The Skinny: Isles 5, Florida 4 (SO)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 26

Isles 5, Florida 4 (shootout)

Mathew Barzal scored the only goal of the shootout on his first career shootout attempt and Anders Lee scored his 100th career goal as the Isles defeated the Florida Panthers 5-4 before a crowd of 11,210 at BB&T Center.  

Brock Nelson and John Tavares scored 2:02 apart late in the second period for the Isles, who won their first match-up with former head coach Jack Capuano.

The Scoring:

1ST PERIOD

10:25 Florida Keith Yandle (4) 0-1

13:51 New York Anders Lee (16) ASST: Calvin de Haan (8), Adam Pelech (10) 1-1

2ND PERIOD

05:35 New York Thomas Hickey (1) ASST: Joshua Ho-Sang (9) 2-1

08:45 Florida PPG - Aaron Ekblad (4) ASST: Keith Yandle (11), Vincent Trocheck (15) 2-2

10:34 Florida PPG - Aleksander Barkov (10) ASST: Keith Yandle (12), Vincent Trocheck (16) 2-3

16:19 New York Brock Nelson (7) ASST: Joshua Ho-Sang (10), Jason Chimera (5) 3-3

18:21 New York John Tavares (17) ASST: Josh Bailey (26), Nick Leddy (16) 4-3

3RD PERIOD

05:06 Florida Denis Malgin (2) ASST: Vincent Trocheck (17), Jamie McGinn (6) 4-4

OT PERIOD

No Scoring

The Shootout

Jordan Eberle -failed

Vincent Trocheck-failed

John Tavares-failed

Aleksander Barkov-failed

Mathew Barzal-scored/Game Deciding Goal

Jonathan Huberdeau-failed

The Isles improve to 73-57 all-time in shootouts; the 73 wins share the NHL record with Pittsburgh (73-49).

The Skinny: 

Anders Lee's goal was the 100th of his career; he now has a 4-game goal streak (5 goals) … Josh Bailey assisted on John Tavares' goal to retain the team scoring lead (5-26-31) over Tavares (17-13-30); Bailey is tied with Steven Stamkos for 2nd in the NHL in assists, two behind Blake Wheeler… With Lee's goals tonight, Lee and John Tavares are on pace to combine for 104 goals this season (54 for Tavares and 50 for Lee); Jason Blake is the only Islander to score 40 goals in a season in the last 20 years…Nick Leddy had an assist, leaving him only two points behind John Klingberg for the defenseman scoring lead… Joshua Ho-Sang had two assists, moving him into the top 10 in rookie assists… The Isles are 48-0-5 in the last 53 games that they led after two periods (since a loss in Edmonton on February 28, 2016), including 12-0-0 this season…Since being shutout in Dallas on November 10, the Isles have scored 43 goals in the last 10 games; the Isles lead the NHL with a 3.73 goal scoring average…Since Roberto Luongo rejoined the Panthers, Florida was 96-66-26 with him between the pipes…Keith Yandle had three points (1-2-3) in his 661st consecutive game (8th all-time)…Florida scored two power play goals for the first time since October 21st vs. Washington.

The Injury:

Roberto Luongo, playing in his 981st NHL game, was forced to leave the game 2:31 into the second period after suffering a lower-body injury. He did not return.

Leading goal scorers in NHL

1. Alex Ovechkin 20

2. Nikita Kucherov 19

3. John Tavares 17

4. Anders Lee 16

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 ten times this season (10-0-0).  It's the first time that the Isles have won at least ten 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 a franchise-record 15 straight wins when the Isles score first.  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 16-8-2 this season; they were 11-10-5 through 26 games last season and won only 16 of their first 41 games last season (16-17-8).  

Passing Patty

John Tavares' 2nd period goal was his 567th point, passing Pat LaFontaine for 6th place on the all-time Isles list.  He is 43 points behind Brent Sutter for 5th.

Leddy(ing) the Way

Nick Leddy's assist give him 22 points in 26 games this season (.85 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).

Born in the USA

Anders Lee became the fifth American and 30th Islander to reach 100 career goals with his first period tally. Only four other American-born players have scored 100 goals for the Islanders (Pat LaFontaine-287, Kyle Okposo-139, Jason Blake-127, Mark Parrish-118)

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak recorded his 220th career win, breaking a tie with John Ross Roach for 69th place on the all-time NHL win list.   He is one win behind Ilya Bryzgalov (221).  

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 8-2-2 on the season (8-1-2 in his last 11 decisions).  Greiss has won five straight decisions and is 6-0-1(with 1 no decision) in his last 8 games.

Fastest to 40

Doug Weight is now 40-20-6 as an NHL coach. On December 4 in Tampa Bay, he reached 40 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 40 Wins by an Islander Coach:

66 – Doug Weight

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       8-14-8-2=32

Florida  11-19-10-3=43

The Isles are 5-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 11-4-0 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 December

This was the first game of a stretch in which the Isles will play eight games in 13 days.  The Isles are 1-0-0 in this stretch:

12/4 - @ Panthers W 5-4 (SO)

12/5 - @ Lightning

12/7 - @ Penguins

12/9 - @ Bruins

12/11- Vs. Caps

12/13- Vs. Stars

12/14 - @ Blue Jackets

12/16- Vs. Kings

The game in Columbus on December 14th is the only road game in an 8-game stretch between December 11th and December 27th.

