony Mantha got the Red Wings even before the 2nd period ended.

The Isles have dropped three of their last four games and are 3-6-1 in December.

 

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

06:32 New York Anders Lee (21) ASST: John Tavares (22), Josh Bailey (32) 1-0

09:33 Detroit Martin Frk (7) ASST: Jonathan Ericsson (7), Dylan Larkin (20) 1-1

16:49 Detroit PPG - Gustav Nyquist (9) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (16), Tomas Tatar (6) 1-2

2ND PERIOD

02:03 New York PPG - Ryan Pulock (2) ASST: Jordan Eberle (11) 2-2

12:59 New York PPG - Josh Bailey (10) ASST: Mathew Barzal (22), John Tavares (23) 3-2

15:15 Detroit Anthony Mantha (13) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (17) 3-3

3RD PERIOD

10:03 Detroit Trevor Daley (2) ASST: Henrik Zetterberg (18), Dylan Larkin (21)  3-4

14:12 Detroit Mike Green (3) ASST: Dylan Larkin (22), Andreas Athanasiou (6)  3-5

19:31 Detroit EN - Luke Glendening (7) ASST: Danny DeKeyser (1), Frans Nielsen (5) 3-5

The Skinny  

The Isles allowed the first goal for the 22nd time in 33 games (7-12-3); the Isles have scored the first goal fewer times than any other team in the NHL … Josh Bailey (10-32-42) and John Tavares remain tied for the team scoring lead with John Tavares (19-23-42); the linemates have combined for 21 points on the last 14 Islander goals... Both Bailey and Anders Lee now have six-game point streaks while John Tavares has a five-game streak… Bailey now has 14 multi-point games (already a career-high) and Tavares has 13 …John Tavares has four consecutive multi-assist games …Josh Bailey has four consecutive multi-point games; his 32 assists are already the second-highest total of his career…Bailey also has goals in three straight games… This was the first time in the last six Islander games that the score has been 1-1 at some point …The Isles improve to 21.4% on the power play; the Isles haven’t finished a season with a 20% power play efficiency since the 1993-94 season…The Isles PK drops to 72.3%, which is 31st in the NHL…Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 121 goals in the first 34 games (most since 1993-94, when they had scored 124) and allowed 120 goals (highest since 2005-06, when they allowed 121)…The Isles were outscored 3-0 in the third period; the Isles have outscored opponents 42-34 in the final session… Mathew Barzal assisted on Bailey’s power play goal and continues to lead all rookies in assists with 22; it’s the most assists for an Islander rookie since John Tavares had 30 in 2009-10…The Isles had more shots on goal in the 2nd period (23) than Detroit had in the entire game (22); the 23 shots was a season-high.  The Isles did not have 23 shots in any period last season…Jonathan Ericsson had an assist and was +4…Mike Green’s goal was his 450th career point, including 19 in 34 games against the Isles.

The Discipline

Following the game, Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader was fined $5,000 for spearing Scott Mayfield.  The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowed by the CBA.  Abdelkader was given a minor penalty for slashing on the play.  Had the officials ruled it a spear on the ice, Adbelkader would (by rule) have received a major penalty and a game misconduct.

Seven of One, Half-Dozen of Another

The Isles’ defense combined for 20 shots on goal, including seven from Johnny Boychuk and a career-high six from Ryan Pulock.  Boychuk and Pulock are the first pair of Islander defensemen with at least six shots in a game in 24 years (12-17-1993 vs. Toronto; Vladimir Malakhov had 7 and Uwe Krupp added 6).

Filling the Statistical Categories

In addition to his seven shots on goal, Johnny Boychuk was credited with four hits and four blocks.  He is the first Islander in the Real-Time era to reach (or exceed) all those totals.  It has happened eleven times previously, including four times by Rob Blake.

Leading goal scorers in NHL

1. Alex Ovechkin 23

       Nikita Kucherov 23

3 Anders Lee 21

4 John Tavares 19

Christmas Club 

Anders Lee has 21 goals and John Tavares has 19 goals; Lee is the first Islander to score 21 goals in 25 years to score 21 goals before Christmas (Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93); the only time in club history that Islander teammates had 20 goals before Christmas was in 1977-78, when Mike Bossy (then a rookie) and Bryan Trottier did so.

Tavares and Lee are the first Islander teammates to score 19 goals before Christmas in 25 years (Derek King and Pierre Turgeon in 1992-93) and are the first teammates since Mike Bossy and Brent Sutter in 1984-85 to have scored 19 goals by December 16th.

Casey on the Draw

Casey Cizikas has won 45 of 64 draws over the last three games (70.3%), including 13 of 18 tonight.

Casey is a team-best 54.1% on draws.

While the Isles are 26th in draws this season, they are 12th since the start of December.

Moving On Up

John Tavares recorded two assists, with his first assist passing Brent Sutter for 7th place on the all-time Isles list.  He is now just three assists behind Patrick Flatley for 6th place.

Josh Bailey had two points, giving him 348 points.  He is one point behind Frans Nielsen for 16th place on the all-time list.  His goal was his 116th, tying him with Ray Ferraro for 25th place on the all-time list.

 Anders Lee’ goal was his 105th, tying Benoit Hogue and Ed Westfall for 27th on the all-time Isles list.

Five’s Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals eight times at home (7-1-0) and twelve times overall (11-1-0). 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 twelve times this season (11-1-0). 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 18-13-3 this season; they were 14-14-6 through 34 games last season and won only 18 of their first 43 games last season (18-17-8).  Their 18th win came in Doug Weight’s first game as Islander head coach. 

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 221 career wins; he is tied with 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 Greiss is 6-3-0 in his last nine decisions.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 42-24-7 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    9-23-5=37

Detroit 6-4-12=22

The Isles are 6-5-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 12-7-1 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 1-1-0 in this stretch:

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

12/19 – Vs. Red Wings L 3-6

12/21 -  Vs. Ducks

12/23 – Vs. Jets (1pm)

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 18-13-3 overall; 10-3-2 at home and 8-10-1 on the road.  

Detroit is 13-13-7 overall; 6-6-6 at home and 7-7-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 5-4-1 in Division games and 13-9-2 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 9-8-1 against the East and 9-5-2 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 10-3-2 at home; they are 4-2-0 against the East and 6-1-2 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 27-5-5 all-time at Barclays against the West.

Most Points Through 15 Home Games (Post-Cup era)

24- 1984-85

22- 2017-18

22- 2014-15

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 16 saves but falls to 9-5-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in his career against Detroit.  

Petr Mrazek made 34 saves to improve to 3-4-1 on the season and 6-3-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-3 on the power play in 3:33 of PP time; Detroit was 1-1 in 0:57 of PP time. 

The Isles are 11-7-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 7-6-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 11-9-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 7-4-2 when they do not.    

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 17-5-1 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 6-4-3 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 3-2 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 11-1-0 when they score first and are 7-12-3 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 9-9-3 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:56); Detroit: Jonathan Ericson (23:50)

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

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (19:19). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (16-10-3), Josh Bailey (2-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-2-0).

Face-offs

Isles 31, Detroit 33 (48%). 

Casey Cizikas won 13 of 18 for the Isles; Henrik Zetterberg won 10 of 19 for Detroit.

 

Face-offs by period: 1st period 8/16; 2nd period 15/27; 3rd period 8/21.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 27/58; Power play 3/5; Penalty kill 1/1.

Hit Count

Isles 26 (Johnny Boychuk and Cal Clutterbuck -4)

Detroit 24 (Jonathan Ericson & Luke Glendening -4)

Fights

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

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 18 shots; Johnny Boychuk led the way with four.

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 51, Detroit 59

5-on-5 Isles 42, Detroit 54

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech +4

Detroit:  Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha +8

Night and Day 

The Isles are 17-13-2 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 – 222 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 185 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 183, Nick Leddy 111.

Century Club

Calvin deHaan and Nick Leddy have 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. Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

11. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 111

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), (Thomas Hickey-Injured), (Shane Prince-conditioning), Alan Quine

Total games lost: 85

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

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 673 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris 623 *** 12. Stefan Persson 622 *** 13. John Tavares 621

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 254

…

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 325

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 232

Points

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

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 579

…

14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 17.  Josh Bailey 348

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 142 *** 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. Rollie Melanson and Jaroslav Halak 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 58

Season Series Stats

Detroit leads the season series one game to none (and two points to none). The teams will meet again in Brooklyn on February 9th; the Isles will end the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on April 7th.

The Red Wings have taken 5-out-of-7 from the Isles over the last three seasons and Petr Mrazek owns six wins over the Isles in the past four seasons.

On the Farm

Bridgeport fell to 13-12-1-1 following a 3-2 overtime loss to Lehigh Valley on Sunday.  Casey Bailey had a goal and an assist for the Sound Tigers; Michael dal Colle also scored.

Tanner Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 28 points (8-21-29); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 12. Christopher Gibson is 9-6-1 in the nets while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-5-2.

Bridgeport visits Springfield on Friday night and travels to Hartford at 3pm on Saturday.  

Up Next

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21st –ANAHEIM AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM 

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

The middle game of this 5-game homestand is on Thursday as the Isles host Anaheim.

This is the second meeting of the teams this season; the Isles outshot Anaheim 41-30 at the Pond in October but dropped a 3-2 decision.

Each of the last three games has ended by a 3-2 score and the home team has won all three, including last season’s Islander home opener.  Overall the Islanders have won 4 of the last 5 games between the teams.

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.