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 16-8-2 overall; 8-1-2 at home and 8-7-0 on the road.  

Florida is 10-14-3 overall; 5-6-2 at home and 5-8-1 on the road.  

Road Warriors

The Isles went over NHL-.500 with their win in Florida (8-7-0).  The Isles were not over NHL-.500 on the road at any point last season until a win in April pushed their record to 18-17-5 on the road; they would win the road finale to finish 19-17-5.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 4-3-0 in Division games and 12-5-2 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 8-4-0 against the East and 8-4-2 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 8-1-2 at home; they are 3-1-0 against the East and 5-0-2 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 26-4-5 all-time at Barclays against the West.

Most Points Through 11 Home Games

20- 1984-85

19- 1978-79

18- 2017-18

18- 2014-15

18- 1982-83

18- 1974-75

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 39 saves and improves to 8-6-0 on the season and 10-3-2 in his career against Florida.

Roberto Luongo made 12 saves on 13 shots before leaving due to injury. James Reimer stopped 15 of 19 and is tagged with the shootout loss; he is 4-6-3 on the season and 4-2-2 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play; Florida was 2-4.  

The Isles are 10-3-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 6-5-2 when they do not.  The Isles are 10-5-0 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 15-3-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-5-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 5-4-2 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 2-1 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 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 10-0-0 when they score first and are 6-8-2 when they allow the opening goal. 

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 4-2-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-2-0 on the back-end.  This back-to-back set concludes Tuesday in Tampa Bay. The next back-to-back set is December 13th vs. Dallas and December 14th in Columbus; that is the last back-to-back set until mid-January.

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 9-6-2 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (25:26); Florida: Aaron Ekblad (26:46)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (3-1-1), Nick Leddy (9-6-0), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (23:34). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (15-6-2), Josh Bailey (1-0-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-1-0).

Face-offs

Isles 31, Florida 38 (45%). 

Brock Nelson won 12 of 18 for the Isles; Vincent Trocheck won 14 of 18 for Florida.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/19; 2nd period 11/27; 3rd period 9/20; Overtime 1/3.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 24/58; Power play 4/5; Penalty kill 3/6

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Cal Clutterbuck -4) 

Florida 21 (Vincent Trocheck -5)

Fights

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

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 8 shots; Adam Pelech and Johnny Boychuk each had 3. 

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 54, Florida 59

5-on-5 Isles 40, Florida 41

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Joshua Ho-Sang +5

Florida: Denis Malgin & Jamie McGinn +8

Night and Day 

The Isles are 15-8-1 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 – 214 (including 106 for the Capitals); Jordan Eberle 177 (including 151 for the Oilers), Josh Bailey 175, Calvin deHaan 111, Nick Leddy 103.

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

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

10.Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- CURRENT 111

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

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

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

      Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 103

(*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Shane Prince-IR), (Casey Cizikas – IR), Dennis Seidenberg, Scott Mayfield

Total games lost: 57.

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 665 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. Billy Harris 623 *** 12. Stefan Persson 622 *** 13. John Tavares 613

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 252

…

22.  Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 25. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 26. Josh Bailey 111 *** 27. Benoit Hogue and Ed Westfall 105 *** 29. Anders Kallur 101*** 30. Anders Lee 100

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 315

…

15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 ***18. Josh Bailey 226

Points

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

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 567

…

16. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 17. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 18. Josh Bailey 337

Games Played (Goalies)

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

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 138 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 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 76*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss 57

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the series one game to none (and two points to one). The remaining games of the season series will be played in Brooklyn on January 30th and March 26th.

The Isles are 5-5-3 in the last 13 games against the Panthers.

On the Farm

Over the weekend Bridgeport dropped home games to Utica (2-1 in a shootout) and Providence (4-1) at Harbor Yards. The loss to the P-Bruins ended an 8-game Sound Tiger point streak (6-0-1-1).

Bridgeport is now 12-8-1-1 on the season and 9-3-1-1 in their last 14 games. 

Fritz continues to lead Bridgeport with 25 points (7-18-25) and is now tied for 4th in the AHL in scoring; Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 10. Christopher Gibson is 8-4-0 in the nets, while Krister Gudlevskis is 4-4-2.  

Bridgeport is off until Saturday, when they visit Springfield; the Sound Tigers will also host Rochester at 3pm on Sunday.

 

Up Next

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5th –ISLANDERS AT TAMPA BAY  7:30PM 

[MSG+2 (Islanders pre-game at 7:00PM), WNYM 970AM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Isles continue the road trip as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second of three meetings between the teams this season.  

The Isles built a 4-0 lead on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Lightning in Tampa 2 ½ weeks ago and will be looking to win consecutive games in Tampa, both in regulation, for the first time since 2002.

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